Elizabeth Blount

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Elizabeth Blount (* around 1498, † around 1540), called Bessie Blount , an English noblewoman, was the daughter of Sir John Blount from Shropshire and is known for her role as mistress of King Henry VIII. She gave birth to their son, Henry Fitzroy , who was recognized and endowed with high dignity by the king, who until then had no legitimate male heir. It was later even suggested that he be officially named heir to the throne. Elizabeth Blount's affair with the king ended shortly after Henry Fitzroy's birth and she married Gilbert Tailboys, 1st Baron Tailboys , with whom she had several children, and after his death Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln, with whom she also had children.

She died in relative oblivion sometime between January 1539 and June 1541, after her royal son had died as a youth a few years earlier.

Family and origin

Elizabeth Blount was the daughter of John Blount of Kinlet (1484-1531) and his wife Katherine Pershall (1483-1540), heiress of Sir Hugh Pershall of Knightley and his wife Isabel Stanley of Elford. The exact year of her birth is not known. Your biographer Elizabeth Norton assumes, however, that Elizabeth was the oldest daughter and probably also the oldest child in the family of six daughters and five sons and considers a year of birth of around 1498 to be "very likely". A later year of birth than 1500 can in any case be excluded, since Elizabeth received a post as lady-in-waiting in 1512, for which there was a minimum age of 12 years.

Elizabeth Blount was believed to have been born in Kinlet Hall, baptized in Kinlet parish church adjacent to the family estate, and named after her great-grandmother, Elizabeth, widow of Humphrey Blount , who may also be her godmother. She could have received the nickname Bessie to distinguish it from other family members named Elizabeth as a child or even as the king's mistress.

The Blounts belonged to the class of the English gentry and the family had owned lands in Kinlet in Shropshire since the time of the Norman Conquest . She had local influence and importance and various family members repeatedly served as sheriffs . In contrast to the wives of Henry VIII, who were all legitimate descent from Edward I or Edward III. However, Bessie's pedigree was unimpressive. While the Blounts are said to have descended from the third Earl of Guisnes and his wife (daughter of the Earl of St. Pol) who came to England with William the Conqueror , this could have been an allegation later when the family sought higher status.

In the 16th century it was said that the family name Blount ( Middle English "blond") came from "her golden locks". In a time when blonde hair was the ideal of beauty, the family was therefore considered to be exceptionally good-looking.

Childhood and upbringing

When Bessie was born, her very young parents apparently lived in Kinlet with her father's parents. Since her grandparents raised a family of 20 children, it is very possible that some of Bessie's aunts and uncles were born after her. Since John had a bad relationship with his father, Thomas Blount, and the marriage contract promised Katherine £ 20 worth of land for life after the birth of their first child, Katherine presumably moved out soon. While it is unknown where they stayed during Bessie's childhood, an estate in Shropshire, Bewdley appears possible.

There are also no recorded records of Bessie's upbringing. In the early Tudor period, the upbringing of daughters was usually left entirely to the mother and could vary widely. Bessie's mother had evidently received a good upbringing; she could write and knew how to express herself. In the household of Bessie's grandfather there was also presumably a private tutor or a parish priest for his younger children and grandchildren; he was interested in education. Bessie herself later appreciated education, and it is known that she owned two books, Chaucer's Troilus and a romance popular then among young women called Criseyde . We also know from written documents that she could write.

In addition to reading and writing, Bessie's mother must have taught her to dance, sing and embroider, traditionally female occupations, as well as the polite and pious demeanor expected by women of the time. Since Bessie and her sisters were not heiresses or came from a wealthy, influential family, they relied on attracting a husband through personal characteristics.

Court lady and mistress of the king

John Blount was a loyal, if not particularly exceptional, servant of the royal family. He accompanied Henry VIII when he translated to France in the course of the Italian wars in 1514 to fight against King Louis XII. to fight. Little is known about Elizabeth (also called Bessie ) other than her beauty and her famous affair with Henry VIII. The young girl came to the court of Catherine of Aragón , Heinrich's first wife, as a lady in waiting . As a result, she caught the king's eye and quickly became his lover (around 1517). On June 15, 1519, Elizabeth gave birth to a son named Henry Fitzroy . Since Henry Fitzroy, later 1st Duke of Richmond and Somerset, was born out of wedlock, he had no claim to the English throne. After the birth of the son, the king ended the affair with Elizabeth and soon afterwards his attention fell on Mary Boleyn , wife of the court clerk William Carey.

Elizabeth was then married in 1519 to Sir Gilbert Tailboys, of Kyme , who had been a royal ward since his father was declared insane in 1517. After the marriage, she no longer appeared often in the affairs of the Tudor Monarchy. Henry VIII made her husband Baron Tailboys in 1529 . Their son died on June 18, 1536. By this time Elizabeth was widowed and remarried to the much younger Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln . From their second marriage there were three daughters u. a. Catherine Clinton (buried August 14, 1621), who later became the wife of William Burgh, second Lord of Burgh (1522–1584) and mother of Thomas Burgh, third Lord of Burgh (1558–1597). In January 1539, Elizabeth was apparently still alive as she and her husband were transferred to monastic lands at that time, however, in June 1541, Lord Clinton is referred to as newly married. Heinrich had already been married to Anne Boleyn , Jane Seymour , Anna von Kleve and the young Catherine Howard when Elizabeth died. According to legend, Elizabeth died of the same disease as her son.

Marriages and offspring

From her relationship with King Henry VIII.

From her marriage to Gilbert Talboys, 1st Baron Tailboys:

From her second marriage to Edward Clinton, 1st Earl of Lincoln :

  • Lady Bridget Clinton (* around 1536).
  • Lady Katherine Clinton (around 1538 - 14 August 1621)
  • Lady Margaret Clinton (* around 1539).

Representation in books and films

In Philippa Gregory's historical novel The Other Boleyn Girl (German title: The Queen's Sister ), Bessie Blount is mentioned several times, as the Boleyns hope that Henry's new mistress Mary Boleyn will also bear a son to the king and, unlike Bessie, Henry's new queen becomes. In the follow-up novel The Boleyn Inheritance (German title: The legacy of the queen ) Bessie Blount is a minor character at court who mourns the death of her son Henry Fitzroy. It is implied here that Bessie suspects murder, which cannot be historically proven.

In the first part of the British TV series Henry VIII , Elizabeth Blount was played by an actress whose name was unknown. The character only made a very brief appearance during the birth of Henry Fitzroy.

In the television series The Tudors , Ruta Gedmintas played the role of Bessie Blount. Unlike in reality, she is already married during her affair with Heinrich, which is why her husband threatens to lock her in a monastery. The affair ends after the birth of their son Henry Fitzroy, who dies here as a toddler.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Beverley A. Murphy: Blount, Elizabeth (c. 1500-1539 / 41) In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography. Oxford University Press, 2004
  2. ^ Norton, Elizabeth: Bessie Blount: The King's Mistress.
  3. ↑ Elizabeth Norton: Bessie Blount: The King's Mistress. Kindle Edition. Amberley Publishing 2012, Chapter 4: Bessie's Childhood
  4. ↑ Elizabeth Norton: Bessie Blount: The King's Mistress. Kindle Edition. Amberley Publishing 2012, Chapter 3: Bessie Blount of Kinlet
  5. ↑ Elizabeth Norton: Bessie Blount: The King's Mistress. Kindle Edition. Amberley Publishing 2012, Chapter 1: The Blounts of Kinlet
  6. ↑ Elizabeth Norton: Bessie Blount: The King's Mistress. Kindle Edition. Amberley Publishing 2012, Chapter 1: The Blounts of Kinlet
  7. ↑ Elizabeth Norton: Bessie Blount: The King's Mistress. Kindle Edition. Amberley Publishing 2012, Chapter 3: Bessie Blount of Kinlet
  8. ↑ Elizabeth Norton: Bessie Blount: The King's Mistress. Kindle Edition. Amberley Publishing 2012, Chapter 4: Bessie's Childhood
  9. ↑ Elizabeth Norton: Bessie Blount: The King's Mistress. Kindle Edition. Amberley Publishing 2012, Chapter 4: Bessie's Childhood
personal data
SURNAME Blount, Elizabeth
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Blount, Bessie
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Mistress of Henry VIII of England
DATE OF BIRTH around 1498
DATE OF DEATH around 1540