Children of Henry VIII
had several children. The best known children are the three legitimate offspring who survived infancy and would succeed him as monarchs of England successively, Edward VI, Mary I and Elizabeth I.
His first two wives, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn, had several pregnancies that ended in stillbirth, miscarriage, or death in infancy. Henry acknowledged one illegitimate child, Henry FitzRoy, as his own, but is suspected to have fathered several illegitimate children by different mistresses. The number and identity of these is a matter of historical debate.
There are many theories about whether Henry VIII had fertility difficulties. His last three wives, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr are not known to have conceived by him, although Parr conceived in her next marriage.
None of Henry's acknowledged children had children of their own, leaving him with no direct descendants after the death of Elizabeth in 1603.Legitimate children
Illegitimate children
had one acknowledged illegitimate child, as well as several others who are suspected to be his, by his mistresses.
He acknowledged Henry Fitzroy, the son of his mistress Elizabeth Blount, and granted him a dukedom; married Mary FitzRoy, Duchess of Richmond and Somerset. No issue.
Others suspected of being his include:
- Thomas Stukeley, his mother being Jane Pollard, the wife of Sir Hugh Stukeley
- Richard Edwardes, born to Mrs. Agnes Edwardes
- Catherine Carey, daughter of his mistress Mary Boleyn, the sister of his second wife, Anne Boleyn, and wife of William Carey.
- Henry Carey, brother of Catherine Carey
- Ethelreda Malte, born to Joan Dingley, alias Dobson. Paternity was claimed by John Malte.
- John Perrot, his mother being Mary Berkeley the wife of Sir Thomas Perrot
Fictional portrayals
- The Secret Daughter of Henry VIII by F. W. Kenyon, a novel which depicts Lady Jane Grey as the King's daughter by Jane Seymour and Edward VI as really his bastard child
- In the Shadow of the Throne by David Tudor about the life of Richard Edwardes
