Bastard Prince: Henry VIII's Lost Son

Henry Fitzroy (aka Dike of Richmond) was the illegitimate son of Henry VIII and a young Elizabeth Blount, maid of honor to Catherine of Aragon, Henry's queen. He was the only one of Henry's bastards publically acknowledged by him.This detailed biography covers Fitzroy's family background, education, daily life and elevation as Henry VIII prepares him for his future. What is unlnown is whether Fitzroy is being groomed for the throne or as a wealthy English magnate to represente the crown in the northern shires. The author presents both possible outcomes with his reasoning for each one. Material is covered that is usually left out of most Tudor biographies.

Overall, a good account of Henry Fitzroy's life. The book starts with Elizabeth Blount's (his mother) arrival at Henry VIII's court, and concludes with a look at both what befell after his death and what could have been had he lived to adulthood.If I'd bought the print version, I'd give it five stars. The Kindle version gets dinged one star because the numbers marking endnotes don't actually link to the endnotes. To check an endnote reference, a reader would have to bookmark the page she's on and jump forward to the endnotes. I know for a fact that it's possible to link those notes in the main text, I have all of the Ciaphas Cain novels on my Kindle.

As a long-time reader of Tudor history, I often feel there's nothing new to discover, that every character, every event has been written and analyzed to the point of redundancy. But this book is a fantastic find, filled with information about Henry Fitzroy' short life, his relationship with the King, court life and court politics, and the politics of the succession. If you are a Tudor enthusiast, you must read this book.

I had no idea that Henry Fitzroy's life was so well documented. This book really fleshed him out as a person. It's a pity he died at such a young age. Who knows, perhaps he would have been Henry VIII's heir? I would recommend this book to everyone interested in the Tudor period. It's really worth it!

This book was extremely well written. There is not a lot of books available on Henry viii's illegitimate son, and this book had pieced together all the contemporary information there is to give us a glimpse of Henry's life, and how he was treated by the king and court. Great read!

A nice glimpse into Henry VIII's bastard son and what could have been.

Great book for learning of Henry VIII"s Bastard son.

Valuable information hitherto unknown to me.

Interesting. Good read

A very well written history book which is easy to follow.

A very interesting and well written and researched account of the life of a man who seems to have been largely airbrushed from our history. Murphy does him a justice that has been missing for several centuries.

Henry VIII's son, Henry Duke of Richmond rarely is written about. This book brings him to life. Not just a bastard son, but elevated quite high within the realm for one so young. Richmond was never hidden away and spent alot of his life at court with his father. Very well written and researched account of Tudor England. Really enjoyable.

ecxellent