Elizabeth Blount
Elizabeth Blount (c. 1498[1]/c. 1500 [2]/c. 1502 – 1539/1540),[3] often called Bessie Blount, was famous for having an affair with King Henry VIII of England.
Elizabeth Blount | |
|---|---|
| Born | c. 1498 Kinlet, England |
| Died | c. June 1540 (aged c. 42) |
| Known for | Having an affair with Henry VIII |
Early life
Blount was the daughter of Sir John Blount and Catherine Pershall, of Shropshire.
Not much is known about Elizabeth Blount's early years, not even her year of birth.
She became a lady-in-waiting (a type of personal helper) to Queen Catherine of Aragon. She became King Henry's lover during 1514 or 1515.[4]
Royal mistress
Blount's relationship with Henry VIII lasted a long time compared to many of his other affairs. On 15 June 1519, Blount and the King had a son, named Henry FitzRoy. After FitzRoy was born, their affair ended.
Later life
In 1522, Blount married Gilbert Tailboys, 1st Baron Tailboys of Kyme. By this marriage, she had two sons and one daughter. Her husband, Tailboys, died in 1530.
On 23 July 1536, Henry VIII and Blount's son Henry FitzRoy died, probably of tuberculosis.
Blount then married Edward Clinton at some point between 1533 and 1535. They had three daughters.
Blount died in 1539 or 1540.
Notes
- ↑ Norton, Elizabeth., Bessie Blount mistress to Henry VIII (Stroud, 2011) Pg. 47
- ↑ Karen Lindsey, xv, Divorced, Beheaded, Survived, Perseus Books, 1995
- ↑ Weir, Alison (1 June 2001). Henry VIII: King and Court. Jonathan Cape Ltd. ISBN 978-0-224-06022-6.
- ↑ Hart, Kelly (6 March 2009). The Mistresses of Henry VIII. The History Press. p. 7. ISBN 978-0-7524-4835-0.