It was the Spring of 1509, King Henry VII lay dying in his bed surrounded by his most intimate courtiers and household. His son, the seventeen year old Prince of Wales would soon become the next King of England. King Henry VIII. Henry, however, was never supposed to be heir apparent to the throne. He was raised as a 'spare heir' with his sisters, and his education was that of a second son and not that of someone who would someday become King. In th [More]
Who Was Henry Percy? Henry Percy was born circa 1502 to Catherine Spencer and her husband, Henry Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland in Nottingham, England. At a young age he was sent to be a page in Thomas Wolsey's household. Around 1516 Henry Percy was fated (had a precontract) to wed Mary Talbot, daughter of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury. In 1519 Henry was knighted. Betrothal to Anne Boleyn Sometime after her arrival to court in 1522 Henry Percy fe [More]
The year was 1514 and Thomas Wolsey was Henry VIII's favorite. On 15 September Wolsey was appointed Archbishop of York. When Henry took the throne in 1509 Wolsey was by his side as his almoner (official distributor of alms). From there his favor grew along with his titles. Wolsey was instrumental for Henry since he was able to make all the difficcult decisions that Henry couldn't be bothered with. The king preferred to 'play' and be merry instead of make the difficult [More]