Guest post by Sarah Bryson
Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk had four sons, two with his third wife Mary Tudor and two with his fourth wife Katherine Willoughby. He also had four daughters. Tragically two of his sons died before himself and the youngest two would only outlive their father by six years. It would be Brandon’s daughters and not his sons that would carry on his legacy. This is the tragic story of Charles Brandon’s four sons.
Charles Brandon’s first child with Mary, a son, was born on the 11th March 1516 between ten and eleven o’clock at night at Bath Place, London, a house belonging to Cardinal Wolsey. There is some debate as to why Mary gave birth at Bath Place rather than her home of Suffolk Place where the Brandon’s resided. It may be that her labour came upon her unexpectedly and she did not have enough time to go into confinement, a practice whereby a woman removed herself from the world for several weeks before giving birth. Or it may simply be that due to the Duke’s relationship with Wolsey and owing to all the Cardinal had done for them in seeing their favour restored with the King after their secret marriage, Bath Place was offered to Mary for the birth of her first child. Either way Brandon now had a son and heir.
The baby boy was christened Henry after the King. The christening ceremony took place in the hall at Suffolk Place and was conducted with great splendour and ceremony. The hall was lavishly decorated with wall hangings of red and white Tudor roses, torches were lit and the christening font was warmed for the special occasion. The Christening was performed by John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester and he was assisted by Thomas Ruthall of Durham. The King attended the ceremony as did Cardinal Thomas Wolsey, the Duke of Norfolk and other important members of the court. The King and Cardinal Wolsey stood as the godfathers while Catherine, the Dowager Countess of Devon, a daughter of the late King Edward IV, stood as the godmother.
After the ceremony Lady Anne Grey carried little Henry to his nursery and Sir Humphrey Banaster, Mary’s Vice Chamberlin, carried his train. After this, spices and wine were served by the Duke of Norfolk and presents were given in celebration. The King gave Brandon a salt cellar and a cup of solid gold and the Queen, two silver gilt pots. Notably, Mary was not in attendance as she had not yet been churched. The whole event was full of pomp, ritual and lavish celebration which signified the importance of the birth of the King’s nephew as well as Brandon’s favour with the King.
Tragically, sometime during 1522 little Henry Brandon died. There are no details surrounding the boy’s death or the cause. At just five or six years of age he could have died from a number of illnesses or accidents. At the time, Mary was pregnant for the fourth time and that year she gave birth to another son. He too was named Henry, after the King, although no further information about his birth, location or christening survives. Brandon once more had a son and heir who he hoped would carry on his title and bloodline.
On 18 June 1525 at Bridewell Palace Henry Brandon, now only two or three years old, was created Earl of Lincoln. The title was prestigious for the young boy who was not even old enough to read or write, yet it may have been granted to him as the Earldom was closely associated with the De La Pole’s. By granting the title to Brandon’s son the King may have been further distancing not only the title but the people of East Anglia from the rebellious De La Pole family.
At the age of twelve Henry Brandon was contracted to marry Katherine Willoughby, heiress of her father’s estates. However Charles Brandon’s wife Mary Tudor had died on the 25th June 1533 and the Duke took Katherine as his own wife on September 7th. Shortly after, on the 1st of March 1534, just six months after his father’s marriage to Katherine Willoughby, Henry Brandon, Earl of Lincoln, died. Rumour was that Henry died of a broken heart after having his wife stolen from him but there is no truth to this rumour. It has been suggested that young Henry may have been sick for a period of time leading up to his death. Whatever the cause of the young Earl’s death at the age of eleven, Brandon was left with four daughters but no male heir to succeed him.
Brandon did not have to wait long for another child, as just over a year later his wife Katherine Willoughby gave birth to a boy on 18th September 1535. A short time later, the little boy named Henry after the King, was christened. Henry VIII stood as one of the godfathers and even gave the midwife and nurse £4 for their efforts.
Henry Brandon
Katherine, gave birth to a second son named Charles sometime in 1537, where this child was born and his exact date of birth has not been recorded.
Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk died on the 22nd of August 1545. He left behind his wife Katherine, three daughters and his two sons Henry and Charles Brandon, aged ten and eight years respectively.
In his will Brandon left the majority of his wealth and estates to his oldest son Henry, for when the boy reached his majority. Young Henry’s wardship and the right to organise his marriage was granted to his mother in May 1546 for the sum of £1500 (which was to be paid off in seven instalments.)
Until he reached his majority Henry Brandon was sent to be educated with Prince Edward, Henry VIII’s son and heir. He was taught by Richard Coxe, John Cheke, and Roger Ascham. In January 1547 upon Henry VIII’s death, Edward succeeded his father and became King Edward VI. During the young King’s coronation, both Henry and Charles Brandon were knighted and Henry Brandon had the honour of carrying the King’s orb.
After Edward VI’s coronation, Henry Brandon remained in the new King’s household. He participated in various courtly events including revelling with the King in March 1547, running at the ring in May 1550, and dressing up as a nun in a masque in June of the same year.
In 1549 Henry Brandon went to France for a brief period of time as a hostage to fulfil the treaty of Boulogne. In essence the treaty granted France the return of the city of Boulogne and France in return had to pay 400 000 crowns and withdraw their troops from Scotland. In France, Henry impressed the nobility with his ability to ride while wearing armour and also his skills in Latin. Upon his return to England, Henry returned to Edward’s household until the autumn of 1549 when he began his education. Katherine Willoughby decided that both of her children should attend St John’s College, Cambridge.
At St John’s College both boys participated in a strict and gruelling regime of education which saw them wake up at around four or five in the morning and then attend church. Afterward, they would start their studies which lasted twelve hours, with little time for leisure or entertainment. Once their studies were complete, they had a simple dinner and went to bed. This must have been quite a shock to them, especially to Henry who had spent the last several years with Edward VI. However the boy’s education only lasted two years before tragedy struck.
In the summer of 1551 another case of the dreaded Sweating Sickness broke out in Cambridge. The sweating sickness had first struck in the 15th century and appeared on and off between 1485 and 1551. The symptoms appeared to be something like influenza, with the patient having pains and aches all over the body, headaches, and a great thirst. It was also common to break out in a horrible sweat. Many people that caught the sweat were dead within twenty four hours.
Hearing of the outbreak Katherine ordered that her sons and their cousin George Stanley move to Kingston, several miles from St John’s. However, George Stanley soon died and both Brandon boys were moved to Buckden. Tragically, on the 14th of July 1551, both Henry and Charles died of the sweating sickness within a half an hour of one another. Thomas Wilson, who had been a tutor to both boys, described Henry and Charles’ deaths…
“They both were together in one house, lodged in two separate chambers, and almost at one time both sickened, and both departed. They died both dukes, both well learned, both wise, and both right Godly.”
With the death of Charles Brandon Junior, the legitimate male line of Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, came to an end. It was through Brandon’s daughters that his blood line and legacy continued.
Sources:
Baldwin, David 2015, Henry VIII’s Last Love The Extraordinary Life of Katherine
Willoughby, Lady-in-Waiting to the Tudors, Amberley Publishing, Gloucestershire.
Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, of the Reign of Henry VIII, 1509-47, ed. J.S Brewer, James Gairdner and R.H Brodie, His Majesty’s Stationery Office, 1862-1932.
Sadlack, Erin 2001, The French Queen’s Letters, Palgrave Macmillan, New York.
Loades, David 2012, Mary Rose, Amberley, Gloucestershire.
Medine, Peter, 2010, Art of Rhetoric: (1560) Thomas Wilson, Penn State Press, USA.
Trueman C 2008, Foreign Policy 1549 to 1553, viewed 29th September 2015, < http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/tudor-england/foreign-policy-1549-to-1553/>.
Wilson, Derek 2009, A Brief History of Henry VIII, Constable and Robinson Ltd., London.
About the Author
Sarah Bryson is a researcher, writer and educator who has a Bachelor of Early Childhood Education with Honours. She currently works with children with disabilities. She is passionate about Tudor history and has a deep interest in Mary Tudor, Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk and the reign of Henry VIII and the people of his court. She has run a website dedicated to Tudor history for many years and has written for various websites including ‘On the Tudor Trail’ and ‘QueenAnneBoleyn’. She has been studying primary sources to tell the story of Mary Tudor for a decade. Sarah lives in Australia, enjoys reading, writing and Tudor costume enactment.
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This was a wonderful read. Thank you Is someone writing a biography of Charles Brandon?
Wasn’t he a lovable rogue?
Yes I currently am 🙂
Henry Brandon, was not Charles B’s first child. That was Anne, born in 1507, Mary in 1510 then Mary and Charles first child, Frances, then Henry, followed by others.
Thanks Sarah. I’ve made a slight amendment. According the author, Frances Brandon was born after Henry. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
I really enjoyed reading this . Thank you.
Does anyone know the mother of Charles Brandon Jr. ?
That was Catherine Willoughby, she was Charles Brandon’s last wife and by him had both Henry Brandon and Charles (Jr) Both died of the sweating sickness in the early 1550’s. Catherine’s mother Maria was Spanish and came to England with Catherine of Aragon, to whom she was a very close friend.