Who was BESSIE BLOUNT? Henry VIII’s mistress | Elizabeth Blount | Tudor history documentary

Henry VIII’s MOST SUCCESSFUL MISTRESS (in my view) was a teenage girl called Elizabeth Blount, also known as Bessie Blount. A lady in waiting to Catherine of Aragon, she had a relationship with the King in 1518 which resulted in a pregnancy. In June 1519 she gave birth to their son, Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond and Somerset. Henry did not resume his relationship with her and she was quickly married off to Gilbert Tailbois, Baron Tailbois, by whom she had three additional children. When he died in 1530, she was a sought-after bride but refused at least one suitor and ultimately married (between 1532 and early 1535) a much younger man named Edward Fiennes de Clinton, Baron Clinton and Saye, later Earl of Lincoln. She had another three daughters by him and died herself between 1539 and 1541, several years after the death of her illegitimate son, who had passed away in 1536.

Why do I think she was so successful as a mistress to Henry VIII? There are several reasons; because she gave him a son, because Henry didn’t marry her, because she remained on good terms with him for the rest of her life and because she escaped his clutches with her head on her shoulders, two favourable marriages of her own and a comfortable existence. As she saw how Henry VIII treated the other women in his life, she must surely have been grateful for that.

In this week’s Tudor history documentary I tell you all about the life of this elusive figure, from her background, to her time at the royal court, her relationship with her eldest son, her marriages, her interactions with Henry after their relationship had concluded and finally, her death. This is the story of the mistress who got away.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:
THE BIRTH OF ANNE BOLEYN
TUDOR FERTILITY PROBLEMS
CHARLES BRANDON, DUKE OF SUFFOLK
THE LIFE OF HENRY FITZROY, DUKE OF RICHMOND AND SOMERSET
THE SHORT LIFE OF PRINCE HENRY TUDOR, DUKE OF CORNWALL
TUDOR MONARCHS’ PLAYLIST
SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII PLAYLIST

LEARN MORE:
Elizabeth Norton, Bessie Blount: Mistress to Henry VIII (2013)
Beverley A. Murphy, B**stard Prince: Henry VIII's Lost Son (2004)
Giles Tremlett, Catherine of Aragon: Henry’s Spanish Queen (London, 2010)
Eric Ives, The Life and Death of Anne Boleyn (Wiley-Blackwell, 2005)

[FREE] Norton, Elizabeth, ‘Elizabeth Blount of Kinley: an image of Henry VIII’s mistress identified’ in Shropshire History and Archaeology: Transactions of the Shropshire Archaeological and Historical Society, lxxxiv (2011), pp 21-6.
This is an article on the tomb monument to Bessie’s parents and includes images of a likely statue of Bessie.

BUY OR RENT:
The Tudors, season 1
The Tudors, season 2
The Tudors, season 3
The Tudors, season 4
Henry VIII and his Six Wives (2016 docu-drama)

GEAR USED

THUMBNAIL: Ruta Gedmintas as Bessie Blount in The Tudors, season 1, ep. 2. Showtime (2007). Fair Use

Open Street Map copyright information

NB: Links above may be affiliate links. This means if you make a purchase through one of these links, I earn a small commission. It in no way affects the price you pay.

[HistoryCalling]

Do you think Bessie was a successful mistress? Let me know below and remember you can also find me at:

[ladonnaradney]

🎉 Bessie successfully maintained a relationship with HVIII, bore him a son who survived infancy and childhood, improved her social position, acquired a respectable husband and another whom she chose for herself, and came out of it wealthy! WTG Bessie 😂

[lisaharner]

Well done, Bessie! She managed to give Henry a son, not wed him, live quite comfortably and not loose her head. That’s a successful life in Henry’s time! ❤

[joshspencer]

As you said, she made it through her brush with Henry with her head, a son, and a comfortable life to show for it. Definitely a most successful mistress!

[elisabethhughes]

It’s so incredibly hard to imagine with my modern mind, how little power women had over their lives. Bessie got about as lucky as she could have, in that particular setting.

[FandersonUfo]

best mistress of Henry VIII is definitely an accomplishment fraught with peril - well done Bessie

[mewsli]

This episode was utterly fascinating. If, someone had written " The saga and happenings of a merry monarch", and sent it to a publishing house, the realities would have been dismissed as fanciful imaginings, and a rejection letter received. More please.

[noreenclark]

It was good to know about Bessie Blounts life before and after her affair with Henry . Usually mistresses just fade into the background and not heard of again. Thanks

[monicacall]

Talk about perfect timing! I just finished reading a book about Bessie Blount and her son Henry. First of all, I feel sorry for her and for all of Henry’s other mistresses because they really didn’t have a choice in the matter because he was the king and a king who didn’t like the word “No” when it meant that he couldn’t get his way. Second, Bessie and the other women had no control whatsoever in their relationships with Henry. Their feelings and concerns didn’t matter to him. Third, even if Bessie’s son was made a duke, was married into one of the top families in the kingdom and was a potential king if Henry couldn’t find a wife to give birth to a son that lived beyond childhood, at the end of the day her son was still illegitimate and she was “used goods” no matter who she married. Did her husband ever bring this up to her and hold it over her head? Who knows? I feel that she was put into an untenable position regardless of the outcome.😢

[deborahborlase]

To have a relationship with Henry, keep your head and live a successful life is truly amazing in that time. Well done Bessie!

[simon]

Bessie was certainly the most successful of Henry's mistresses, and she got to keep her head from the axe that alone was an achievement, thank you HC superb as always. ☺️👍

[stephencarrillo]

👍👍 Given the times and her situation, I believe survival is a valid marker of success. Bravo, HC! Pulling back the curtain on Bessie, Fitzroy and Brandon provides a well-rounded perspective on the Tudor times. Thanks and thanks again. 🙏🏼

[aliciamonroe]

The POV of her being successful in surviving her times was great ! We can't all pick our family, but you can always find a way to succeed with a bit of luck.

[joiedevivre]

Bessie Blount was fortunate enough to be in a relationship with Henry VIII before his psychopathic behavior kicked in (also when he was better looking & probably more pleasant to be around). I have a feeling that the reason why Henry was attentive of Bessie's daughter Elizabeth, was because she likely resembled her mother & reminded him of the carefree days of his youth. As a descendant of Mary Boleyn myself, through her daughter, Catherine Carey, I truly hope you are correct that Henry VIII wasn't the father of her two children. My family has enough "crazy" in it without adding Henry's to it.

[catherinefrazier]

My favorite thing about Monday—a new video! Mary Boleyn probably had the most “fun, ” but Bessie Blount definitely the most successful. Too bad Henry Fitzroy did not live and be named as Henry VIII’s heir. Then again, there would have been no Elizabeth I.

[britishbluecatsonwheels]

I rate her as one of the few successful women who were involved with Henry. Like Anne of Cleves (who since school A level in early 1989’s, I held the ‘unpopular’ opinion that she was the most successful of the wives) Bessie not only survived her involvement with Henry, but made a financial success of it & was able to have a say in her future …like you, I believe her 2nd marriage was a love match. Otherwise, I think she would have been like Anne & stayed unmarried so having control of her finances etc.
Thank you for you well researched content

[PamelaTitterington]

I really enjoyed hearing about Bessie, not a lady I know much about, and it's very interesting story, thankyou

[thehawk]

Im pretty sure lady in waiting can be translated into king Henry's the 8ths Harem

[Shane-Flanagan]

Imagine a situation where Henry had left and divorced Catherine earlier and married Bessie and crowning her as Queen, legimising Fitzroy and possibly having more male heirs. How things would've been different

[dc]

Thank you for the uplifting account of Bessie Blount. It seems that Henry and Bessie remained friends and he bestowed many good things on her, lands especially. That was very important in those days. I imagine her two husbands would have realized her special relationship with the king and would have treated her well accordingly.