This is part one of my series on the births, marriages and deaths of English and British monarchs and consorts from William I to today.
Let’s begin with the births from the bloody William I to the also bloody Henry VIII.
(Note: Born in the purple means they were born when their parent was monarch, derived from a Byzantine concept which gave these children a better claim than their older siblings).
- William I
Date of Birth: c.1028
Location: Falaise, Duchy of Normandy (now France)
Father: Robert I, Duke of Normandy (age approx. 28)
Mother: Herleva (age approx. 23)
Title at Birth: None
Born in the Purple: No
Expected Heir: No
Precious little is known about the birth of William the Conqueror. Historians estimate that he was born around 1028 in Falaise, Duchy of Normandy, in what is now France. His father was the ruling Duke of Normandy whilst his mother was the duke’s peasant mistress, a tanner’s daughter named Herleva. William was thus born a bastard, something that would usually preclude him from being an heir. Roughly two years later, another illegitimate child, a daughter named Adelaide, would be fathered by Robert. Historians don’t know if Herleva was the mother, but it was deemed unlikely.
- William II
Date of Birth: c.1057
Location: Duchy of Normandy (now France)
Father: William, Duke of Normandy (future William I, age approx. 29)
Mother: Matilda of Flanders (age approx. 26)
Title at Birth: None
Born in the Purple: No
Expected Heir: No
William II’s birth is similarly shrouded in mystery. He was the third of William and Matilda’s sons, and the second to survive past childhood. His year of birth circles somewhere between 1057 and 1060, several years before his father became King of England. What is certain is that he was born in Normandy. William being a younger son meant that he was not necessarily the expected heir, though agnatic primogeniture did not exist as standard practice in the 11th century.
- Henry I
Date of Birth: c.1068
Location: Yorkshire
Father: William I (age approx. 40)
Mother: Matilda of Flanders (age approx. 37)
Title at Birth: Lord/Prince
Born in the Purple: Yes
Expected Heir: No
Henry I was born around 1068, the only one of William and Matilda’s children to be born in England. The story goes that Matilda wanted him born in York to shore up his credentials, but only got as far as Selby, where it’s believed he may have been born.
- Matilda (disputed)
Date of Birth: c. 7th February 1102
Location: Winchester or Sutton Courtenay
Father: Henry I (age approx. 34)
Mother: Matilda of Scotland (age approx. 22)
Title at Birth: Lady/Princess
Born in the Purple: Yes
Expected Heir: Yes
Matilda’s birth is also shrouded in mystery. It’s believed that she was born on the 7th February 1102, with the location being either Winchester or Sutton Courtenay. She was the eldest legitimate child of her parents, who went on to have the desired male heir William just over a year later. It’s believed that once their son was born, Matilda of Scotland ceased relations with her husband. That suited Henry I just fine, as he had a lot of mistresses and roughly twenty-five bastards.
- Stephen
Date of Birth: 1092 or 1096
Location: Blois, France
Father: Stephen, Count of Blois (age approx. 47 or 51)
Mother: Adela of Normandy (age approx. 25 or 29)
Title at Birth: None
Born in the Purple: No
Expected Heir: No
Stephen was born in either 1092 or 1096 in Blois. His birth was probably inconsequential at the time, as he was the third son and fourth child of a count, though also the nephew of the King of England.
- Henry II
Date of Birth: 5th March 1133
Location: Le Mans, Maine, France
Father: Geoffrey, Count of Anjou (age 19)
Mother: Lady Matilda, Dowager Holy Roman Empress (Future Matilda, age 30)
Title at Birth: None
Born in the Purple: No
Expected Heir: Uncertain
We finally have a confirmed birthdate! Henry II was born on the 5th March 1133 in Le Mans, Maine, France. His mother was over a decade older than his father, unusual for the period. Though Matilda was her father’s chosen heir and Henry was her eldest son in turn, the path to the throne was by no means secure for either of them.
- Henry the Young King
Date of Birth: 28th February 1155
Location: London
Father: Henry II (age 21)
Mother: Eleanor of Aquitaine (age approx. 31)
Title at Birth: Lord/Prince
Born in the Purple: Yes
Expected Heir: No
Henry the Young King was born on the 28th February 1155, somewhere in London. As he was the second son, he was not heir to the throne. As with his grandparents, there was a ten-year age gap between his older mother and younger father.
- Richard I
Date of Birth: 8th September 1157
Location: Beaumont Palace, Oxford
Father: Henry II (age 24)
Mother: Eleanor of Aquitaine (age approx. 33)
Title at Birth: Lord/Prince
Born in the Purple: Yes
Expected Heir: No
Richard I is the first king whose exact birthdate and building of birth are known. He was born on the 8th September 1157 at Beaumont Palace, Oxford, which sadly no longer stands. At the time of his birth, Richard was a second son and thus not expected to inherit.
- John
Date of Birth: 1166/67
Location: England
Father: Henry II (age approx. 33)
Mother: Eleanor of Aquitaine (age approx. 42)
Title at Birth: Lord/Prince
Born in the Purple: Yes
Expected Heir: No
Unfortunately for John, his birth records are not as clear as those of Richard. He was born in either December 1166 or January 1167, somewhere in England. His mother Eleanor was about 42 when she gave birth to John, quite an advanced age. He was her tenth child and his father’s eighth, twenty-one years younger than his eldest half-sister Marie and thirteen years younger than his eldest full sibling William. John had three elder surviving brothers at the time of his birth and was thus expected not to gain much.
- Henry II
Date of Birth: 1st October 1207
Location: Winchester Castle, Hampshire
Father: John (age approx. 40)
Mother: Isabella of Angoulême (age approx 19-21)
Title at Birth: Lord/Prince
Born in the Purple: Yes
Expected Heir: Yes
Henry II was born on the 1st October 1207 at Winchester Cathedral, Hampshire. His mother had been about twelve or fourteen when she’d married his father, and it seems that either consummation was delayed or it took some time for Isabella to fall pregnant. Isabella seemed to be a fertile lady, as she had four children over the next eight years with Henry, then nine over eight years with her second husband. Henry was the first eldest son of a king in the dynasty to become monarch.
- Edward I
Date of Birth: 17/18th June 1239
Location: Palace of Westminster
Father: Henry II (age 31)
Mother: Eleanor of Provence (age approx. 16)
Title at Birth: Lord/Prince
Born in the Purple: Yes
Expected Heir: Yes
Edward I was born at the Palace of Westminster sometime on either side of midnight between the 17th and 18th June 1239. The name Edward was uncommon in Norman England, but it was chosen in honour of Edward the Confessor. He would prove to be a deeply pious man, just as his namesake was.
- Edward II
Date of Birth: 25th April 1284
Location: Caernarfon Castle, Gwynedd, Wales
Father: Edward I (age 44)
Mother: Eleanor of Castile (age approx. 43)
Title at Birth: Lord/Prince
Born in the Purple: Yes
Expected Heir: No
Edward II was born on the 25th April 1284 at Caernarfon Castle, Gwynedd, Wales. His mother was 43 at the time of his birth and it seems that this pregnancy significantly weakened her. Edward was the fourth son born to the couple, but only one brother was alive at the time of his birth. Said brother, Alphonso, died only a few months later and Edward became the heir. Edward I used his son being born in Wales as an excuse to legally name him as the first Prince of Wales.
- Edward III
Date of Birth: 13th November 1312
Location: Windsor Castle
Father: Edward II (age 28)
Mother: Isabella of France (age approx. 17)
Title at Birth: Lord/Prince
Born in the Purple: Yes
Expected Heir: Yes
Edward III was born at Windsor Castle on the 13th November 1312. His mother had been still very young when she married, and consummation thus likely happened several years later. The birth of Edward helped secure Isabella’s position at court.
- Richard II
Date of Birth: 6th January 1367
Location: Bordeaux, France
Father: Edward the Black Prince (age 36)
Mother: Joan of Kent (age approx. 38)
Title at Birth: Lord/Prince
Born in the Purple: No
Expected Heir: No
Richard II was born on the 6th January 1367 somewhere in Bordeaux, France. At the time of his birth, his older brother was still alive and thus, he was not expected to be heir.
- Henry IV
Date of Birth: c. April 1367
Location: Bolingbroke Castle, Lincolnshire
Father: John of Gaunt (age 27)
Mother: Blanche of Lancaster (age 25)
Title at Birth: None
Born in the Purple: No
Expected Heir: No
Henry IV was born around April 1367 in the now-ruined Bolingbroke Castle, Lincolnshire. His father was John of Gaunt, the powerful son of Edward III, and Gaunt’s first wife, Blanche of Lancaster. Though he was of royal blood, he was not expected to become king.
- Henry V
Date of Birth: 16th September 1386
Location: Monmouth Castle, Wales
Father: Henry, Earl of Derby, Northampton and Hereford (future Henry IV, age 21)
Mother: Mary de Bohun (age approx. 17-18)
Title at Birth: None
Born in the Purple: No
Expected Heir: No
Henry V was born at Monmouth Castle, Wales on the 16th September 1386. His father had not yet taken the throne, Henry was not an heir.
- Henry VI
Date of Birth: 6th December 1421
Location: Windsor Castle, Berkshire
Father: Henry V (age 35)
Mother: Catherine of Valois (age 20)
Title at Birth: Duke of Cornwall
Born in the Purple: Yes
Expected Heir: Yes
Henry VI was born on the 6th December 1421 at Windsor Castle. He was the first and only child of Henry V, hero of Agincourt, and Catherine of Valois. As an eldest and only son, Henry became heir the moment he was born.
- Edward VI
Date of Birth: 28th April 1442
Location: Rouen, Normandy, France
Father: Richard, Duke of York (age 30)
Mother: Cecily Neville (age 26)
Title at Birth: Earl of March
Born in the Purple: No
Expected Heir: No
Edward VI was born on the 28th April 1442 somewhere in Rouen, France. As the eldest son of the Duke of York, he was known as the Earl of March. The Yorkists had not yet pushed their claim, so Edward was not an heir.
- Edward V
Date of Birth: 2nd November 1470
Location: Westminster
Father: Deposed Edward IV (age 28)
Mother: Elizabeth Woodville (age approx. 33)
Title at Birth: None
Born in the Purple: No
Expected Heir: No
Edward V was born in Westminster on the 2nd November 1470. Despite being the eldest son of Edward IV, he was not heir as his father had just been deposed. As such, he was born while his mother had sought sanctuary, as she would do in later years. Eight months later, his father was restored to the throne and Edward became Prince of Wales.
- Richard III
Date of Birth: 2nd October 1452
Location: Fotheringhay Castle, Northamptonshire
Father: Richard, Duke of York (age 41)
Mother: Cecily Neville (age 37)
Title at Birth: None
Born in the Purple: No
Expected Heir: No
Richard III was born on the 2nd October 1452 at Fotheringhay Castle in Northamptonshire, which no longer exists. He was a younger son to a duke who had not yet pushed his claim.
- Henry VII
Date of Birth: 28th January 1457
Location: Pembroke Castle, Wales
Father: Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond (deceased)
Mother: Lady Margaret Beaufort (age 13)
Title at Birth: Earl of Richmond
Born in the Purple: No
Expected Heir: No
Henry VII was born on the 28th January 1457 at Pembroke Castle, Wales, in probably the most extraordinary circumstances of any king. His mother had been twelve when she married his father, far from unusual, indeed, she already had one marriage under her belt. Usually, a bride that young would wait a few years before the marriage was consummated, as they knew even back then that pregnancies in girls that young were dangerous. Unfortunately, Edmund Tudor was a greedy man who knew an heir would secure Lady Margaret’s massive fortune and many lands, so he consummated the marriage. It was rather unfortunate for the greedy Edmund that he died before his child was born. A widowed, thirteen year-old Margaret went into labour in January. We don’t know the exact details, but it’s known that it was a horrific birth and Margaret very nearly died. She was only thirteen and was also known for being underdeveloped for her age. Margaret never had any more children, despite marrying twice again, as it was likely this birth made her infertile. Henry IV was still king and had a living son at this point, so Henry Tudor was not an heir.
- Henry VIII
Date of Birth: 28th June 1491
Location: Palace of Placentia, Greenwich
Father: Henry VII (age 34)
Mother: Elizabeth of York (age 25)
Title at Birth: Prince
Born in the Purple: No
Expected Heir: No
Henry VIII was born on the 28th June 1491 at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich. He was the younger living son of Henry VIII and Elizabeth of York at that point, so was not heir.
Sarah is a writer for Elections Daily, The Mallard and other publications. She enjoys history, reading and fashion.
