Edward Tudor (I)

An unnamed boy, named "Edward Tudor" by recent historians, was born on 29 January 1536. He was the second son and third child of Henry VIII of England and his second wife, Anne Boleyn.

"Edward" was Anne Boleyn's last pregnancy before she died 19 May 1536. Though he was stillborn, there have been many stories surrounding why "Edward" died. Had "Edward" lived, Anne Boleyn would have been spared from her later execution.

After finding out that the child was stillborn, Anne's uncle, Thomas Howard, the third Duke of Norfolk, remarked that “[s]he miscarried of her saviour”.

Anne Boleyn

Anne's last few months

Towards the end of her life, Anne Boleyn had been depressed and terrified of what would happen to her. Her husband, Henry VIII had begun to grow tired of her and her failed pregnancies. Around the time Anne had her final pregnancy, Henry was beginning to court Jane Seymour. Anne Boleyn was losing favour. Various events occurred that might have also caused Anne to miscarry.

According to an account given by her ladies, Anne Boleyn went into a room where Henry VIII and Jane Seymour were eating together. Anne is said to have thrown Jane out and started screaming at Henry uncontrollably. She threw a huge tantrum and her ladies had to restrain her. Another story says that Anne also took a tumble not long before giving birth.

Henry also suffered from a fall from his horse, and although he survived, Anne was told that he had died. This put great anxiety and stress on her.

Other pregnancies

How many pregnancies Anne had remains uncertain, though many estimate the number to six pregnancies. Only three children (Elizabeth I of England, Henry and "Edward") were gender identified and only Elizabeth survived.

Many historians have tried to explain why Anne lost so many children. One theory supposes that Anne had an Rh negative blood type and Henry Rh positive. If so all children born after Elizabeth would suffer from Rh disease. However, it is more likely, considering the problems Catherine of Aragon also had with the mortality of her children, that it was the result of Henry suffering from syphilis, although there is no real medical evidence of this. Of course, there was generally a high mortality rate of children in the Tudor period, even among the highest of the upper classes.

pl:Edward Tudor (1536)