On This Day In History . 23 February 1511 . Prince Henry, the Duke of Cornwall died . . About Henry; . ◼ Henry was born on 1 January 1511 at Richmond Palace, eighteen months after his parents’ wedding & coronation, & was the first son & first living child born to King Henry VIII & Katharine of Aragon. . ◼ He was christened on 5 January in a lavish ceremony where beacons were lit in his honour. The christening gifts included a fine gold salt holder & cup weighing a total 99 ounces, given by Louis XII of France, his godfather. . ◼ Henry & his queen planned extravagant celebrations rivalling that of their joint coronation for the birth of his son & heir, who immediately became Duke of Cornwall & was expected to become Prince of Wales, King of England & third king of the House of Tudor. The tournament at Westminster was the most lavish of Henry’s reign, & is recorded via a long illuminated vellum roll (pictured). . ◼ Henry carried Katharine’s favour in the tournament, riding under the banner of “Sir Loyal Heart” the relationship between the royal pair, already one of strong affection, had become even more of a love match because of Katharine’s success in providing a male heir. . ◼ Known as “Little Prince Hal” & “the New Year’s Boy”, the prince was fondly regarded by Henry’s court. However, on 23 February 1511, the young prince died suddenly. The cause of his death was not recorded. . ◾ There is no known portrait of Prince Henry. . ◼ Contemporary reports state that both parents were distraught at the loss of their second child & expected future king. The deeply religious Katharine spent many hours kneeling on cold stone floors praying, to the worry of courtiers. Henry distracted himself from his grief by waging war against Louis XII of France with his father-in-law, Ferdinand II of Aragon. . . . #d23feb #onthisdayinhistory #thisdayinhistory #theyear1511 #princehenry #dukeofcornwall #henrydukeofcornwall #houseoftudor #history #henryviii #kinghenryviii #katharineofaragon #englishmonarchy #britishmonarchy #kingofengland #queenofengland #royalhistory #Prince #Tudor #Tudors #thetudors #English #Westminster #onthisday #richmond #Tudorhistory #catherineofaragon (at London, United Kingdom) https://www.instagram.com/p/B85724ngyoA/?igshid=1x9m9jgetahgf