Elizabeth “Bessie” Blount: The Mistress Who Gave Henry VIII His Only Acknowledged Illegitimate Son
When Henry VIII began his affair with Elizabeth “Bessie” Blount in the early 1510s, he was still married to Catherine of Aragon. Bessie was a young woman at court, likely in her late teens or early twenties, serving as a lady-in-waiting. On its surface, the relationship was not unusual. Royal affairs were hardly shocking in … Read more