Uploaded March 2025 | Updated September 2026, 11 minutes ago
Was PRINCE ARTHUR TUDOR premature, or was he conceived out of wedlock by his parents, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. The first Tudor King and Queen were publicly married on 18 January 1486 and Prince Arthur was born on 19 September that same year at St Swithun's Priory in Winchester, a gap of barely eight months (34 weeks, 6 days to be precise). So was Elizabeth of York a pregnant royal bride, or was Prince Arthur born too early?
In this Tudor documentary from History Calling I take you through the evidence for both sides of the argument. I’ll show and analyse the earliest reference I can find to Arthur being born after only 8 months’ gestation, which is a book published in 1622 and written by Francis Bacon. Then I’ll take you through the sources written soon after his birth (specifically three celebratory poems by Bernard Andre, Giovanni Gigle and Pietro Carmeliano) and in the decades following it (the work of Polydore Vergil, the Chronicle of Robert Fabyan and Hall’s Chronicle). These later three were written during the reign of Henry VIII (Arthur’s little brother), but still within living memory of Arthur’s birth. We’ll also think about what constituted a legal marriage in the 15th century and ask, would it have been necessary for Henry and Elizabeth to go through a large public ceremony, or could they have been privately married and sleeping together before that, so that even if Elizabeth of York was pregnant at the time of her marriage, it wouldn’t have been a stain on her reputation? Also, should we read anything into the fact that the marriage took place before the necessary Papal dispensation had arrived from Rome? Finally, I’ll look at whether being conceived out of wedlock have affected Arthur’s legitimacy and claim to the throne and at how the issue of Arthur’s conception and birth has been dealt with in the historical fiction story, The White Princess, by Philippa Gregory and the associated TV show starring Jodie Comer.
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Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
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YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
TRAGIC DEATH AND BURIAL OF PRINCE ARTHUR TUDOR
youtu.be/M7izXFVPG1M
DID PRINCE ARTHUR AND CATHERINE OF ARAGON SLEEP TOGETER?
youtu.be/JQp-SLOhx90
THE LIFE OF ELIZABETH OF YORK, PART 1
youtu.be/VMswZDKmxhE
THE LIFE OF ELIZABETH OF YORK, PART 2
youtu.be/GMJezIv80cM
THE LIFE OF HENRY VII, PART 1
youtu.be/ITszgOAAjuc
THE LIFE OF HENRY VII, PART 2
youtu.be/HsRIuVNR9UU
THE LIFE OF LADY KATHERINE GREY
youtu.be/VH3kPGvAiyo
LEANR MORE:
Starkey, David, Henry: Virtuous Prince (2008)
Available at amzn.to/4gF7yDg
Vickers, Brian, ‘Introduction’ in Vickers (ed.), Francis Bacon: The History of the Reign of King Henry VII and Selected Works (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1998).
Available at amzn.to/41HFAT7
Want to watch/hear/read more about history (and a whole host of other topics)? Then you might benefit from a free Audible or Prime video trial. They are available from the following links:
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Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
#PrinceArthur #PrinceArthurTudor #ElizabethOfYork #PregnantRoyalBride
Was PRINCE ARTHUR TUDOR premature, or was he conceived out of wedlock by his parents, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York. The first Tudor King and Queen were publicly married on 18 January 1486 and Prince Arthur was born on 19 September that same year at St Swithun's Priory in Winchester, a gap of barely eight months (34 weeks, 6 days to be precise). So was Elizabeth of York a pregnant royal bride, or was Prince Arthur born too early?
In this Tudor documentary from History Calling I take you through the evidence for both sides of the argument. I’ll show and analyse the earliest reference I can find to Arthur being born after only 8 months’ gestation, which is a book published in 1622 and written by Francis Bacon. Then I’ll take you through the sources written soon after his birth (specifically three celebratory poems by Bernard Andre, Giovanni Gigle and Pietro Carmeliano) and in the decades following it (the work of Polydore Vergil, the Chronicle of Robert Fabyan and Hall’s Chronicle). These later three were written during the reign of Henry VIII (Arthur’s little brother), but still within living memory of Arthur’s birth. We’ll also think about what constituted a legal marriage in the 15th century and ask, would it have been necessary for Henry and Elizabeth to go through a large public ceremony, or could they have been privately married and sleeping together before that, so that even if Elizabeth of York was pregnant at the time of her marriage, it wouldn’t have been a stain on her reputation? Also, should we read anything into the fact that the marriage took place before the necessary Papal dispensation had arrived from Rome? Finally, I’ll look at whether being conceived out of wedlock have affected Arthur’s legitimacy and claim to the throne and at how the issue of Arthur’s conception and birth has been dealt with in the historical fiction story, The White Princess, by Philippa Gregory and the associated TV show starring Jodie Comer.
BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG
Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): historycallingofficial.com
Patreon: patreon.com/historycalling
Amazon storefront: amazon.com/shop/historycalling
Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
TRAGIC DEATH AND BURIAL OF PRINCE ARTHUR TUDOR
youtu.be/M7izXFVPG1M
DID PRINCE ARTHUR AND CATHERINE OF ARAGON SLEEP TOGETER?
youtu.be/JQp-SLOhx90
THE LIFE OF ELIZABETH OF YORK, PART 1
youtu.be/VMswZDKmxhE
THE LIFE OF ELIZABETH OF YORK, PART 2
youtu.be/GMJezIv80cM
THE LIFE OF HENRY VII, PART 1
youtu.be/ITszgOAAjuc
THE LIFE OF HENRY VII, PART 2
youtu.be/HsRIuVNR9UU
THE LIFE OF LADY KATHERINE GREY
youtu.be/VH3kPGvAiyo
LEANR MORE:
Starkey, David, Henry: Virtuous Prince (2008)
Available at amzn.to/4gF7yDg
Vickers, Brian, ‘Introduction’ in Vickers (ed.), Francis Bacon: The History of the Reign of King Henry VII and Selected Works (Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1998).
Available at amzn.to/41HFAT7
Want to watch/hear/read more about history (and a whole host of other topics)? Then you might benefit from a free Audible or Prime video trial. They are available from the following links:
AUDIBLE
amzn.to/44MvlMi
AUDIBLE PLUS & AUDIBLE PREMIUM PLUS
amzn.to/42rh3PF
PRIME VIDEO
amzn.to/3LW7ykg
GEAR USED
Apple MacBook Pro Laptop (for video editing): amzn.to/3S6IoRK
DJI Drone: amzn.to/38h1vXr (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/39hROZm (US LINK)
Go-Pro Hero 10 camera: amzn.to/3EPIK9U (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rTWScL (US LINK)
GoPro 3-Way 2.0 (Tripod/Grip/Arm): amzn.to/37CdC1r (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3vaVxjU (US LINK)
Memory Card: amzn.to/36QvcOQ (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3KeLZZs (US LINK)
Microphone: amzn.to/3MFtoaK (UK LINK) OR amzn.to/3rYtjH8 (US LINK)
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.
Open Street Map copyright information
openstreetmap.org/copyright
Creative Commons licenses used see creativecommons.org/licenses
#PrinceArthur #PrinceArthurTudor #ElizabethOfYork #PregnantRoyalBride
