Mistresses of Henry VIII

The mistresses of Henry VIII included many notable women between 1509 and 1536. They have been the subject of biographies, novels and films.

Confirmed mistresses

Elizabeth or Bessie Blount, mother of his illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, to whom Henry VIII gave the dukedoms of Somerset and Richmond. Fitzroy, which means son of the king was acknowledged by Henry and there was talk in the 1530s that the King, who then had no male heir, would legitimise Fitzroy.
Mary Boleyn, sister of Anne Boleyn. It was rumoured that one or both of Mary's children were fathered by the King, although no evidence exists to support the argument that either of them was the King's biological child. Mary is often considered to be Henry's favourite mistress.
Margaret "Madge" Shelton, first cousin of Anne Boleyn. According to Imperial ambassador Eustace Chapuys, the King had an affair with 'Mistress Shelton' in February 1535, for around six months.
In 1534, a woman named "The Imperial Lady" became mistress to Henry VIII, using her influence to secure better treatment for Catherine of Aragon and Princess Mary.

In addition, Henry VIII was involved in a romantic relationship with three of his future wives before he married them. It is unclear if these relationships became sexual before marriage. He was involved with his second wife, Anne Boleyn, from around 1526, around the time he ended his relationship with her sister, Mary; Anne was also, at the time, maid-of-honour to his first wife, Catherine of Aragon. Anne was referred to by some as "the king's whore" or a "naughty paike ". Henry and Anne's daughter, Elizabeth I, was born almost eight months on from their marriage.
From the beginning of 1536, while still married to Anne Boleyn, he was openly courting his wife's second cousin and maid-of-honour, Jane Seymour. It appears that his lust for mistresses did not abate as he reached middle age; in 1540, he began courting Catherine Howard, the maid-of-honour of his fourth spouse, Anne of Cleves. Catherine was a first cousin of Anne and Mary Boleyn.

Alleged mistresses

Jane Popincourt, a Frenchwoman, who was a tutor to his sisters.
Anne Bassett, stepdaughter of the King's uncle, Arthur Plantagenet, 1st Viscount Lisle, lady-in-waiting to Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Queen Mary I.
Elizabeth Carew, wife of his close friend, Nicholas Carew, and half-first cousin of Anne Boleyn.
Anne Hastings, Countess of Huntingdon, née Stafford, sister of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and thus the first cousin once removed of Henry VIII.
Elizabeth Amadas
Mary Shelton
Elizabeth Browne
Katherine Willoughby
Joanna Dyngley, a royal laundress. Alleged mother of Ethelreda Malte

Research

Kelly Hart's study The Mistresses of Henry VIII was published in 2009. In 2010, Mary Boleyn: The True Story of Henry VIII's Favourite Mistress by Josephine Wilkinson was published, and in 2012, Alison Weir published Mary Boleyn: The Great and Infamous Whore. In 2013, this was followed by Bessie Blount: Mistress to Henry VIII by Elizabeth Norton.

Portrayals in media

On Elizabeth Blount

The Tudors, a 2007 TV series, portrayed by Ruta Gedmintas
The Spanish Princess, portrayed by Chloe Harris

On Mary Boleyn

The Other Boleyn Girl, book by Philippa Gregory, and film based on the book
The Last Boleyn, novel by Karen Harper
Mistress Boleyn – a Novel about Mary Boleyn by Charlotte St. George
The Tudors, a 2007 TV series, portrayed by Perdita Weeks
Wolf Hall, a 2015 BBC TV series based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Hilary Mantel, portrayed by Charity Wakefield.

On Jane Popincourt

The Pleasure Palace by Kate Emerson

On Mary Shelton

Major character in The Lady in the Tower by Jean Plaidy

On Anne Hastings

Minor character in The Tudors
Minor character in The Spanish Princess

On Anne Bassett

Minor character in The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory