Henry, Duke of Cornwall (1 January 1511 – 22 February 1511) was the first living child of King Henry VIII of England and his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and though his birth was celebrated as that of the heir apparent, he died within weeks. His death and the failure of Henry VIII and Catherine to produce another surviving male heir led to succession and marriage crises that affected the relationship between the Church of England and Roman Catholicism, giving rise to the English Reformation.
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Birth and christening
Henry was born on 1 January 1511 at Richmond Palace, the first live-born child of King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, born eighteen months after their wedding and coronation. Catherine had previously given birth to a stillborn daughter, on 31 January 1510. 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 and cup weighing a total 99 ozt (3.1 kg), given by Louis XII of France, his godfather. His godmother was Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy. Appearing as proxy for the French King was Richard Foxe, Bishop of Winchester, while the proxy for the Duchess of Savoy was Lady Anne Howard, daughter of Edward IV and the King's maternal aunt. Henry was placed in the care of Elizabeth Denton, who had been his father's own former governess.