In the midst of the 12th night festivities, on the 1st of January, 1511, Queen Catherine of Aragon gave birth to a son.

The overjoyed father was none other than 19-year-old King Henry VIII.

The Tudor monarch, whose later fame would be intertwined with the divorce or execution of wives

who failed to provide him with a male heir. This newborn christened Henry marked the beginning

of what would be a series of heartbreaks for Henry and Catherine, as many of their subsequent

children would not survive infancy. Appearing healthy and strong, the prince was granted the

title, Duke of Cornwall, a traditional honor for the eldest son of a monarch, and it was established

by royal charter in 1337. The pressure on a 16th century king, particularly one like Henry VIII, was immense.

The stability of the throne hinged on his ability to produce a male heir, ensuring the

continuation of the dynasty.

In 1511 England, the notion of a female monarch was inconceivable. For Henry, failure to provide an heir

would mean dismissing the sacrifices of his parents, Henry the 7th and Elizabeth of York,

and all of their cousins who had died during the Wars of the Roses. The birth of Henry Duke of

Cornwall alleviated the anxieties about the succession. No longer would there

be wars over the throne. The legitimate king had a son, securing the future of England.

The joyous occasion was marked by having fires lit all over London and wine distributed in the streets.

The prince's baptism, delayed by five days until 12th night on the 5th of January, confirm the child's good health. His godparents were William

Warham, the Archbishop of Canterbury, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, later styled Second Duke of Norfolk,

his great-aunt and uncle, the Earl and Countess of Devon, William Courtney, and his wife,

the daughter of Edward IV, Catherine of York. The Little Princess' sponsors were King Louis

12th of France, who three years later would wed Henry VIII's younger sister, Mary,

and Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy, the daughter of Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I.

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