Why were there so many Henry Brandons in Tudor England?

I spent a couple of spare hours putting together my very own Tudor family tree, in which I attempted to outline everybody connected to Henry VII. I popped down a rough draft on some A3 sheets, which I’m planning on putting together in a clearer form on a massive A1 sheet that will printed out and pinned up in the classroom. It really dawned on me the amount of people connected to the marriage of Henry VII to Elizabeth of York, going much beyond the standard grandchildren of Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I.

Whilst looking into the descendants of Mary Tudor (the sister of Henry VIII) I was surprised to see the number of children from her marriage to Charles Brandon. Having not looked into this marriage in much detail before, I simply assumed that their marriage of love led to a happily ever after which eventually led – somehow – to the arrival of their granddaughter Lady Jane Grey (and all of those shenanigans that happened with the Devise for the Succession in 1553). I’ve always had a soft spot for Charles Brandon, primarily due to his portrayal in The Tudors TV show (by Henry Cavil), as well as in how his father died at Bosworth whilst serving as Henry Tudor’s standard bearer. The young Charles grew up at the Tudor court and became a close friend of Henry VIII, and it seemed heart-warming how William Brandon’s sacrifice in 1485 led to a generational friendship between the sons of these fathers.

I’m now re-evaluating the extent to which was a happily ever after. Mary Tudor married Charles Brandon in 1515, but she was dead by 1533. During this eighteen year period the couple had many children together, including Frances Brandon (who was the mother of Lady Jane Grey), and there seems to be a heartbreak in the amount of deaths of their children. Here is the following list:

• Henry Brandon: 1516-1522

• Lady Frances Brandon: 1517-1559

• Lady Eleanor Brandon: 1519-1547

• Henry Brandon, 1st Earl of Lincoln: 1523-1534

What was noticeable at first were the two Henry Brandons. I’m assuming that the name Henry was picked in honour of Mary’s brother – Henry VIII – as well as grandfather Henry VII. But why the second Henry? I’ve often seen similar examples of this in numerous other family trees where a family is insistent on a specific name, leading to them to “re-use” it if the first child dies. This was a common occurrence into the 20th century, and has possibly declined due to – in part – the decline of infant mortality, as well as the introduction of a wealth of other names that are used (beyond the old family link).

Unfortunately both of these Henrys died whilst still children. But that isn’t the end of the story. After Mary Tudor’s death, Charles Brandon married again (he was married in total four times, having children prior to marrying Mary) and he had two more sons:

• Henry Brandon, 2nd Duke of Suffolk: 1535-1551

• Charles Brandon, 3rd Duke of Suffolk: 1537-1551

What is striking is that Brandon attempted – for a third time – to name a son Henry. Secondly, both of these sons died in the same year and on the very same day; it is believed both died of sweating sickness. Charles Brandon did not live to see this heartbreak, having died several years earlier in 1545; his widow remarried and eventually had more children. Furthermore, Charles Brandon also had other illegitimate children, including a son. However, this one was not named Henry, but rather Charles after himself.

So, I will return to the family tree whilst reading up on all of these other links. I’ve not even started looking into the other children of Mary Tudor and Charles Brandon, such as Lady Eleanor Brandon and her heirs. But I’ll be sure to update you on this blog when I find out more.