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16th-century English nobility

  • Elizabeth Howard, Duchess of NorfolkLady Elizabeth Stafford entered the world around 1497 as the eldest daughter of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham.
  • Mary Percy, Countess of NorthumberlandLady Mary Talbot entered the world as one of eleven children born to George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury. Her father's first wife was Anne Hastings, a…
  • Gertrude Courtenay, Marchioness of ExeterGertrude Blount entered the world around 1499 or 1502 as the daughter of William Blount, the fourth Baron Mountjoy. Her mother was Elisabeth Say, a coheiress…
  • Elizabeth Boleyn, Countess of WiltshireElizabeth Boleyn entered the world around 1480 within the wealthy Howard family. Her father was Sir Thomas Howard, who later became the 2nd Duke of Norfolk.
  • Henry VIIIHenry VIII was born on the 28th of June 1491 at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich, Kent. He entered the world as the third child and second son of King…
  • John Dudley, 1st Duke of NorthumberlandJohn Dudley was seven years old when his father, Edmund Dudley, was executed for high treason in 1510. The new king, Henry VIII, needed scapegoats for the…
  • Mary BoleynMary Boleyn likely entered the world between early 1499 and late 1500 at Blickling Hall. Her family home was Hever Castle in Kent, where she spent her…
  • Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of SomersetEdward Seymour was born around the year 1500. He entered the household of Mary Tudor, Queen of France, in 1514 at about fourteen years old.
  • William Cecil, 1st Baron BurghleyWilliam Cecil arrived in the world on the 13th of September 1520 within the quiet village of Bourne, Lincolnshire. His father Sir Richard Cecil owned the…
  • Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of LeicesterOn the 6th of July 1553, King Edward VI died and Robert Dudley led a force of three hundred men into Norfolk. He sought to stop Mary I from taking the…
  • Lady Jane GreyJane Grey sat in the presence of her father or mother, speaking, keeping silence, sitting, standing, going, eating, drinking, merrily or sadly.
  • Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of EssexRobert Devereux entered the world on the 10th of November 1565 at Netherwood in Herefordshire. He was the eldest son of Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex…
  • Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of SalisburyRobert Cecil stood barely five feet tall with a spine curved by scoliosis. Queen Elizabeth I called him my pygmy while King James I nicknamed him my little…
  • Henry Carey, 1st Baron HunsdonHenry Carey entered the world on the 4th of March 1526 as the second child of William Carey and Mary Boleyn. His mother was the sister of Anne Boleyn, who…
  • Edward VIOn the 12th of October 1537, Prince Edward was born in the private apartments of his mother at Hampton Court Palace. The news spread through London with such…
  • Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of NorfolkThomas Howard entered the world on the 10th of March 1473, born into a family that had recently lost everything. His grandfather John Howard died at Bosworth…
  • William Paulet, 1st Marquess of WinchesterWilliam Paulet emerged from the manor of Paulet near Bridgwater in Somerset around 1483 or 1485. His father Sir John Paulet held command against Cornish…
  • Thomas CromwellThomas Cromwell is thought to have been born by or around 1485 in Putney, then a village in Surrey providing a ferry service across the Thames upstream from…
  • Henry Wriothesley, 3rd Earl of SouthamptonHenry Wriothesley entered the world on the 6th of October 1573 at Cowdray House in Sussex. He was the only son of Henry Wriothesley, 2nd Earl of Southampton…
  • Arthur, Prince of WalesHenry VII became King of England upon defeating Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. He needed to secure his hold on the throne and…
  • Charles Brandon, 1st Duke of SuffolkCharles Brandon entered the world in 1484, born into a family defined by loyalty and blood. His father, Sir William Brandon, served as Henry Tudor's…
  • Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of OxfordOn the 12th of April 1550, Edward de Vere entered the world at Hedingham Castle in Essex. He was the only son of John de Vere, the 16th Earl of Oxford, and…