Gertrude Courtenay, Countess of Devon
Encyclopedia
Gertrude Courtenay, Marchioness of Exeter, née Gertrude Blount, was the wife of Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter
and a lady at the court of Henry VIII of England
. She was a godmother
to the future Elizabeth I.
Henry Courtenay was a close friend of Henry VIII's, having "been brought up of a child with his grace in his chanber." Gertrude was the daughter of William Blount, 4th Baron Mountjoy
, Katherine of Aragon's chamberlain and a man well respected by both King and Queen, and his first wife Elisabeth Saye.
In 1533, Anne Boleyn
gave birth to a baby girl. Princess Elizabeth
was baptised, and Gertrude, a close friend of Katherine of Aragon's, was chosen as the godmother at the confirmation, which was performed immediately after the baptism. Apparently, it was well-known that Gertrude "really wanted to have nothing to do with this" but agreed "so as not to displease the King". As this was such a public spectacle - and as a godparent was expected to provide an extremely expensive present, and historian Eric Ives
has concluded that the decision to appoint Gertrude to this role was malicious.
Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter
Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter, KG, PC was the eldest son of William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon and Catherine of York, and grandson of King Edward IV of England.He was an older brother of Margaret Courtenay...
and a lady at the court of Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
. She was a godmother
Godparent
A godparent, in many denominations of Christianity, is someone who sponsors a child's baptism. A male godparent is a godfather, and a female godparent is a godmother...
to the future Elizabeth I.
Henry Courtenay was a close friend of Henry VIII's, having "been brought up of a child with his grace in his chanber." Gertrude was the daughter of William Blount, 4th Baron Mountjoy
William Blount, 4th Baron Mountjoy
Sir William Blount, 4th Baron Mountjoy KG was an English scholar and patron of learning.William Blount was born circa 1478 in Barton Blount, Derbyshire, the eldest son of John Blount, 3rd Baron Mountjoy and Lora Berkeley...
, Katherine of Aragon's chamberlain and a man well respected by both King and Queen, and his first wife Elisabeth Saye.
In 1533, Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
gave birth to a baby girl. Princess Elizabeth
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
was baptised, and Gertrude, a close friend of Katherine of Aragon's, was chosen as the godmother at the confirmation, which was performed immediately after the baptism. Apparently, it was well-known that Gertrude "really wanted to have nothing to do with this" but agreed "so as not to displease the King". As this was such a public spectacle - and as a godparent was expected to provide an extremely expensive present, and historian Eric Ives
Eric Ives
Eric William Ives, OBE is a British historian and an expert on the Tudor period. He is Emeritus Professor of English History at the University of Birmingham...
has concluded that the decision to appoint Gertrude to this role was malicious.