On this day, King Henry VIII of England commissioned the ‘Westminster Tournament Challenge‘ in honour of the birth of his son Prince Henry to his wife Catherine of Aragon. The King wanted a pictorial record of his tournament so he commissioned a Roll of Honour in the form of a 60-foot long illustrated manuscript which still survives today. Apart from the King himself and other officials and dignitaries, the manuscript shows six trumpeters including a black musician by the name of John Blanke (the surname is possibly a play on the French or Spanish word for ‘white’). John Blanke is the only identifiable black person in 16th century English art and probably came to England with Catherine of Aragon’s entourage.
I thought I knew a lot about Henry VIII’s life but this is absolutely new to me.. Thanks for sharing
It was new to me, too, Carla. 🙂
Did you know that Anne Boleyn is said to have six fingers in one hand and that she created the fashion of long sleeves to hide this “witchy” appendix ? LOL Carla
Ha ha! No, that’s completely new to me, Carla! 😂
I found this historical post really interesting, as always
I try to find subjects which are perhaps not so well known. It’s more fun!
Undeniably, Tony.
Thank you