Henry VIII’s Boyhood Companion Who Became His Enforcer

On this day in Tudor history, 15 October 1542, William Fitzwilliam, Earl of Southampton, died on campaign at Newcastle, serving Henry VIII one last time.

He’d been by the king’s side since childhood; a boyhood companion who became a soldier, sailor, ambassador, and royal enforcer. From the naval battles of 1512, to the splendour of the Field of Cloth of Gold, and even the downfall of Wolsey, Anne Boleyn, and Cromwell, Fitzwilliam’s career ran through the heart of Tudor power.

I’m historian and author Claire Ridgway, and in today’s episode, I uncover the life of the man who was always there when Henry VIII needed something done - on land, at sea, or in the shadows of court politics.

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