Henry was born on 28 June 1491, at the Palace of Placentia. He was the third child and second son of King Henry VII and Queen Elizabeth of York . Of Henry’s six siblings, only three survived infancy: Arthur, Margaret and Mary . Henry was given a first-rate education from leading tutors, becoming fluent in Latin and French, and learning some Italian. Not much is known about his early life because he was not expected to become King. In November 1501, he played a considerable role in the ceremonies surrounding his brother’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon . In early 1502, Arthur died at the age of 15, probably of sweating sickness. Arthur’s death thrust his duties upon the 10-year old Henry. Henry VII gave the boy few tasks; Henry was strictly supervised and did not appear in public. As a result, he later ascended the throne untrained in the exacting art of kingship (in other words: spoiled) . Henry VII still wanted to seal a marital alliance between England and Spain, so he...