Very interesting question Anyanka, and a difficult one to answer too, since we know so very little about Fitzroy in the first place.
He was certainly given a good education and made a good marriage. If he had lived I think it’s possible H8 may have tried his level best to get him named as the heir. Whether that would be before or after Edward I don’t know. As he was older than Edward he may well have been preferred as King after H8’s death. Edward being only 9 when H8 died didn’t really help the country much and child rulers were always a nightmare, to have on the throne anyway.
Half the trouble with the War of the Roses started because H6 was still just a baby when he came to throne, and was brought up by those who only sought power for themselves, having control of the King was parmount to having that power.
The Seymour Boys proved that point to the max, they were determined to destroy each other. Whatever was behind that reasoning was obviously too deep rooted for anyone to stop. I don’t think it was a case of just jealousy or power hunger it was something more than that.
The other issue of course is that as Fitzroy was married Mary Howard, the daughter of that odious jumped up cretinious poppinjay Norfolk. Would the people want the influence of the Howard’s on the throne or anywhere near the throne?
If Fitzroy had been placed in line of succession after Edward, would Mary Tulip be happy to sit back and let it happen? I somehow doubt it I think there would have again been the power struggles for the throne just as there had been in the Wars of the Roses, and of course as there had been when it was Matilda and Stephen squablling over throne.
Fitzroy’s marriage to Mary Howard may have got him the backing of the Norfolk clan, but we all know how changable the odious jumped up cretinous poppingjay was. If he felt that he wasn’t getting a fair crack of the whip in Fitzroy’s court he would simply walk away and throw his lot in with Mary Tulip and hope that his hopes and dreams would bear fruit at her feet instead, and of course vice versa.
As for Dudley, Fitzroy may have been able to perhaps curtail his ambitions a little. I don’t think Fitzroy would have allowed the marriage of Lady Jane Grey to Guildford Dudley to have happened had he been King himself, and I feel that he would have advised Edward to say no to the match as well.
Dudley was another one of those men like the Seymour Boys, that needed a firm hand when dealing with them, unfortunately Edward wasn’t old enough to take the upper hand, when it came to dealing with them.

I am inclined to agree here Sharon, H8 may have been a fat useless wife murdering prat, but he wasn’t stupid. He would have known the consequences of what such an action would do to England if H.F was given a shot of sitting on the big chair wearing the glittery hat. Civil war would have erupted for a start.
I think Fitzroy would have been bumped off sooner rather later to prevent any chance of trying to make a play for the throne.

Very true Bob, but as William the Conqueror proved having a bar sinister in your coat of arms wasn’t such a barrier after all. He was known under a few names when he was just the Duke of Normandy, one of them was William the Bastard.
And again the same could be said (if it can be believed) with E4, he was accused of being a bastard too, didn’t stop him from taking the throne for himself did it?
Both Mary and Elizabeth were considered bastards, up until H8 sorted the tangled web out in 1544, but even so when Elizabeth came to the throne she was still considered as such as well. Mary made sure 100% that she was legitimate by repealing the “great divorce” after she came to throne so technically Elizabeth was illegitimate, being as she was born in 1533 which according to Mary’s charter was while H8 was still legally married to K.O.A.

A male ruler was prefeble to a female ruler, but where Fitzroy was concerned I don’t believe for a second the people would have risen up to help him take the throne.
I think if he had lived he would have just had to be happy with what he had, and be grateful, if he wasn’t then he would just have to take his head home in a Marks and Sparks carrier bag and sulk.

I agree Olga, Fitzroy as King, was a great fat NO NO with bells on.
Jane Grey quickly learned what happens to anyone who tries to usurp the throne.
I always thought the issue to do with H8 making Fitzroy legitimate was quickly scotched, but now thinking about it I can see it never really went away, so in many ways I can also understand the added pressure on Anne to produce a son, and fast, and I can also understand why H8 was so cut up (Not as much as Anne was LOL) and blamed Anne although she was dead for Fitzroy’s death. Does this mean he was still toying with the idea to make Fitzroy King right up until his (Fitzroy) death? If that was the case H8 was a bigger fat useless wife murdering prat than I think he is, he must have known the consequences of such an action if he did manage to browbeat his parliament into such a decision, but there again he was a desperate man, and desperate people do desperate things.

Thank you Sharon.. I always thought that H8 had believed Anne had killed Fitzroy by giving him a slow acting poison. I knew that he convinced himself that she was planning to poison both Fitzroy and Mary, and because they both fell ill he was doubly convinced she had carried out her plan.
What did Fitzroy actually die of? Was it the same sort of illness that killed Edward?

Mary signed the oath on June 22nd 1536.
I see what you’re saying. I thought you meant Mary was ill unto death. Mary was ill after her Mother’s death. She suffered from strain and grief, and during this period there certainly was a lot of pressure put on her from many different people. The strain was greater for the 5 weeks after Anne died and before she signed the oath. This is when she realized life was not going back to normal because Anne was dead. Anne was not the obstacle in her way to happiness as she originally believed. If Henry threatened her with Richmond, there is no record of it. Henry ordered people to get her to sign the oath. Pressure was put on her from different sources and finally from Cromwell, who she thought very highly of. By the time they were done harassing her, she felt her life was in danger. Chapuys thought so, too.

Chapuys would take the credit, of course. Cromwell was exasperated with Mary. He finally sent her a letter that was uncompromising and threatening. “Thus with your folly, you undo yourself.” He told her she “deserved punishment”…and on it went. This pushed her to ask advice of Chapuys. With his advice or not, I think she was in no position to fight Henry any longer, and she knew it.

This is what Porter writes…”The prospect of abandonment by Cromwell and the likely fate of her supporters, if she continued to hold out, finally broke Mary’s resolve.” Then Chapuys told her to sign the articles without reading them. He did tell her that ‘papal understanding could be obtained through imperial influence at a later date.’

I don’t know what Henry would have done to her had Mary not submitted. According to his own law, by not signing the oath, she was committing treason. It was best that she sign. Chapuys, as well as those who bullied her, advised her correctly. I would hate to think what he would have done to her. She was in a very precarious position by not signing.

Chapuys considered getting Mary out of England. There is little doubt that the next step for Henry would have been to dispose of Mary. I hate to think it. Chapuys and Mary had it right. Henry had reached the end of understanding where she was concerned. Chapuys’ fears for Mary were right on the money.
Being a man of law, how could he think otherwise as far as the trials of Anne and the men accused with her, her brother, George, Henry Norris, William Brereton, Francis Weston, and Mark Smeaton were concerned. (I feel the need to write out their names, so as never to forget them)

Chapuys considered getting Mary out of England in 1534, but nothing came of it. It was decided it would be too difficult. Henry was sending political and religious opponents to their deaths. Elizabeth Barton was hung. The Carthusian monks were hung, drawn and quartered. Fisher was sent to the block. Thomas More was in Henry’s crosshairs. Henry was shocking the world with his killing spree. It would make anyone uneasy and fearful for Mary’s life.
Mary made plans to flee England in 1550. This time their was an actual plan which fell through. Another plan was put in place, but Mary herself backed out saying that her place was in England.