Henry Courtenay, Marquess of Exeter, was a royal cousin to the Tudor monarchs. In this episode, we delve deep into the fascinating and tumultuous life of Courtenay who rose to favor before becoming entangled in the perilous politics of his time, which led to his downfall. Through the lens of Courtenay’s story, we explore the Exeter Conspiracy—a plot that shook the foundations of the Tudor dynasty and indirectly led to Margaret Pole’s execution.
Today we are focusing on a fascinating figure who found himself at the heart of a royal conspiracy – Henry Courtenay. As we delve into his rise to favor his entanglement in the perilous politics of the time and his tragic downfall, we will also explore the Exeter Conspiracy, a plot that shook the foundations of the Tudor dynasty. It also led to Margaret Pole being executed it was kind of the thing that this world around caused all that to happen, so we’re going to talk about that.
Born in 1496 to William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon, and Catherine of York, Henry Courtenay was royalty from the start. He is again one of those cousins like the Poles like the de la Poles that we have been talking about the past couple of weeks. His mother Catherine was another daughter of Edward IV, so she would have been a sister to Elizabeth of York and Henry Courtenay would have been a cousin to the Tudor monarchs.
This lineage of course, would prove both a blessing and a curse, bringing him close to the epicenter of power but also painting a target on his back. Henry’s father William Courtenay was a key supporter of Henry VII during the Wars of the Roses. This allegiance paid dividends when Henry VII took the throne, elevating the Courtenay family to greater prominence.
Henry inherited his father’s title becoming the Earl of Devon when he was just a boy, however the tide of fortune was just beginning for the young Courtenay. Recognizing his lineage and potential, he was brought up in the royal court. His childhood at court would provide him with the connections and the political acumen that marked his early rise.
He had a close relationship with Henry VIII, which coupled with his royal blood, made him a powerful figure at court, leading to his elevation as Marquess of Exeter in 1525. Yet this ascension was just the beginning of a turbulent journey for Courtenay. A journey fraught with political machinations, dangerous alliances, and a conspiracy that would threaten the very throne of England. Although how much it was actually threatened is debatable, but we’ll carry on.
Henry Courtenay’s rise within the Tudor court was not solely a product of his lineage and childhood bonds with Henry VIII. As Marquess of Exeter, Courtenay was one of the most powerful men in England occupying an esteemed position at court and bearing significant influence in political matters. But there was more to his life at court than political maneuverings.
He was known to have been deeply religious and his faith would form much of his outlook and actions throughout his life. A committed Catholic, Courtenay was an ardent supporter of the Pope and the Catholic church. This, of course, would be a point of contention with Henry VIII who would break away from the Catholic Church to establish the Church of England.
His personal life too played a significant role in his rise at court. Courtenay was married to Gertrude Blount, a lady-in-waiting to Katherine of Aragon. Gertrude and Katherine shared a deep friendship which allowed Courtenay even closer access to the inner circle of the Tudor court. It was through this intimate courtly connection that Courtenay found himself embroiled in the King’s Great Matter, Henry VIII’s quest to annul his marriage to Katherine of Aragon.
Given his wife’s closeness to Katherine and his staunch Catholicism, Courtenay was naturally sympathetic to the Queen’s plight. Yet in the ever-turbulent political landscape of the Tudor court, these sympathies were dangerous. Aligning oneself too closely with a figure falling out of royal favor risked attracting suspicion and ire from the King.
The changing religious landscape of England coupled with the personal sympathies of Courtenay and his wife were kindling to a fire that would soon engulf the Marquess of Exeter and his family. As England reeled from the seismic shifts brought about by the Reformation, a sense of unease crept through the corridors of power.
Against this backdrop, a plot was brewing that would further disrupt the already tumultuous Tudor court – the Exeter Conspiracy. The conspiracy takes its name from our protagonist Henry Courtenay because he was of course Marquess of Exeter. By the late 1530s, the dynamics at court had drastically changed. Henry had broken with the Catholic Church, established the Church of England married Anne Boleyn after the controversial annulment of his marriage to Katherine.
These changes did not sit well with many in the kingdom, particularly with staunch Catholics like Courtenay. The thing is, most people were content to just sit back and let whatever happened happen. They would go along not wanting to suffer the deaths of people like Thomas More or Bishop Fisher, but often it was women who would stir things up.
Gertrude who was of course Exeter’s wife was a loud voice in favor of Katherine of Aragon. She had been a supporter of the “The Holy Maid of Kent” Elizabeth Barton. Visiting with her and giving her money. She even brought Elizabeth Barton to their home in Surrey when Barton was arrested.
Gertrude wrote a letter to Henry saying that she’d had no idea that there was any kind of treason going on and pleading her loyalty. Henry knew how close she was with Katherine and Princess Mary. Actually, Eustace Chapuys called her “the sole consolation of the queen and princess.” And so when Elizabeth was born, Henry named her godmother so that she would have to put on an outward show of loyalty.
By 1538, Thomas Cromwell’s rising at court and saw Edward Courtenay as an obstacle to his power in the privy chamber. This is the soup that they were all swimming in. Cromwell was rising, the Pilgrimage of Grace had just been put down, France and the emperor had just signed a treaty, the Treaty of Nice, pledging their friendship.
Reginald Pole, another cousin, specifically was involved in the negotiations of the Treaty of Nice and it was taken as a necessary first step to a joint invasion of England. So Henry’s in this position where he had just put down the Pilgrimage of Grace but he knows that people are still restless in the north, and then he’s got Reginald Pole negotiating treaties between France and Spain which everybody thinks is means that they’re going to invade England.
Henry begins fortifying his coastal defenses and rooting out any threats at home and so we get the Exeter Conspiracy, a supposed plot by a group of disaffected nobles including Courtenay and another prominent Catholic Nicholas Carew to overthrow Henry VIII. The supposed aim was to replace him with Cardinal Pole, a staunch Catholic who lived in self-imposed exile on the continent and was a persistent critic of Henry VIII’s religious policies.
Interestingly the exact details of the conspiracy remain shrouded in mystery and we can probably thank Thomas Cromwell for that. It’s unclear how far any of the plans actually progressed or if they even were a real threat to the King. However, it’s clear that Henry saw it as a threat but of course, his paranoia was fueled by the turbulent political climate and the execution of Anne Boleyn.
Remember he still needed a male heir, a second one. So he had Edward his son but Edward was still quite young. Things happen all the time. He had lost a son earlier in 1511. He had a son who lived for 40 to 52 days, so it wasn’t completely secure in his mind. So this made him highly susceptible to the idea of a potential conspiracy.
Courtenay’s involvement in the Exeter conspiracy stemmed partly from his staunch Catholic beliefs and his familial connection to the Poles. These links, of course, once a mark of high status would prove to be his downfall. The moment of reckoning came in the winter of 1538. As the frost descended on the kingdom, so too did the cold hand of royal justice.
Suspicion about his loyalties had been simmering for a while spurred by his Catholic beliefs and his sympathy for Katherine. The King plagued by his paranoia, saw in Courtenay not a cousin and childhood friend but a potential threat to his reign. So on a cold day in November, Courtenay was arrested and imprisoned in the Tower of London, a stark symbol of royal power and punishment.
The charges against him were damning. High treason, a crime punishable by death. Alongside him, several others are implicated in the conspiracy including Sir Nicholas Carew and this is when you also get the roundup of the Pole family. The trial that followed was swift and brutal, a reflection of the fraught political climate of the time.
The evidence against Courtenay was scanty at best, based largely on the confessions extracted from Geoffrey Pole under torture. But in Henry VIII’s England, the mere suspicion of treason was often enough to secure a conviction. His wife Gertrude had also been arrested and she wrote a letter to Henry in November 1538, saying that she had been swayed, being just a woman and she was actually the weaker sex and she was so sorry and she couldn’t help it because she was a woman and said all of this to Henry VIII, that was just what Henry wanted to hear.
She was saved. She did not meet the same fate as Margaret Pole and the other members of the family, but it wasn’t enough for her husband. In December 1539, Henry Courtenay met the grim fate that awaited those who fell afoul of the King. He was beheaded on Tower Hill.
His title and property were confiscated by the crown the once powerful Marquess of Exeter had met a tragic end, brought down by the same political maneuverings that had once raised him to prominence. The shock of the Exeter Conspiracy and the downfall of Henry Courtenay reverberated through the Tudor court and beyond. The executions served as a stark reminder of the dangers of crossing the increasingly paranoid and volatile Henry VIII. This was also Henry consolidating his hold on power, dissuading potential challengers, tightening his grip on the English nobility.
For the Courtenay family personally, the aftermath of the conspiracy was fraught with hardship and peril. His lands and titles were seized by the crown, his family name was tainted by accusations of treason, and his wife Gertrude was confined within the walls of her house, while their only son Edward was imprisoned in the Tower of London.
So their son was still in prison yet the family proved resilient. Young Edward was eventually released during the reign of Mary I and even restored to his father’s former title of Earl of Devon. However, the family’s fall from grace under Henry VIII had long-lasting implications. They were never able to regain their previous standing in court.
Looking back at the life and the tragic end of Henry Courtenay, Marquess of Exeter, we are reminded of the capricious nature of power and favor in the Tudor court. His story was marked by ambition, allegiance, conspiracy, and downfall and is a compelling example of the high-stakes and dangerous intrigue that characterized the reign of Henry VIII.
His story, though often overshadowed by more prominent figures of the time, offers valuable insights into the tumultuous political and religious shifts that shaped Tudor England. This was just one of many executions and plots and all of that was going on at this time.
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Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast, the original Tudor history podcast, started in 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. In 2019 she created Tudorcon, which is now a yearly event, in addition to writing books, and running TudorFair.com - a whimsical Tudor Merch shop. She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 20 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history.