1486 - Arthur Tudor is Born

Prince Arthur, the Duke of Cornwall, was born in the early hours of 20th September, 1486 - barely a year into the reign of his father, King Henry VII. A confirmation that God approved of this new dynasty, if ever there was one.

Four days after his birth Arthur was baptised at Winchester Cathedral which slotted perfectly into the Arthurian legends being weaved around the new monarch, and his prophesied beginnings. It was believed that Winchester was the site of Camelot, the court at the centre of the tales of King Arthur, and here, the future King Arthur continued that legend (or so it was hoped).

Arthurian legends were not the only reasoning for his name. His tutor, Bernard Andreas, later claimed that the Prince was born 'on the day when the bright constellation of Arcturus arose', the constellation which represented the 'sum of all virtues'. This association would be later recognised in the pageants which welcomed Katherine of Aragon to London.