Thomas Vaux, 2nd Baron Vaux of Harrowden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Thomas Vaux, 2nd Baron Vaux of Harrowden
|
|
|---|---|
Portrait of Thomas, Lord Vaux, circa unknown.
|
|
| Born | 25 April 1509 |
| Died | 15 October 1556 (aged 47) |
| Occupation | Poet, dramatist, essayist, novelist |
| Alma mater | Cambridge University |
| Spouse | Elizabeth Cheney (m. 1523–1556; his death) |
Thomas Vaux, 2nd Baron Vaux of Harrowden (born April 25, 1509 – died October 1556) was an English poet. He was the oldest son of Nicholas Vaux, 1st Baron Vaux of Harrowden and his second wife, Anne Green. Thomas Vaux went to Cambridge University. His mother was the aunt of Queen Catherine Parr. His wife, Elizabeth Cheney, was also a cousin of Queen Catherine.
Life of Thomas Vaux
In 1527, Thomas Vaux traveled to France with a powerful church leader named Cardinal Wolsey. Vaux didn't agree with King Henry VIII's decision to divorce his first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
In 1531, he became a member of the House of Lords, which is part of the English Parliament. In 1532, he went with King Henry VIII to Calais and Boulogne in France. He was also honored as a Knight of the Bath when Anne Boleyn became queen.
In 1536, he was a leader in Jersey, an island. Because of big changes in the church (when England separated from the Pope in Rome), he sold his official jobs. He didn't go to Parliament for many years, from 1534 to 1554.
Vaux lived quietly in the countryside until Queen Mary I came to power. Then he returned to London for her crowning. Thomas Vaux was friends with other poets at court, like Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey.
Family and Children
Thomas's father, Nicholas Vaux, 1st Baron Vaux of Harrowden, had been married before. His first wife was Elizabeth FitzHugh. From that marriage, Thomas had three older half-sisters: Katherine Throckmorton, Alice Sapcote, and Anne Strange.
Elizabeth FitzHugh was also the grandmother of Queen Catherine Parr. After Elizabeth died, Thomas's father married Anne Green, who was the sister of Maud Green. Maud Green was Queen Catherine Parr's mother, which made Thomas Vaux a first cousin to Queen Catherine.
On May 6, 1511, when Thomas was two years old, it was planned for him to marry Elizabeth Cheney. Thomas and Elizabeth married between April 25 and November 10, 1523. They had three children:
- William Vaux, 3rd Baron Vaux of Harrowden (born 1535)
- Nicholas Vaux
- Anne Vaux, who married Reginald Bray
Thomas Vaux died in October 1556. There are drawings of Thomas Vaux and his wife by the famous artist Hans Holbein the Younger. These drawings are kept at Windsor Castle. There is also a finished portrait of Lady Vaux at Hampton Court.
Poems and Writings
Two of Thomas Vaux's poems were put into a famous collection called Tottel's Miscellany, published in 1557. These poems were:
- "The assault of Cupid upon the fort where the lover's hart lay wounded, and how he was taken"
- "Dittye ... representinge the Image of Deathe" (This poem is even mentioned in Shakespeare's play Hamlet!)
Thirteen more of his poems were published in a book called Paradise of Dainty Devices in 1576. These poems can also be found in a later collection by Alexander Grosart.
See also
- Canons of Elizabethan poetry
