 Born 28 June 1491 at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich , London , Henry Tudor was the third child and second son of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York . Of the young Henry 's six siblings , only three – Arthur , Prince of Wales ; Margaret ; and Mary – survived infancy . He was baptised by Richard Fox , the Bishop of Exeter , at a church of the Observant Franciscans close to the palace . In 1493 , at the age of two , Henry was appointed Constable of Dover Castle and Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports . He was subsequently appointed Earl Marshal of England and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland at age three , and was inducted into the Order of the Bath soon after . The day after the ceremony he was created Duke of York and a month or so later made Warden of the Scottish Marches . In May 1495 , he was appointed to the Order of the Garter . Henry was given a first @-@ rate education from leading tutors , becoming fluent in Latin and French , and learning at least some Italian . Not much is known about his early life – save for his appointments – because he was not expected to become king . In November 1501 , Henry also played a considerable part in the ceremonies surrounding the marriage of his brother , Prince Arthur , to Catherine of Aragon , the youngest surviving child of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile . As Duke of York , Henry used the arms of his father as king , differenced by a label of three points ermine . 
