Royal trumpeter John Blanke, is gifted a new outfit for his wedding by King Henry VIII
Trumpeter John Blanke, was the only identifiable black person in Tudor England.
He may have arrived in England in the entourage of Katharine of Aragon in 1501.
The earliest named reference to John Blanke was a payment made by Henry VII in December 1507, when he was one of eight royal trumpeters under the leadership of Peter de Casa Nova.
This entry shows he was paid 20 shillings, at 8d. (old pence) each day, for his service in November.
On 21st April 1509, Henry VII died.
The next day, the reign of Henry VIII officially began, ‘proclaimed by the blast of a Trumpet in the citie of London’.
John Blanke, like other courtiers, was issued with new black livery to wear at Henry VII’s funeral.
He would have had an important part to play in the ceremonies that followed, accompanying the procession from Richmond to burial in Westminster Abbey.
John then moved into the household of the new King Henry VIII, and was provided with new scarlet livery for the coronation.
By Tudor standards, John was not on the breadline.
His wage of 8d. each day was not inconsiderable, and equivalent to that of a skilled craftsman.
In addition to his wages John Blanke would have received room and board.
On occasions that these were not required, he could have claimed an additional allowance called ‘boardwage’.
Later, in 1526, it was decreed that the royal trumpeters’ ‘boardwage’ was to be 4d. each day.
John was clearly ambitious, and early in Henry VIII’s reign, after the death of a more senior trumpeter called Domynck Justinian, he petitioned the king for his former colleague’s position.
The petition was a success and John’s wages were increased to 16d. each day ~ a testament to his tenacity as well as his experience and length of service.
On 12th February 1511, Henry VIII held a grand jousting tournament in Westminster, to celebrate the birth of his short-lived first son, also named Henry.
Trumpeters such as John Blanke provided the music for this spectacular occasion.
John and his fellow trumpeters are shown on horseback sounding their double-curved instruments.
Clearly, musical skill was only part of the job, and John would have needed to be an accomplished horseman too.
In the College of Arms, Westminster Tournament Roll, John is shown wearing special silver and gilt livery for the festivities.
This was a change from the traditional Tudor green and white or scarlet and gold.
John is also wearing a turban, which might suggest his Islamic faith. However, Henry VIII liked to dress himself, and members of his court, in a variety of international fashions.
Therefore, John’s turbans may have been worn for aesthetic rather than religious reasons.
On 14th April 1512, John Blanke got married at Greenwich.
Henry VIII gifted him a new wedding outfit, including a gown of violet velvet and a hat.
Henry VIII’s wedding gift of January 1512 is the last surviving reference to John Blanke.
The next full list of royal trumpeters drawn up in 1514, does not include his name.
Some historians have suggested that he may have died in battle, fighting in Scotland or France, or that he found work in another royal court that paid more.
Perhaps he moved abroad after he married.
Whatever his fate, John Blanke remains an incredibly significant figure in Tudor and black British history.
John Blanke is the only black Tudor for whom we have an identifiable image ~ and is symbolic of the important but often ignored contribution that people of colour have made to our shared history.
🎺 Image ~ Trumpeter John Blanke in the centre, wearing a green turban latticed with yellow
College of Arms, Westminster Tournament Roll, 1511.
