On this day in history, 12th January 1510, Henry VIII jousted for the first time as King.
The joust was a private one, and took place at Richmond Park. Henry and his friend William Compton attended in disguise, and there was panic when Compton was seriously injured by Edward Neville. Nobody knew whether it was Compton or the King, and it was only when his visor was raised that people knew, and someone cried out “God save the King!”. Then the King took off his disguise to reassure worried spectators.
William Compton survived the accident and served the King as his Groom of the Stool until Wolsey’s “Eltham Ordinances” forced his resignation. He died in June 1528 after contracting sweating sickness.
Extract taken from On This Day in Tudor History by Claire Ridgway.
