Cooper's Prairie

‘January 28 [1828].—I am in the scrape of sitting for my picture, and had to repair for two hours to-day to Mr. Colvin Smith—Lord Gillies's nephew. The Chief Baron had the kindness to sit with me great part of the time, as the Chief Commissioner had done on a late occasion. The picture is for the Chief Commissioner, and the Chief Baron desires a copy. I trust it will he a good one. At home in the evening, and wrote. I am well on before the press, notwithstanding late hours, lassitude, and laziness. I have read Cooper's Prairie—better, I think, than his Red Rover, in which you never get foot on shore, and to understand entirely the incidents of the story it requires too much knowledge of nautical language. It's very clever, though.’

“The Prairie” was Scott’s friend James Fenimore Cooper’s third novel, published in 1827, which Scott certainly enjoyed more than “The Red Rover”, which was published early in 1828.  Scott read "The Red Rover" two weeks earlier.  The text above comes from Scott's journal.

Edward VI of England

King Henry VIII died on January 28, 1547, succeeded by his son Edward VI. Edward was nine at the time.  He was the son of wife number three, Jane Seymour.

One of Edward's connections with Sir Walter Scott is that he continued the wars with Scotland that Scott referred to as "the rough wooing", which were fought over his betrothal to Mary Queen of Scots.

Henry VII of England

Henry VII was born on January 28, 1457.  Henry Tudor became the first monarch of that line, gaining the throne with a victory over Richard III in the Battle of Bosworth.  This next to final battle in the Wars of the Roses decided things in favor of the Lancastrians. 

The Wars of the Roses was covered in Scott's Anne of Geierstein, Henry himself is mentioned in passing:

...The treasured necklace of Margaret was then put to its destined use, and the produce applied to levy those bands which shortly after fought the celebrated Battle of Bosworth, in which the arms of Oxford and his son contributed so much to the success of Henry VII.