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Catherine of Aragon 

Catherine of Aragon
Queen consort of England (more...)
Official portrait of Catherine as Queen of England
Official portrait of Catherine as Queen of England
Consort 11 June 1509 – 23 May 1533
Coronation 24 June 1509
Consort to Arthur, Prince of Wales
Henry VIII
Issue
Mary I
Henry, Duke of Cornwall
Titles and styles
The Dowager Princess of Wales
Her Majesty The Queen
Her Grace The Queen
The Dowager Princess of Wales
The Princess of Wales
Infanta Catherine of Aragon and Castile
Royal house House of Tudor
House of Trastámara
Father Ferdinand II of Aragon
Mother Isabella I of Castille
Born 16 December 1485
Laredo Palace, Alcala de Henares,Spain
Died 7 January 1536 (aged 50)
Kimbolton Castle, Cambridgeshire

Catherine of Aragon (16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536), also known as Catharine, Katherine or Katharine (Castilian Infanta Catalina de Aragón y Castilla) was the Queen of England as the first wife of Henry VIII of England. Henry's attempt to have their 24-year marriage annulled set in motion a chain of events that led to England's break with the Roman Catholic Church. Henry was dissatisfied with the marriage because all their sons had died in childhood, leaving only one of their six children, Princess Mary (later Queen Mary I) as heiress presumptive, at a time when there was no established precedent for a woman on the throne. When Pope Clement VII refused to annul the marriage, Henry defied him by progressively assuming supremacy over religious matters. This allowed him to marry Anne Boleyn on the judgment of clergy in England, without reference to the Pope. He was motivated by the hope of fathering a male heir to the Tudor dynasty.

Contents

Early life

Catherine was the youngest child of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. Her older siblings were Isabella, Princess of Asturias Queen of Portugal; John, Prince of Asturias; Joanna of Castile; and Maria of Castile and Aragon, Queen of Portugal. She was an aunt, among others, of Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, John III of Portugal and their wives, Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, Henry I of Portugal and Isabella, Queen Consort of Denmark. She was a granddaughter of both John II of Castile and John II of Aragon. She was of average height for a woman,dubious with long auburn hair, almond shaped eyes and had a creamy/pale like complexion. She was descended from the English royal house through her great-grandmother Katherine of Lancaster and her great-great-grandmother Philippa of Lancaster, both daughters of John of Gaunt and granddaughters of Edward III of England. She was thus a third cousin of her father-in-law, Henry VII, and a fourth cousin of her mother-in-law Elizabeth of York. She was born at the Archbishop's Palace in Alcalá de Henares (30 km/20 mi from Madrid) on the night of 16 December.

At an early age, she was identified as a suitable wife for Arthur, Prince of Wales, first son of Henry VII of England and heir to the throne. They were married by proxy, and corresponded in Latin until Arthur turned 15 and it was decided that the time had arrived for them to be married in person. She arrived in England in the autumn, with a retinue including George de Athequa, and the couple met at last on 4 November 1501, at Dogmersfield in Hampshire. Little is known about their first impressions of each other, but Arthur did write to his parents-in-law that he would be 'a true and loving husband' and he later told his parents that he was immensely happy to behold the face of his lovely bride. They found that they were unable to speak to each other since they had learned different pronunciations of Latin. Ten days later, on 14 November 1501, they were married at St. Paul's Cathedral.

Princess of Wales

Catherine as a young widow.
Catherine as a young widow.

As Prince of Wales, Arthur was sent to Ludlow Castle on the borders of Wales, to preside over the Council of Wales and the Marches, and his bride accompanied him. A few months later, they both became ill, possibly with the sweating sickness which was sweeping the area. He died of it on 2 April 1502, and she nearly died; she recovered to find herself a widow.

At this point Henry VII was faced with the dilemma of how to avoid returning her dowry to her father. To avoid complications, it was agreed that she would marry the king's second son, Prince Henry, who was more than five years younger than her. The marriage was delayed until the prince was old enough, and the king procrastinated so much that it looked doubtful whether the marriage would ever take place. She lived, almost as prisoner, at Durham House in London.[1] Some of her letters to her father, complaining of her treatment, have survived. She had little money at the time and struggled to cope, as she had the well being of her ladies-in-waiting to maintain as well as her own, and it is certain that she would have been very unhappy at that time, complaining of periods of "low fever" which were probably a form of depression.

Marriage to Arthur's brother depended on the Pope granting a dispensation because of the close relationship. Catherine testified that her marriage to Arthur was never consummated. The matter was considered of minor importance at the time, as the Pope had the power to overrule any objections to the marriage, whether or not they were for religious reasons.

Queen of England

Some believe Henry VIII married Catherine in accordance to his dying father's last wishes, in order to keep her dowry, though evidence suggests that Henry loved her. She was still young and attractive, and her country of Spain would be a good alliance against the French. The wedding took place on 11 June 1509, seven weeks after the death of Henry VII. They were married at a private ceremony at Greenwich Church. Catherine was dressed in white, wearing her hair loose, customary for a virgin bride.

Coronation

16th century woodcut of the coronation of Henry VIII of England and Catherine of Aragon showing their heraldic badges, the Tudor Rose and the Pomegranate of Aragon.
16th century woodcut of the coronation of Henry VIII of England and Catherine of Aragon showing their heraldic badges, the Tudor Rose and the Pomegranate of Aragon.

On Saturday 23 June the traditional eve-of-coronation procession to Westminster was greeted by an extremely large and very enthusiastic crowds. Catherine was acclaimed as she passed by in a litter "Borne on the backs of two white palfreys trapped in white cloth of gold, her person appareled in white satin embroidered, her hair hanging down her back, of a very great length, beautiful and good to behold, and on her head a coronal, set with many rich stones."citation needed The crowds cried out "God save you!" to Catherine.citation needed

On the 24 June 1509, which was a Sunday, and also Midsummer's Day, Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon were crowned along side each other at a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey. Catherine and Henry passed through streets hung with tapestries and cloth of gold.The barons of the Cinq Ports held canopies over Catherine and Henry, and beneath their feet was striped cloth made of ray, which after they had entered the Abbey was immediately cut up by the crowd. They were both adorned with diamonds, rubies, and other precious stones. They were and crowned by the archbishop of Canterbury, "in the presence of other prelates of the realm and the nobility and a large number of civic dignitaries" The people were asked if they would take Henry as their King and obey him, with "great reverence, love and willingness they responded with the cry 'Yea, Yea'". The coronation was followed by a banquet in Westminster Hall.When the ceremony was finished, the nobility paid homage to King Henry , then with Queen Catherine's permission, returned to Westminster Hall - each one beneath his canopy. The nobles were ushered to their seats by th Lord Marshall, the seats had been arranged earlier according to their nobility. The nine-piece table was set with the King's estate, while seated on the right and the Queen's estate. The first course of the banquet was announced with a fanfare. It was said to be greater than "any Ceasar had known", and opened with a procession bearing the dishes led by the Duke of Buckingham and the Lord Steward riding on horses that were decked with cloths of gold, and richly embroidered trappings. The two of them led in the banquet which was described as "truly sumptuous", and as well as a great number of delicacies also included unusual heraldic devices and mottos. One eye witness acount described the banquet: "How can I describe the abundance of fine and delicate fare prepared for this magnificent and lordly feast, produced both abroad and in the many and various parts of this realm to which God has granted his bounty. Or indeed the exemplary execution of the service of the meal itself, the clean handling and distribution of the food and the efficient ordering of the courses, such that no person of any estate lacked for anything." The great rejoicing which followed the wedding and coronation occupied the court during much of the remainder of the year in an almost unbroken time of revels, pageants, tournaments, banqueting, dancing, and making music. Many new Knights of the Bath were created in honour of the coronation. One such occasion occured the floowing day,

The following day being a Sunday, and also Midsummer's Day, the noble prince with his queen left the palace for Westminster Abbey at the appointed hour. The barons of the Cinq Ports held canopies over the royal couple who trod on striped cloth of ray, which was immediately cut up by the crowd when they had entered the abbey. Inside, according to sacred tradition and ancient custom, his grace and the queen were anointed and crowned by the archbishop of Canterbury in the presence of other prelates of the realm and the nobility and a large number of civic dignitaries. The people were asked if they would take this most noble prince as their king and obey him. With great reverence, love and willingness they responded with the cry 'Yea, Yea'.

When the ceremony was finished, the lords spiritual and temporal paid homage to King Henry and, with Queen Catherine's permission, returned to Westminster Hall - each one was beneath his canopy - with the lord marshal bearing his Staff of Office. Each noble and lord proceeded to his allotted place arranged earlier according to nobility. The nine-piece table was set with the King Henry's estate seated on the right and the Queen Catherine's estate on the left. The first course of the banquet was announced with a fanfare. At the sound of the fanfare the Duke of Buckingham entered riding a large horse covered with richly embroidered trappings, together with the lord steward mounted on a horse which was decked with cloth of gold. The two of them led in the banquet. The banquet was said, by an eyewitness acount, to be "Truly sumptuous...Magnificent and lordly" They were quite a number of unusal delicacies served at the banquet. The food produced abroad and in various parts of England. The execution of the service of the meal handling and distribution of the food and the ordering of the courses, was said to be excellent.

The following day the aforementioned defending team, Lady Pallas' scholars presented themselves before the king ready for the tournement. They were all riding horses and wearing full armour. They all had one side of their armour type skirts and horsetrappings made of white velvet that was embroidered with gold roses, which was the heraldic device of Henry VIII, and other symbols, and the other side was made of green velvet and was embroidered with gold pomegranates, which was the heraldic device of Catherine of Aragon. On their headpieces each wore a hackle made of gold damask. At the same time the others side rode in, the eight knights were fully armed and dressed, like their horses, in green satin that was embroidered with golden bramble branches. Then following them, blowing horns, came quite a number of men, dressed in green cloth, as foresters or gamekeepers. They had hose and caps to match. They arranged a set, it looks very like a park, with white and green fencing around it. Inside it were fallow deer and artificial bushes, trees, ferns, and other shrubbery. Once they were set up before Queen Catherine, the paddock gates were unlocked and the deer ran out into the palace grounds. Greyhounds were then set loose and they killed the deer. The dead deer were then presented to Queen Catherine and the assembled ladies by the knights. A man names Crocheman, who had brought in the golden lance the previous day,declared that his knights were the servants of the Roman Goddess, Diana, and whilst they had been hunting had been told that Lady Pallas's knights had come into these parts to "perform feats of arms". Thereupon they had stopped hunting immediantly, to meetthese nights and to fight with them for the love of the ladies. He then also added that if Lady Pallas's knights won the tournament then they would receive the deer that had been killed, and the greyhounds that had killed them. But if Diana's knights won the tournament they were to be given the swords of Lady Pallas' knights.

Hearing this, Catherine and her ladies asked Henry for his advice on the matter. Henry, thinking that perhaps there was some grudge between the two groups and believing that to grant the request might lead to some unpleasantries, decided not to consent to these terms. Instead, it was mutually decided and agreed that both parties should fight the tournement but that only a limited number of strokes was to be allowed. The tournament took place then the two groups left the field. The jousts then came to an end and the prizes were awarded to each contestant according to how well he had done.

The Wars of the Roses seemed to be no more than a fading memory. Thomas More wrote about the coronation "This day is the end of our slavery, the fount of our liberty; the end of sadness, the beginning of joy." Henry was almost 18 when crowned and Catherine was 24.

Struggle for a son

The marriage seems to have been a happy one until it started to seem likely that Henry would have no legitimate male heir. Catherine had six pregnancies altogether. In 1510, Catherine delivered a stillborn girl. In 1511, Catherine delivered a boy named Henry. But sadly, 52 days later, the boy died. In 1513, Catherine was pregnant again. Henry left her as Regent of England, as he left to fight a war in France. Scotland invaded, so she sent an army north to meet the Scots. The Scots failed, and Catherine sent Henry the bloodied coat of King James IV of Scotland as proof of her victory. Henry returned, but she delivered the baby, a boy, prematurely, and was stillborn or short-lived. At the end of 1514, she delivered another stillborn son. In 1516, Catherine delivered a healthy girl, who would later become Mary I of England. In 1518, Catherine fell pregnant for the last time. She gave birth to a stillborn daughter in November of that year.

Catherine and Henry's daughter, Mary
Catherine and Henry's daughter, Mary

Catherine's religious dedication increased with her age, as did her interest in academics. She continued to broaden her knowledge and provide training for her daughter. Education among women became fashionable, partly from Catherine's influence. She also donated large sums of money to several colleges. Henry considered a male heir essential. The Tudor dynasty was new, and its legitimacy might still be tested. A long civil war (1135–54) had been fought the last time a female, (Henry I of England's daughter, the Empress Matilda), had inherited the English throne. The disasters of civil war were still fresh in living memory from the Wars of the Roses (1455–85).

In 1520 Catherine's nephew Emperor Charles V paid a state visit to England, and she urged Henry to enter an alliance with Charles rather than with France. Immediately after his departure, 31 May 1520, she accompanied the king to France on the celebrated visit to Francis I, the so-called Field of the Cloth of Gold. Within two years, war was declared against France and the Emperor was once again made welcome in England, where plans were afoot to betroth him to Princess Mary.

Henry's annulment

The Six Wives of
Henry VIII
Catherine of Aragon
Anne Boleyn
Jane Seymour
Anne of Cleves
Catherine Howard
Catherine Parr

In 1525, Henry VIII became enamoured with Anne Boleyn, a maid-of-honour to the Queen, and began his pursuit of her.[2] By this time Catherine was not in a physical condition to undergo further pregnancies. Henry began to believe that his marriage was cursed and sought confirmation from the Bible, which says that if a man marries his brother's wife, the couple will be childless.[3] If she had lied when she said her marriage to Arthur had not been consummated, it meant that their marriage was wrong in the eyes of God. It is possible that the idea of annulment had suggested itself to the King much earlier than this, and it is highly probable that it was motivated by his desire for a male heir. Before Henry's father Henry VII ascended the throne, England had been beset by civil warfare over rival claims to the English crown, and Henry may have wanted to avoid a similar uncertainty over the succession.[4]

It soon became the one absorbing object of the King's desires to secure an annulment.[5] He set his hopes upon a direct appeal to the Holy See, acting independently of Thomas Cardinal Wolsey, to whom he at first communicated nothing of his plans. William Knight, the King's secretary, was sent to Pope Clement VII to sue for the annulment of the marriage, on the ground that the dispensing bull of Pope Julius II was obtained by false pretenses.

As the pope was at that time the prisoner of Catherine's nephew, Emperor Charles V, Knight had some difficulty in obtaining access to him. In the end the King's envoy had to return without accomplishing much. Henry had now no choice but to put his great matter into the hands of Thomas Wolsey, and Wolsey did all he could to secure a decision in the King's favour.[6] How far the pope was influenced by Charles V in his resistance, it is difficult to say, but it is clear Henry saw that the Pope was unlikely to give him an annulment from the Emperor's aunt.[7] The pope forbade Henry to proceed to a new marriage before a decision was given in Rome. Wolsey had failed and he was dismissed from public office in 1529. He then began a secret plot to have Boleyn forced into exile and he began communication with Catherine and the Pope, to that end. When this was discovered, Henry ordered Wolsey's arrest and, had it not been for his death from a terminal illness in 1530, he might have been executed for treason.[8] A year later, Catherine was banished from court and her old rooms were given to Boleyn. When Archbishop of Canterbury William Warham died, the Boleyn family's chaplain, Thomas Cranmer, was appointed to the vacant position.[9] In November 1531, Catherine wrote to her nephew: "My tribulations are so great, my life so disturbed by the plans daily invented to further the King's wicked intention, the surprises which the King gives me, with certain persons of his council, are so mortal, and my treatment is what God knows, that it is enough to shorten ten lives, much more mine".

Later years

Aragonese, Valencian and Sicilian Royalty
House of Trastámara

Ferdinand I
   Alfonso V
   John II
   Eleanor, Queen of Portugal
Alfonso V
John II
   Charles IV of Navarre
   Blanche II of Navarre
   Eleanor I of Navarre
   Ferdinand II
   Joan, Queen of Naples
Ferdinand II
   Isabella, Queen of Portugal
   Joanna I
   Juan, Prince of Asturias
   Mary, Queen of Portugal
   Catherine, Queen of England

Upon returning to Dover in England, Henry and Boleyn went through a secret wedding service.[10] As was the custom with royalty, there was a second wedding service, which took place in London on 25 January 1533. Events now began to move at a quick pace. On 23 May 1533, Cranmer, sitting in judgment at a special court convened at Dunstable Priory to rule on the validity of the king's marriage to Catherine, declared that marriage null and void. Five days later, on 28 May 1533, Cranmer declared the marriage of Henry and Anne to be valid.[11]

Catherine in her last years

Until the end of her life Catherine would refer to herself as Henry's only lawfully-wedded wife and England's only rightful Queen Consort; her faithful servants continued to address her by that title. Henry refused her the right to any title but "Dowager Princess of Wales" (in recognition of her position as his brother's widow). In 1535 she was transferred to the decaying and remote Kimbolton Castle. Confining herself to one room, leaving it only to attend Mass, she prepared to meet her end. While she was permitted to receive occasional visitors, she was forbidden to see her daughter Mary. She was also forbidden to communicate with her, but discreet sympathizers ferried secret letters between mother and daughter. Henry offered them both better quarters and the company of one another if they would acknowledge Anne Boleyn as his new Queen. Neither did.

In late December 1535, sensing death was near, she made out her will, wrote to her nephew, the Emperor Charles V, asking him to protect her daughter. She then penned one final letter to Henry, her "most dear lord and husband"[12]:

My most dear lord, King and husband,

The hour of my death now drawing on, the tender love I owe you forceth me, my case being such, to commend myself to you, and to put you in remembrance with a few words of the health and safeguard of your soul which you ought to prefer before all worldly matters, and before the care and pampering of your body, for the which you have cast me into many calamities and yourself into many troubles. For my part, I pardon you everything, and I wish to devoutly pray God that He will pardon you also. For the rest, I commend unto you our daughter Mary, beseeching you to be a good father unto her, as I have heretofore desired. I entreat you also, on behalf of my maids, to give them marriage portions, which is not much, they being but three. For all my other servants I solicit the wages due them, and a year more, lest they be unprovided for. Lastly, I make this vow, that mine eyes desire you above all things.

Katharine the Quene.

She died at Kimbolton Castle, on 7 January 1536. The following day, news of her death reached the King. He and Queen Anne reportedly decked themselves in bright yellow clothing, a colour often seen by the English as signifying joy, but was also the Spanish colour of mourning. Henry and Anne showed no signs of mourning, however, and the former called for public displays of joy regarding her death. Rumours then circulated that she had been slowly poisoned by Anne or Henry. The rumours were born after the apparent discovery during her embalming that there was a black growth on her heart that might have been caused by poisoning.[13] Modern medical experts are in agreement that her heart's discolouration was due not to poisoning, but to cancer, something which was not understood at the time.[14] She was buried in Peterborough Cathedral with the ceremony due to a Princess Dowager of Wales, not a Queen. Henry did not attend the funeral, nor did he allow Princess Mary to do so.

Her tomb in Peterborough Cathedral can be seen and is frequently decorated with flowers. It bears the title Katharine Queen of England. Peterborough is twinned with the Castilian city of Alcalá de Henares, her birthplace.

Historiography

Catherine has remained a popular biographical subject to the present day. The American historian Garrett Mattingly was the author of a popular biography Catherine of Aragon in 1942. In 1966, Katherine and her many supporters at court were the subjects of Catherine of Aragon and her Friends, a biography by John E. Paul. In 1967, Mary M. Luke wrote the first book of her Tudor trilogy, Catherine the Queen which portrayed her and the controversial era of English history through which she lived.

Grave of Katherine of Aragon in Peterborough Cathedral
Grave of Katherine of Aragon in Peterborough Cathedral

In recent years, the historian Alison Weir covered her life extensively in her biography The Six Wives of Henry VIII, first published in 1991. Antonia Fraser did the same in her own 1992 biography of the same title; as did the British historian David Starkey in his 2003 book Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII.

In 2008, author Charity Bishop released a novel entitled "Isabella's Daughter".

Spelling of her name

"Catherine" is the most common modern English spelling of her name. Sixteenth century English spelled it "Katharine"; in Spanish, it had been "Catalina".[15] Loveknots built into his various palaces by her husband, Henry VIII, display the initials "H & K". Her tomb in Peterborough Cathedral is marked "Katharine Queen of England". Katharine herself signed her name with a "K".citation needed

Titles and styles

  • 16 December 1485 – 14 November 1501: Infanta Catherine of Castile and Aragon
  • 14 November 1501 – 2 April 1502: The Princess of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Countess of Chester [16]
  • 2 April 1502 – 11 June 1509: The Dowager Princess of Wales Dowager Duchess of Cornwall, Dowager Countess of Chester [17]
  • 11 June 1509 – 23 May 1533: Her Grace The Queen of England
    • c. 1519 – 23 May 1533: Her Majesty The Queen of England [18]
  • 23 May 1533 – 7 January 1536: The Dowager Princess of Wales, Dowager Duchess of Cornwall, Dowager Countess of Chester [17] [19]

Legacy in fiction, film and television

Main article Catherine of Aragon in Popular Culture

Although Catherine is often portrayed in film and on stage as having possessed the stereotypical Spanish traits of dark hair and an olive complexion, she in fact had gray or blue eyes and fair skin with reddish-blonde hair, not too unusual for many Spaniards such as those from her father's land of Aragon. Furthermore, she was part English, through her ancestors, Katherine of Lancaster (her namesake and also having red hair) and Philippa of Lancaster, who were both daughters of Prince John, Duke of Lancaster.

Ancestry

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Williams, p.15
  2. ^ Scarisbrick, p.154.
  3. ^ Leviticus 20:21
  4. ^ Lacey, p.70.
  5. ^ Brigden, p.114.
  6. ^ "Henry VIII" in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia.
  7. ^ Morris, p.166.
  8. ^ Haigh p.92f
  9. ^ "Clement VII" in the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia.
  10. ^ Starkey, pp. 462–464.
  11. ^ Williams, p.124.
  12. ^ Sharon Turner, The History of England from the Earliest Period to the Death of Elizabeth (Longman, Rees, Orme, Brown and Green,1828)
  13. ^ Lofts, p.139.
  14. ^ Fraser.
  15. ^ Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, "Katharine of Aragon".
  16. ^ As spouse of the Prince of Wales, Catherine held the titles of Princess of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, and Countess of Chester.
  17. ^ a b As a widow, she was Dowager Princess of Wales, Dowager Duchess of Cornwall, and Dowager Countess of Chester.
  18. ^ Around 1519 Henry VIII decided Majesty should become the style of the Kings and Queens of England. "Majesty", however, was not used exclusively; it arbitrarily alternated with both "Highness" and "Grace", even in official documents.
  19. ^ Since Catherine never acknowledged the annulment of her marriage, she styled herself as Queen until her death.
  20. ^ a b Lundy, Darryl, thePeerage, <http://www.thepeerage.com/p10588.htm#i105871>. Retrieved on 25 October 2007 
  21. ^ a b Lundy, Darryl, thePeerage, <http://www.thepeerage.com/p11347.htm#i113464>. Retrieved on 25 October 2007 
  22. ^ a b Lundy, Darryl, thePeerage, <http://www.thepeerage.com/p329.htm#i3286>. Retrieved on 25 October 2007 
  23. ^ She was the daughter John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster to his first wife Blanche of Lancaster, making her half-sister of Katherine of Aragon's maternal great-grandmother Katherine of Lancaster, daughter of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster to his second wife Constance of Castile.
  24. ^ Lundy, Darryl, thePeerage, <http://www.thepeerage.com/p11433.htm#i114328>. Retrieved on 25 October 2007 

References

  • Henry VIII and his Court by Neville Williams (1971).
  • The Life and Times of Henry VIII by Robert Lacey (1972).
  • Henry VIII by J. J. Scarisbrick (1972) ISBN 978-0520011304.
  • Anne Boleyn by N. Lofts (1979) ISBN 0-698-1