Catherine of Aragon

Catherine of Aragon
Queen consort of England (more...)
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
Detail 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 Archbishop's 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 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.

Early life

Catherine was the youngest child of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. Her older siblings were Isabella, Queen of Portugal; John, Prince of Asturias; Joanna of Castile; and Maria, 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 quite short in stature^[1] with long golden auburn hair, wide blue eyes, round face, and a fair complexion.^[2] 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, on the night of 16 December 1485.

She was educated by a tutor, Alessandro Geraldini, who was a clerk in Holy Orders. She studied religion, the Classics, the Latin histories, canon and civil law. She had a strong religious upbringing and developed a faith that would play a major role later in her life.^[3] She learned to read and write in both Spanish and Latin. She was also taught basic domestic skills, such as needlepoint, lacemaking, embroidery, and music and dancing.^[4] 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.^[5] Ten days later, on 14 November 1501, they were married at St. Paul's Cathedral.

Princess of Wales

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.

Arthur

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 she. 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.^[6] 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.

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

The wedding took place on 11 June 1509, seven weeks after Henry VII's death. They were married in a private ceremony at Greenwich Church.

Henry VIII's writing desk that was made for Henry and Catherine can still be seen today in the Victoria and Albert museum in London. The box is highly decorated with an intricate in design, it also bears the coat of arms and personal badges of Henry and Catherine.

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.

On Saturday 23 June the traditional eve-of-coronation procession to Westminster was greeted by an extremely large and very enthusiastic crowd. On Midsummer's Day, Sunday, 24 June 1509, Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon were anointed and crowned along side each other by the Archbishop of Canterbury at a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey. Catherine wore a white dress with her long hair flowing loose. The coronation was followed by a banquet in Westminster Hall. Many new Knights of the Bath were created in honour of the coronation.

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 23.

Pregnancies and children

The marriage seems to have been a happy one until it started to become 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, however, the child only lived for 52 days. In 1513, Catherine was pregnant again. Henry appointed her Regent of England, when he went to France on a military campaign. When the Scots invaded England, Catherine, in her role as Regent, sent an army north to meet the Scots. The Scots were defeated, and Catherine sent Henry the bloodied coat of King James IV of Scotland as proof of England's victory. Henry returned from France, but she delivered the baby, a boy, prematurely, and he was either stillborn or died shortly afterwards. At the end of 1514, she delivered another stillborn son.

Catherine watching Henry at the joust in honour of Catherine giving birth to a son.

On 18 February 1516, Catherine delivered a healthy girl, who would later become Mary I of England at the Palace of Greenwich. The baby was christened three days later with great ceremony at The Church of Observant Friars.

In 1518, Catherine became pregnant for the last time. She gave birth to a stillborn daughter in November of that year.

Catherine and Henry's daughter, Mary

Greenwich Palace, after a 17th-century drawing

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, of the Holy Roman Empire, 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.^[7] 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.^[8] 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.^[9]

It soon became the one absorbing object of the King's desires to secure an annulment.^[10] 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.

Catherine had the support of the people. She was wildly popular and the people of England felt a loving protectivness over her. They were greatly opposed to the annullment, and the prospect of the King's mistress, Anne Boleyn becoming Queen as opposed to the well liked and respected Catherine.

As the pope was at that time the prisoner of Catherine's nephew, Emperor Charles V, following the Sack of Rome in May 1527, Knight had 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.^[11] 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.^[12] 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.

Cardinal John Fisher opposed the annulment, and supported Catherine

He then began a secret plot to have Anne 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.^[13] A year later, Catherine was banished from court and her old rooms were given to Anne Boleyn. When Archbishop of Canterbury William Warham died, the Boleyn family's chaplain, Thomas Cranmer, was appointed to the vacant position.^[14] In November 1531, Catherine wrote to her nephew:

When Henry decided to divorce Catherine, John Fisher became her most trusted counselor and one of her chief supporters. He appeared in the legates' court on her behalf, where he shocked people with the directness of his language, and by declaring that, like John the Baptist, he was ready to die on behalf of the indissolubility of marriage. Henry was so enraged by this that wrote a long Latin address to the legates in answer to Fisher's speech. Fisher's copy of this still exists, with his manuscript annotations in the margin which show how little he feared Henry's anger. The removal of the cause to Rome ended Fisher's role in the matter, but Henry never forgave him.

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 Anne Boleyn went through a secret wedding service.^[15] 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.^[16]

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, and most of the population of Europe continued to believe her to be the Queen, and Anne just a mistress and her daughter a bastard. 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, and fasting most of the time, and wearing the hair shirt of the Order of St. Francis, 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"^[17]:

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, this was seen as distasteful and vulgar by many. Rumours then circulated that she had been slowly poisoned by Anne or Henry, or both, as Anne had threatened to murder both Catherine and her young daughter Mary on several occasions. 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.^[18] 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.^[19] She was buried in Peterborough Cathedral with the ceremony due to a Dowager Princess of Wales, not a Queen. Henry did not attend the funeral, nor did he allow Mary to do so.

Her tomb in Peterborough Cathedral can be seen and there is hardly ever a time when it is not decorated with flowers or pomegranates, her heredric symbol. It bears the title Katharine Queen of England. Peterborough is twinned with the Castilian city of Alcalá de Henares, her birthplace, as a touching tribute to a well loved Queen.

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

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", or "Katherine" is the most common modern English spelling of her name. Catherine herself signed her name "Katharine", "Katherine" and sometimes "Katherina". Rarely were names, particularly first names, written in an exact manner during the sixteenth century and it is evident from Katherine's own letters that she endorsed different variations.^[20]

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". It was common throughout the nineteenth century for her name to be spelt as "Katharine", thus her name appeared as such in various fictional and non fictional works.

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 ^[21]
• 2 April 1502 – 11 June 1509: The Dowager Princess of Wales, Dowager Duchess of Cornwall, Dowager Countess of Chester ^[22]
• 11 June 1509 – 23 May 1533: Her Grace The Queen of England
  • c. 1519 – 23 May 1533: Her Majesty The Queen of England ^[23]
• 23 May 1533 – 7 January 1536: The Dowager Princess of Wales, Dowager Duchess of Cornwall, Dowager Countess of Chester ^[22][24]

In popular media

Catherine of Aragon has been portrayed in film, television, books, and other forms many times. There has never been a film or television series where she is the main character; her only appearances have been in a supporting role. There were, however, many novels, songs, and poems written about her.

Although Catherine is often portrayed in film and on stage as having possessed the stereotypical Spanish traits of dark hair, eyes, and olive complexion, she had, according to existing portraits and contemporary descriptions, blue eyes, fair skin, and 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 and Philippa of Lancaster, who were both daughters of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster.

Dame Ellen Terry as Catherine of Aragon

• The ballad by Henry VIII, Pastime with Good Company is said to have been written for Catherine of Aragon.
• She is the main character in The Shadow of the Pomegranate, by Jean Plaidy.
• She is the main character in The King's Pleasure, by Norah Lofts
• Catherine is a character in The King's Secret Matter, by Jean Plaidy.
• Catherine is a character in Murder Most Royal, by Jean Plaidy.
• The Constant Princess, by Philippa Gregory is a novel about Catherine's younger years.
• She is the main character in Katharine, The Virgin Widow, by Jean Plaidy.

The novel, The Queen's Secret: The Story of Queen Katherine , by historical romance author Jean Plaidy, is about Catherine.

• Catherine is the main character of the young adult novel Patience, Princess Catherine by Carolyn Meyer.
• In The Simpsons Episode Margical History Tour, Marge Simpson tells a story about Henry VIII where she is Catherine of Aragon.
• German actress Hedwig Pauly-Winterstein played her in the film Anna Boleyn.
• In 1911, actress Violet Vanbrugh played her in William Shakespeare's play Henry VIII.
• Rosalie Crutchley played her in The Sword and the Rose.
• In the 1969 film Anne of the Thousand Days, she was played by Greek actress Irene Papas.
• In a 90-minute television drama produced by the BBC, British actress Annette Crosbie played Catherine in the first part of "The Six Wives of Henry VIII series".
• In 2001, she was played by Annabelle Dowler, in Dr. David Starkey's documentary series on Henry VIII's Six Wives.
• In 2003, Yolanda Vasquez, a Spanish actress played her in the brief appearance of Catherine of Aragon in The Other Boleyn Girl.
• In 2003, The ITV drama, "Henry VIII" she was played by Assumpta Serna
• Maria Doyle Kennedy portrayed Catherine in Series One of the Showtime television series, The Tudors which aired in 2007.
• The 2007 film adaptation of the novel The Other Boleyn Girl, Anna Torrent plays Catherine.

• In 1979, Claire Bloom played her in another adaptation of Shakespeare's play, Henry VIII.
• In the 1973 film Henry VIII and his Six Wives, Frances Cuka played Catherine.
• English keyboard player Rick Wakeman wrote a song entitled "Catherine of Aragon" for his 1973 concept album The Six Wives of Henry VIII'

• She was first portrayed in film in 1911 by Violet Vanbrugh in a short film production of William Shakespeare's play Henry VIII.
• Nine years later, the German actress Hedwig Pauly-Winterstein played her in the film Anna Boleyn.
• Actress Rosalie Crutchley played her in The Sword and the Rose an account of Mary Tudor's romance with the Duke of Suffolk in 1515. Crutchley later played Henry's sixth queen Catherine Parr in The Six Wives of Henry VIII.
• In 1969, she was played by Greek actress Irene Pappas in Hal B. Wallis' acclaimed film Anne of the Thousand Days.
• In a 90-minute television drama produced by the BBC, British actress Annette Crosbie played the part of Catherine in a piece entitled Catherine of Aragon as part one in the channel's series The Six Wives of Henry VIII.
• In 1979 Claire Bloom played her in another adaptation of Shakespeare's play.
• In the 1973 film Henry VIII and his Six Wives, Frances Cuka played her, and Keith Michell reprised his role as Henry VIII. A scene was incorporated between Frances Cuka and Charlotte Rampling (playing Anne Boleyn) to show their quiet, glacial enmity.
• It was not until 2001 that she again appeared on the screen. This time it was in Dr. David Starkey's documentary series on Henry's queens. She was portrayed by Annabelle Dowler.
• In 2003 she appeared twice on British television. In January, Spanish actress Yolanda Vasquez made a brief appearance as the character in The Other Boleyn Girl, opposite Jared Harris as Henry VIII and Natascha McElhone as Mary Boleyn. In October, the ITV two-part television drama, Henry VIII starred Ray Winstone in the title role and Assumpta Serna as the Queen. Part 1 chronicled the king's life from the birth of his bastard son, Henry Fitzroy until the execution of Anne Boleyn (played by Helena Bonham Carter) in 1536. David Suchet co-starred as Cardinal Wolsey.
• Maria Doyle Kennedy portrays the role in the 2007 Showtime television series The Tudors opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry and Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn. For her performance, Kennedy won an IFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Television.
• The 2007 film adaptation of the novel The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory stars Ana Torrent as Katherine, with Eric Bana as Henry.
• There have also been several fictionalized versions of her story, including Catharine of Aragon, by historical romance author Jean Plaidy, and The Constant Princess, by Philippa Gregory.

Ancestry

See also

• List of English consorts
• Descendants of Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon

Notes

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 0-698-11005-6.
• The Wives of Henry VIII by Lady Antonia Fraser (1992) ISBN 067973001X.
• English Reformations by Christopher Haigh (1993).
• Europe and England in the Sixteenth Century by T. A. Morris (1998).
• New Worlds, Lost Worlds by Susan Brigden (2000).
• Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII by David Starkey (2003) ISBN 0060005505.

Further reading

• The Six Wives of Henry VIII, by Alison Weir (1991) ISBN 0802136834.
• Divorced Beheaded Survived: A Feminist Reinterpretation of the Wives of Henry VIII by Karen Lindsey (1995) ISBN 0201408236.
• British Kings & Queens, by Mike Ashley (2002) ISBN 0-7867-1104-3.
• Henry VIII: The King and His Court, by Alison Weir (2002) ISBN 034543708X.
• Catherine of Aragon, by Garrett Mattingly
• Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII by David Starkey (8)
• Letters of Henry VIII 1526-2, by Tim Coates
• The King's Reformation : Henry VIII and the Remaking of the English Church, by G.W Bernard

External links

• Catherine of Aragon at Find A Grave
• tudorhistory.org - A good overview of her life, accompanied by an excellent portrait gallery
• englishhistory.net - An in-depth look at her life and times
• A geo-biography of the Six Wives of Henry the VIII on Google Earth
• Guardian unlimited, letter from her to Pope Clement VII