Catherine of Aragon Spanish Princess
A Spanish princess who would not only go on to marry a prince of England, but
also a king, a lady who was a devout Catholic and a matter that would come
back to haunt her later in life. She would become one of the most loved queens
of any reign. But what went wrong? And why was she driven away from a monarchs
desires? Find out now as we look at the life of Catherine of Aragon.
Catherine was born on the 16th of December 1485, but the Archbishop's Palace of
Alcalá de Henares, Madrid. She was a child of Ferdinand II of Aragon
and Queen Isabella I of Castille. Catherine was relatively short in size
yet had a lovely complexion with blue eyes and long red hair. She had
descended from quite a list of celebrities of the time, including the likes of
Henry VII and Elizabeth of York, distant cousins but worthy of a
mention for any princess. Alessandro Geraldine, a clerk of the holy order,
tutored Catherines schooling. Catherine was raised on a staple diet of law,
literature, religion and theology. It assured her upbringing and devout
loyalties to the Catholic Church, which would play a significant role later in
life. She was a talented youngster learning many languages along with domestic
attributes that would serve her well. Erasmus commented that she loved good
literature which she had studied with success since childhood. When Arthur
Prince of Wales became heir apparent to the throne in England, Catherine was
considered a good wife for him, mainly due to her English ancestry. However,
due to Henry VII's line of succession, all illegitimate children were
barred from taking up the position, and the Tudor monarchy also had problems
convincing their European counterparts, to this end. The House of Trastámara
was considered one if not the most prestigious in Europe at the time, mainly
due to the Catholic Monarchs. In respect of this, it would strengthen the
Tudor claim and inspired the European side of royalty to agree to terms. There
was now an excellent opportunity to create an heir who would benefit both houses
and give an undisputable claim to the English throne. The couple were married
by proxy on the 19 May 1499, although the age of Arthur held up the
wedding. This would only become official after his 15th birthday. Catherine
left Spain on the 17 August 1501 and arrived in England with a large
entourage of staff, including some African attendents. This is the first
recording of such people in the capital, and was highly thought of and
certainly considered a luxury among people at court. She was also accompanied
by several Spanish ambassadors. She finally met Arthur on the
4 November at Dogmersfield in Hampshire. Not much is known about how they
reacted at first sight. Although Arthur wrote a letter to his in laws stating
that he would be a true and loving husband. It seems he was happy and said to
his parents that Catherine was a lovely bride. The couple who up until this
point had corresponded by letter only found that they struggled to understand
each other's spoken words, due to the different Latin pronunciations of the
day when face to face. This was set aside though and 10 days later, the
couple married at the old St Paul's Cathedral, on the 14 November 1501.
Arthur was sent to Ludlow castle after the marriage to continue his duties as Prince
of Wales, Catherine travelled with him with the couple staying at the castle
Lodge. But sadness fell a few months later, when they both became sick with a
mystery illness. Some suggest it was the sweating sickness in the area at the
same time. However, for Arthur he couldn't shake it off and died on the
2 April 1502. Catherine luckily recovered, but now found herself a widow at
the age of 16. For Henry VII, he now faced the prospect of returning
Catherine's dowry back to her father, as was required in the marriage
contract, but only if she returned home. Henry lost his queen in February
1503, and he was tempted to marry Catherine himself, but her father disputed
this, and even voiced concerns over the legitimacy of the issue. To end further
speculation the powers that be agreed that Catherine would be given to Henry
second son, the future King of England, Henry VIII at the time, the Duke
of York. After the death of Catherine's mother, her value fell somewhat. Her
mother's Kingdom of Castille was much larger than the one of Aragon. Yet this
did nothing to dissuade the attempt to bring together the couple. However,
Catherine was a virtual prisoner at Durham house in London, until Henry came of age.
Catherine spent an unhappy time in London and letters she wrote to her
father have survived to this day. In one she wrote, I choose what I believe
and say nothing I'm not as simple as I may seem. But with little to no money
she found life a struggle, especially in supporting her ladies in waiting
along with herself. A historic events took place in 1507 when Catherine
became the first Spanish ambassador to England, for Henry, he thought this
would be a pushover his councillors also expected to over run her. They were not
aware of the power Catherine wielded, and yet she was in no mood to bow at
their every whim. Although Catherines marriage to Henry was finalised, it
would still take a dispensation from the pope to enable a man to marry his
brother's widow. It was also confession time for Catherine, who swore that
she had never consummated her earlier marriage to Arthur. And this was one
statement that she stuck to throughout her life. The royal wedding took place on
the 11 June 1509. It was seven years after the death of Arthur. Catherine
was now at the age of 23. her new Tudor husband Henry stood in anticipation of
his new bride, and future queen. As usual, on a state occasion, large crowds
gathered on the coronation procession. The night before the couple had stayed
at the Tower of London. On the 24 June 1509, Henry VIII and
Catherine were both anointed and crowned together at Westminster Abbey by the
Archbishop of Canterbury, after there was a large banquet held at Westminster
Hall. The celebrations continued throughout the following month. Catherine was
the talk of the town and she had made a great first impression on the people
of England. In 1513, Henry had appointed Catherine as Regent. She also
received titles as the Governor of the Realm and Captain General. This was
while Henry was away in France on military campaigns. Domestic matters took a
turn for the worse and now Catherine had her hands full. Henry had sent over Louis
d'Orléans, the Duke of Longueville, was captured at Thérouanne. On Henry's orders,
he should stay with Catherine's household, yet she wrote to Wolsey asking him to be
taken to the tower, but there was more danger on the horizon. She was
confronted by neighbouring army which focussed her attentions. The scots were
coming! On the 3 September 1513, she ordered Thomas Lovell to raise an army
and head north, Catherine clad in armour, travelled herself to address the
troops. And this while she was expecting her first child, she gave a rousing
speech, and it worked. The Battle of Flodden ended King James IV of
Scotland attempt to run amok throughout the English countryside. And upon her
return to London. She first heard the news of the victory, and was sent a
piece of Henry's bloodied coat as proof.
As Catherine got older, her
religious beliefs expanded along with her interest in education. She aimed to
broaden her knowledge and inform her daughter Mary on such things. It became a bit
of a theme in the Tudor days for women to take such an active role to the
point of it even becoming a fashion statement. For Henry though his main concerns
were in gaining a male heir, and this was the one thing that would irritate
him for some time to come. The Tudor regime was still relatively new in terms
of power, and it needed a structure to move forward. Henry did not want to
upset the populace and have to revert to the bad days of civil war, as the War
of the Roses was still in the memories of most. The Holy Roman Emperor Charles V
visited England in 1520. Catherine proposed to Henry that he should
enter an alliance with Charles instead of the one with France. After Charles
had gone home, Henry and Catherine set off for France, with the historic
meeting to be held with Francis I now known as the Field of the Cloth
of Gold. It would only be two years before war was declared on France. As for
the Emperor, he was welcomed back to England and plans was set in place for
himself to be betrothed to Catherine's daughter, Mary. By 1525, it was Henry
who was becoming aware of another lady at court. She had been a lady in
waiting to Catherine and was at least 10 years her junior, Henry now had his eyes set
upon Anne Boleyn. It seemed that Catherine could no longer bear children, and
as we all know, the one thing Henry desired above all else,
was to have a male heir. Henry began his quest to get this potentially new
woman into his life. He struggled in creating a reason to remove Catherine and
have her replaced. His solutions were not easy to place upon her, you could say
some were desperate in their narrative. He suggested his marriage was cursed
and looked for answers in the Bible. For example, if a man should marry your
sister in law, they will remain childless. Yet Henry's interpretation was this
and that in the eyes of God, it had to be true. He continued in trying to gain
an annulment of his marriage, all the while becoming more besotted with Anne
Henry knew he had to tread carefully on this great matter, the public loved
Catherine and the last thing he wanted or needed was the country to slip back
into the times of Civil War. The question proved to be a significant stumbling
block for Henry. Catherine was asked to retire to a nunnery. She replied that
God had never asked her to do so. I am the true and lawful Queen and legitimate
wife. Henry was stubborn, he barged his way through sentiment and now demanded
a result that made his wish a reality. William Knight, the King's secretary, was sent to
Rome to make appeals on behalf of Henry, but this proved to be a waste of
time. It was time now for Henry's own top adviser to step in Thomas Wolsey.
For if anyone could resolve this, surely, Wolsey could or could he? Wolsey was
under pressure, he set about convening an ecclesiastical court. This would
include a representative of the Pope and both Henry and Catherine would be in
attendance. The legate was recalled to Rome and the pope who was not going to
allow the whim of one man to take over the legal binding holy laws of the day.
This was not the best news for Wolsey, and he lost his position in 1529.
Although Wolsey continued to plot when Henry discovered this, he had Wolsey
arrested. So Henry was back to square one, and he now needed to throw a six
before he could get moving again. Within a year Catherine was banished from
court her rooms given to Anne Boleyn and Henry was now making up the rules as he
went along. Catherine wrote a letter to Charles V in 1531.
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.
Thomas Cranmer was declared the new Archbishop of Canterbury after the death of
William Warham. John Fisher became a major supporter of Catherine even
appeared at court on her behalf. But his words would prove divisive for Henry
there was no way he could take the comments sitting down and he raged. Yet
Fisher did not fear the anger of Henry. Catherine had her supporters in some
from within the royal family. This would wind up Henry the wrong way. But
really what could he expect? Even Henrys Sister Mary Tudor, the queen of France
and her new husband Charles Brandon felt aggrieved at what was going on, yet
she and others would not suffer any punishment which could have resulted in
execution. Henry eventually got his way and married Anne Boleyn in secret,
while on a trip to France. It's said that quite possibly Anne was pregnant at the
time, and Henry could not afford to go down the road of illegitimacy. However,
another section of society stated that Anne would not even sleep with the king
until they were married, whichever is true, Henry and Anne were now together.
As for Catherine, well, she was just cast aside with Henry declaring that it
was more than likely that Catherine had, in fact consummated her previous
marriage to Arthur, Henry's brother, which meant that by canon law,
Henry had a full right to remarry.
It would be on the 23 May 1533, with Thomas
Cranmer heading up a special court to discuss the validity of Henry's marriage
to Catherine. Dunstable Priory was the place to be, the breaking news of the
day had massive repercussions for all concerned. Cranmer ruled the marriage
illegal though Catherine had sworn that no consummation had taken place
throughout her life, but it was now too little too late. On the 28 May
1533, Cranmer ruled Henry and Anne's marriage to be valid. Catherine was upset
and she had been removed through no fault of her own. She had tried to appease
her husband throughout life, but once Anne had swayed Henry's eyes in a different
direction, little chance of him reverting to her again. Catherine always
considered herself the true Queen of England and the only lawfully wedded wife of
Henry. But even Henry refused her any recognition. He took her titles away, and
she was then known as the Dowager Prince of Wales, and that was only due
because of a relationship with Arthur. In late 1531, Catherine moved and lived
at a place called The More. She was still continually moved around, and quite
possibly Henry was up to his usual games. Over three years, she relocated five
times until finally resting on Kimbolton Castle, where she would now confine
herself. She had few visitors and was forbidden from ever seen her daughter
Mary. This also included any correspondence between the two. Yet Catherine had
some sympathetic friends, and they ensured that letters would reach their
designated targets. Henry now offered both Catherine and Mary and ultimatum he
said he will allow them to meet up but only if they both declared that Anne was
now the true queen. Both refused! Catherine's health deteriorated over time.
In December 1535, she made a will and wrote to her nephew, Emperor Charles V
with a request to protect her daughter Mary. She also wrote to Henry one last time.
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 pray to God that he will pardon you also devoutly.
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.
Questions over the authenticity of this letter have been asked. However, the
wording is undoubtedly of a woman in much pain and heartbreak, with a pretty
tragic ending. The following morning, Catherine died on the 7 January 1536.
The news reached Henry and his court it was reported by Chapuis
the Spanish Ambassador that Henry wore yellow and celebrated the news. He made
a great fuss of his and Anne's daughter Elizabeth to the courtiers. A scene
of vulgarity and complete contempt was reported by many. However, later that
same day, both Henry and Anne apparently wept in private at the loss. Further
distress would befall Henry on the day of Catherine's funeral as Anne miscarried
a boy. Catherine's funeral was held at Peterborough Cathedral, Henry did not
attend, and he had forbidden her daughter Mary to go as well. Her life was one
long roller coaster of emotion. Yet few could compete with this memorable,
and loving queen. Catherine was Henry's first wife and quite possibly the most
dedicated to this man. Her courageous attitude brought her great recognition,
especially from the English people. Yet her refusal to allow Henry to annul their
marriage was the one thing that brought down not only herself, but the
Catholic Church. Henry exceeded all expectations and almost brought anarchy to
England. His wish to create a new church, one in which he would be a leader
would bring down Catholicism for years to come. Catherine and Henry had a
comfortable marriage for many years, and the popular Catherine even served as
Regent along with overseeing a battle with the Scots, while Henry was waging
war in France. It is difficult to doubt that if Catherine had acted
differently, the Reformation in England might well have changed, even to the
point of not even being a subject. Her plea might have been for a Christian
unity, rather than an entirely new undertaking of religion. Catherine always
defended her position as Queen, and validated her marriage, there was a
possibility that her daughter Mary may eventually resurrect the Catholic faith
as she stood to become queen. Yet Henry's son Edward ended any hope of that
happening. Although Mary did finally become monarch, she was too old to bear
children. The papal actions came too late for Catherine Henry had now planted
the seed of the new Church of England. Catherine of Aragon, a Spanish princess
was destroyed. A once beautiful tapestry and now a torn and tattered
fragment of her former self. The lady's brief encounter with life love and
royalty ended at the age of just 35. She was destined to become another in a
long line of innocent victims of a king who was so determined to instigate his
plans, at whatever the cost may be.
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