In a previous video we have looked at the horrific story of a Medieval Queen’s remains
and how they were treated terribly following her death.
Catherine of Valois was left unburied for around 400 years inside of Westminster Abbey,
and her remains would be visited and tampered with throughout the centuries.
Samuel Pepys would even write how, ‘On Shrove Tuesday 1669, I to the Abbey went, and by
favour did see the body of Queen Catherine of Valois, and had the upper part of the body
in my hands, and I did kiss her mouth, reflecting upon it I did kiss a Queen: and this my birthday
and I thirty-six years old and I did kiss a Queen.’
So during the 17th century it was believed acceptable to kiss the remains and body of
a Queen that died years before.
She remained inside of Westminster Abbey until she was finally entombed and re-interred during
the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
But on the 3rd January 1437, Catherine died unexpectedly following childbirth.
But what is the story of the unburied queen’s actual death, and what happened?
Catherine of Valois was a controversial Queen during the Medieval period.
She became a Queen following her marriage to Henry V, the warring King of England who
won a spectacular battle at Agincourt.
She was said to have been very attractive, and through marriage Catherine and Henry united
England and France during the 100 Years War.
She was crowned Queen at Westminster Abbey on the 23rd February 1421, but would only
reign for only another year in power.
Henry her husband was away in France continuing his military campaigns, and Catherine would
be pregnant and she gave birth to the heir to the throne, and the next King Henry VI.
Her husband would never see his successor, as he became sick and died on the 31srt August
1422 and Catherine was left a widow, at the age of around 20.
She was now a Queen dowager, and the Queen Mother, and she doted and cared for her son
during his childhood, but she then spectacularly married a man who was considered away below
her station in life.
Catherine was still young and many in England wanted to take her hand in marriage as they
would be the stepfather to the King, and with this would be incredibly powerful as Henry
VI was just a boy.
There were many rumours about Catherine and marriage including that she planned to marry
her late husband’s cousin Edmund Beaufort.
But many in Parliament were against the match, but at the time it’s believed she had a
sexual encounter and relationship with Owen Tudor, who had previously caught her eye.
Tudor was a welshman who had been in the service of Henry V’s steward, and he was then appointed
the Keeper of Catherine’s household or wardrobe.
This gave Owen Tudor intimate access and time with the Queen, and it’s believed their
relationship flourished following the King’s death.
Catherine was living at Windsor Castle, and this is where the relationship began and she
then became pregnant with her first child with Owen.
There was a point in time where she left the King’s household and Parliament would later
grant Owen Tudor the rights of an Englishman giving him a slightly better standing allowing
him to do more things.
But it’s not known when Catherine of Valois and Owen Tudor married, or where they married.
This leads to speculation later that any children produced by the couple could have been considered
illegitimate, and as the Tudor dynasty would later seize England when Henry VII came onto
the throne, the grandson of Owen Tudor, if Catherine and Owen were not married this could
have made Henry illegitimate.
The couple must have married at some point, as their lawful marriage would had added stronger
royal ties to the Tudor claims to the throne, and together the pair would have 6 children
at least.
Edmund Tudor became the father of Henry VII, and Jasper Tudor became an uncle to the King
who was seen as a brilliant military commander.
But lets remember that despite all of this, Catherine was a Queen dowager and she was
a widowed Queen.
This was still an important royal position, and despite not having any rights to succeed
Henry V as a reigning and ruling monarch, she still benefitted from power and influence
at court.
She still enjoyed the title of Queen, and the life as a Queen, but as a dowager and
a Queen mother she was seen as powerful.
But towards the end of her life she it’s believed was afflicted with an illness or
problem with her health.
A few months before she died she was inside of Bermondsey Abbey and she spent some time
here in prayer seeking a cure for an illness or pain that had caused her problems for a
while.
Over time it’s clear that Catherine must have realised that she was not going to recover,
and that she was going to succumb to whatever was plaguing her health.
Three days before her death she made her will, but what specifically killed her?
Shortly before her death, she had given birth again and it’s known that she had many children,
at least 6 of them.
This could have took a great toll on her body.
Some sources claim that what may have killed Catherine of Valois was breast cancer which
during the 15th century there was completely no cure for at all, and once this was detected
it would quickly have swept through her body.
She was not an old lady either, as she died on the 3rd January 1437 at just the age of
35 which was not considered elderly at all during this time.
But other sources claim that following giving birth she grew ill and things got worse as
she found herself separated from her husband and her children whilst she spent time in
prayer at Bermondsey Abbey.
It is likely that she may also have been ill from childbirth as at the time it was incredibly
dangerous for a woman to give birth.
This could lead to many different complications and illnesses such as childbed fever could
lead to someone dying weeks after giving birth.
At the time also around cities such as London, many different diseases and illnesses would
cause chaos with people regularly getting sick, to the point where they would not recover.
For example if Plague went around, frequently the monarchy would leave London and cities
for quieter less populated areas.
But as mentioned Catherine of Valois did die on the 3rd January 1437.
After her husband would be arrested for violating the laws of marrying the Queen dowager.
Despite the previous King Henry V her husband being dead a number of years, Catherine was
given a large funeral befitting her status as a Queen, despite her scandalous marriage
to Owen Tudor.
After her death she was embalmed and her internal organs were removed to prevent decay and then
her cavity was stuffed with herbs and spices.
Her body was then wrapped in cerecloth and it was then encased in lead and placed inside
of a wooden coffin.
The organs that were removed it’s presumed were buried in seperate locations, often where
the funeral procession stopped at different churches, but it is not known where Catherine
of Valois remains were buried.
Her funeral procession did stop at St Katherine’s church, and her organs may have been interred
here.
But then her funeral procession which was adorned with an effigy of her dressed in her
clothes, passed towards Westminster Abbey.
The coffin was covered in cloth of gold, and she was later given a second funeral service
and as laid to rest initially in a tomb near her first husband Henry V. However her grandson
Henry VII decided to later demolish the old Lady Chapel where Catherine had been buried,
and her tomb was destroyed in the process, and it’s believed Henry VII may have done
this to distance himself from claims of illegitimacy from his ancestors.
Her outer coffin was decayed, and Catherine’s remains were taken out of it and from the
inner lead coffin and were then placed inside a wooden chest.
Over the years this chest would be opened and her remains would be kissed, touched and
so on by members of the public.
But it’s believed that Henry VII never gave instruction as to rebury Catherine of Valois,
and it wouldn’t be until the 1800s that her body was placed back inside of a tomb
befitting her status, and away from the eyes and hands of the public.
When Catherine’s body was finally buried for the last time, an eyewitness stated, ‘“It
was a striking and impressive scene, which I shall ever remember, and which at the time
it was impossible to view without some feeling of emotion.
The daylight had quite faded, and we were alone in the darkened Abbey.
Two workmen took up the box containing the Queen's remains, and followed Mr. Poole and
the clerk of the works; the latter, carrying in his hand one small lantern to light us,
led the way out of St. Nicholas' chapel to the north side of the chantry chapel.
Mr. George Scharf and myself followed, no one else was present, and we seemed unconsciously
and silently to fall into a sort of processional order.
I remarked to him 'We are attending the Queen's third funeral.'
Not a word was said as we passed slowly round the ambulatory in the darkness.”
But despite this and the horrific events that occurred to her body and remains after her
death, it is still not entirely known what killed Catherine of Valois.
It could have been the effects of giving birth, or it could have been an illness such as breast
cancer that plagued her for some time, as she did retire to the Abbey to pray for her
health and her recovery, so she could have known death was ebbing closer for her each
day.
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