It was always a King's duty to marry as soon as possible, mainly for political
advantage and, more importantly, to produce a son and heir.
For Henry, he would wed Catherine of Aragon,
his brother's widow to whom he had been betrothed since 1503.
Catherine was six years older than Henry at the time; she was the daughter
of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castille,
both sovereigns of a united Spain.
Sadly Henry
VII had treated Catherine with contempt during her short period of widowhood.
He kept her hidden away in a world of almost destitution
and refused her to marry his other son Henry.
Because Isabella had died in 1504, Catherine had now been relegated
to the status of Princess of Aragon; this gave the King reason
to believe that there were better matches for his son out there.
The Pope had granted a dispensation, even though it was considered
wrong for a man to marry his brother's widow.
However, Catherine swore her marriage had never been consummated.
Henry VII moaned and grumbled about it, yet there was nothing he could do
to stop Henry, who completely disregarded all the advice from his father.
Catherine was a petite, shapely lady with a regal and dignified bearing,
despite her small stature.
Unlike the majority of Spaniards,
she had a fair and beautiful complexion, grey eyes, and auburn hair.
She, like Henry, has been referred
to as "the most beautiful creature on the face of the planet."
But Catherine had refined her patience and discretion to the point
where Henry referred to her as "a woman of the greatest gentleness."
Although Catherine was a lively lady with a kind and gracious disposition,
she would also possess a stubborn streak and at times be uncompromising.
Although her strengths always outshined
her weaknesses, with Erasmus claiming she was "a brilliant example of her sex."
The one serious side of Catherine was her religion.
She would spend hours at prayer at times kneeling with a cushion
before a Spanish crucifix and a statue of St Catherine
with her wheel and St Margaret with her crown and cross.
In 1509 Henry and Catherine were together
at Greenwich in preparation for their marriage.
The design of Greenwich palace was unique, it had no moat, and the apartments
were stacked on top of each other, forming a keep as you'd see in a castle.
However, there were no fortifications; it was classed as a residence
with its design repeated throughout the Tudor period.
But Henry loved it here, and it was his birthplace and the first
half of his reign, he'd be seen here more than any other palace.
On 11 June 1509, Henry and Catherine were married in a quiet ceremony
officiated by William Warham, the archbishop of canterbury.
There were no public celebrations, and the whole event
was carried out in the privacy of the palace.
It would be now the new queen consorts duties would kick in.
Her first and most crucial role was producing children, preferably a son,
and giving her new King, a male heir.
But being a lady, Catherine had a great interest in fashion;
she was always dressed well in beautiful gowns,
and her hair would flow over her shoulders.
This was only permitted to unmarried girls and queens.
But Catherine also introduced to England the Spanish farthingale,
a petticoat of linen stiffened with increasing cane hoops.
Ladies would wear it underneath their gown
and, as a fashion, it would remain throughout the 16th century.
Henry truly loved his wife; in a letter to Catherine's father, he said, "If
I were still free, I would choose her for wife
before all others." The couple were pretty much inseparable.
Henry would often be found in the queen's
chamber discussing religious matters or books,
in fact, everything and anything that could retain his stay.
Catherine was happier than she had ever been to this point;
all she needed to do now to complete it was give the King a son.
Henry inherited a vast amount of wealth; it's been suggested around 1,250,000
roughly today it's in the 800 million ballpark!
His abundance of riches gave him cause to do whatever he wanted.
It was a time of plenty for the Tudors, especially after the
years of dynastic struggles.
On 21 June 1509, the King moved his court to the Tower of London,
traditionally used for monarchs to stay before their coronation.
Although the crown jewels were not held here at this time, to see them,
you'd have to visit Westminster Abbey, where they would remain until 1661.
Henry rarely visited the Tower due to his mother dying there in childbirth
and her brothers.
The Princes in the Tower were widely reported to have been murdered by the late
Richard III.
The Tower held little in the way of comfort for the King;
it was looking run-down,
a cold dark piece of architecture, with a moat, used mainly as a 16th-century dumpsite!
However, Henry had some rooms decorated and fully refurbished for his big day.
On 22 June, Henry would participate in a ceremony for twenty-six new
Knights of the Bath, most of them close friends who attended his privy chamber.
The following day London was rejoicing as Henry
and Catherine rode through the streets
in a glittering procession to Westminster Palace.
Back then, the city skyline was dominated by spires St.
Pauls amongst the 80 churches to be seen.
Henry's grandmother Margaret Beaufort
glanced down at the couple from a window, and as they passed, she wept with joy.
Henry would wear a crimson robe furred with ermine alongside his future queen.
By late afternoon the couple would arrive at the palace of Westminster,
the seat of royal government
and the monarch's chief residence since the 11th century.
The palace was a sprawling complex covering six acres, mainly medieval stone
and timber buildings.
Henry and Catherine kept vigil within St Stephens
Throughout the night before the coronation, Henry and Catherine kept
vigil within St Stephens chapel, founded by King Stephen in the
12th century but remodelled by Edward III in the 14th century.
The big day arrived. Henry and Catherine were both wearing royal robes of crimson.
They walked towards Westminster Abbey,
unlike today, where we might see a red carpet.
Back then, it was striped cloth sprinkled with herbs and flowers.
Thomas More said, "This day consecrates a young man who is the everlasting glory
of our age." Henry then swore the oath before being anointed with holy oil.
Placed on his head was the crown of St Edward, the confessor, and the choir
broke out into song as the newly crowned King was led away to his throne
to receive the homage of his chief subjects.
Catherine would be crowned,
but in a ceremony much shorter than the King's,
The coronet was set with diamonds, rubies and pearls.
The couple would now walk away together and back to Westminster
hall for their coronation banquet.
After trumpets' fanfare greeted them, the guests devoured the first course.
The kings champion, Sir Robert Dymmocke, would ride his horse up and down the hall,
throwing down the gauntlet to anyone who dared to contest the King's title.
A customary job in which you can imagine no one offered to take up the opportunity!
The celebrations would continue for the foreseeable future.
Jousting tournaments were common practice,
and what better time to show off in front of the newly crowned monarch.
The palace of Westminster was turned into an arena.
A pavilion was built for the royal party everywhere;
you could see the Tudor rose and gilded pomegranates, the badge of Catherine.
The shields of the jousters were displayed on a wall.
It was now time for the battle to commence.
The challengers
who wore plumed golden helmets called themselves the Knights of Diana;
they included Edward Neville amongst their ranks.
Charles Brandon, another close friend to Henry, would also take part.
In one round, he found himself up against a substantial German challenger.
Still, Charles battered him about the head,
his nose bled, and he was led away defeated.
The following day deer were slaughtered in the yard
and hung on hooks, then presented to the queen and her ladies.
However, sadness was just around the corner.
On 29 June, Lady Margeret Beaufort died.
Before her death, she had asked Henry to take Bishop John Fisher as his mentor;
he had been Margaret's confessor and close associate.
Fisher was a man with a distinguished career.
He was labelled as the "most holy bishop
in christendom." a man who held high morals and principles.
Margaret had given her blessing to him, knowing he would be the right man
to guide the inexperienced King.
It seems Henry gave little time or attention to his grandmother's suggestion.
Church bells would toll for the next six days; Fisher would pay tribute
to Margaret at her funeral, and Erasmus would write her epitaph.
For Henry, it was time to move forward,
he had now gathered a majority at court, and his rule was to begin in earnest.
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