Catherine of Aragon

Catherine of Aragon
The Beloved Queen of England.

A portrait of a princess, presumably (And I’m assuming proven) to be of Catherine of Aragon.

The time has come. The time we learn about the first wife of Henry VIII. One would have thought that this would have been the only marriage but there’s more to Catherine of Aragon, 1485-1533. She’s the woman who loved the King to the very end of her days. Even when he divorced her, her heart always stayed true to him. Even when he removed their daughter from the line of succession, Catherine could not stop loving him. For all her days, she believed herself to be his true wife and the true Queen of England. This is her story.

Who was Catherine of Aragon?

This portrait is displayed at Hampton Court Palace as part of the Henry’s Women exhibition in Henry VIII’s Council Chamber from 10 April 2009. © Philip Mould Ltd.

The daughter of Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand II, Catherine was the fifth surviving child who, at the age of three, was betrothed to the English prince, Arthur, heir to the English throne. In 1501, they married and only five months later, Arthur died. Arthur’s father, King Henry VII wanted to keep the alliance between Spain and England so he arranged for his son, Henry VIII to marry Catherine. She was beloved by the entire country and even to this day, is remembered, revered and kept immortalized as one of the great queen-consorts of England. She was greatly influential and a passionate advocate for the poor and a devout Catholic.

What was she like?

Catherine of Aragon in court.

Catherine was a very well rounded woman and very well educated. She studied many subjects like arithmetic, classical literature, genealogy, history, philosophy, religion and theology. She learned to speak, read and write in Spanish and Latin and could speak French and Greek. She was also taught skills like dancing, cooking, drawing, embroidery, sewing, weaving, needlepoint and spinning. She also had very good manners, was a kind and fair woman at heart. It is not very shocking that she was so beloved by all in England and had a bigger following than she had of enemies it seemed. During her coronation, where she was officially presented as the Queen of England for the first time, she was very well received by the people and gave such a wonderful impression, it would last with her throughout her entire reign as queen-consort and her life; the beloved queen of England.

Marriage to Prince Arthur of Wales.

Prince Arthur of Wales, circa 1501, around the time of his marriage.

When she was three, she was arranged to marry the English Prince and son of Henry VII, Arthur. In 1501, the two married but unfortunately, five months later, Prince Arthur died, possibly of the sweating sickness. From there, Henry VII arranged for Catherine to be married to his second son, Henry, who at the time was still Duke of York. It took a while for the marriage to be granted an exemption of canon law by the Pope as it was forbidden for men to marry their brother’s widow. However, Catherine testified that the marriage had never been consummated—the consummation deems the validity of a marriage—and thus, the Pope gave his acceptance of the marriage.

Marriage to Henry VIII.

Portraits of both Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon.

Granted a dispensation by the Pope, Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII were married in 1509. She gave birth to six children total, three of them being daughters, three of them being sons. Of those children, only one survived, a daughter named Mary who would become the future queen of England. Catherine did give birth to sons but they never survived infancy and died very shortly after their birth, either months or just hours.

As she aged and was unable to bare more children and the fact that the King no longer visited her to impregnate her, Henry’s desire for a male heir grew and he soon became dissatisfied with her. Even though she was a great queen, beloved by the entire country and was very trusted to uphold the many responsibilities, especially in the King’s absence, he decreed that their marriage was over. While he was still young—being five years younger than Catherine—and perfectly capable of taking a new wife so that she may bare him legitimate children, he wanted a divorce.

Banishment and Death.

After their marriage was legally ended, Catherine was granted the title of Dowager Princess of Wales, in recognition of her first husband, Arthur, Prince of Wales. However, Catherine would only refer herself to Henry’s wife and his queen and her servants continued to refer her as such as well. In part of her banishment, Catherine and her daughter Mary were forbidden to see each other as well as forbidden to communicate. If either of them acknowledged Anne Boleyn as Henry’s new queen and as the new queen of England, they would be allowed to see each other and write to each other. They both refused.

When her death was upon her, she penned one final letter to Henry, professing her undying love for her ‘most dear lord and husband.’ She died in 1536 and for the longest time, it was speculated that she might have been poisoned, either by Henry or Anne Boleyn as there was a blackened spot on her heart which could have been from the poison. Today, modern medical experts will agree that the blackened spot was not from poison but cancer, the fatal disease that was unknown in that time, among many other diseases that people would die of.

Catherine on her deathbed, 1536.

Catherine never got to see her daughter again after her marriage to Henry VIII was declared null and void. Tragic, isn’t it? While I am still partial to the story of Anne Boleyn and her marriage to Henry VIII, even I won’t denounce that it was just heartless and tragic that Catherine and her daughter never got to see each other again. Think of how Mary I of England might have ruled had she not been faced with such betterment and abandonment in her childhood. I know I think about it all the time.

What to Expect?

And there you have it, a bit about Catherine of Aragon. I stand by that she was beautiful and influential queen-consort and it is saddening how the events of her life played out. It seemed that with the way her first marriage ended so abruptly and the fact it took so long to have her married to Henry VIII, her life was kind of doomed from the start. So much unkindness to a very kind woman but it never soured her heart or let her give up hope. She always hoped for the return of Henry’s love, for the chance to see her daughter again and to be able to see the return of her title and status as Queen of England. But in her heart and in the end of her life, she always believed she was Henry’s true wife and that she was the Queen of England.

Next to come, I’ll talk in more depth about the divorce and the means taken for that divorce to happen. Stay close and keep an open mind. It only gets better from here. I have more stories to tell you of the iconic six wives of Henry VIII.