1 | <!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN">
|
---|
2 | <html>
|
---|
3 | <head>
|
---|
4 | <meta name="content"
|
---|
5 | content="Katharine Catherine Katherine of Aragon first wife of Henry VIII">
|
---|
6 | <meta name="page_topic"
|
---|
7 | content="Katharine Catherine Katherine of Aragon first wife of Henry VIII mother of Queen Mary I">
|
---|
8 | <meta name="author" content="Marilee Mongello">
|
---|
9 | <meta name="GENERATOR" content="Microsoft FrontPage 5.0">
|
---|
10 | <meta name="ProgId" content="FrontPage.Editor.Document">
|
---|
11 | <meta http-equiv="Content-Type"
|
---|
12 | content="text/html; charset=windows-1252">
|
---|
13 | <meta http-equiv="Content-Language" content="en-us">
|
---|
14 | <title>Katharine / Katherine / Catherine of Aragon: Biography, Portraits,
|
---|
15 | Primary Sources</title>
|
---|
16 | <style fprolloverstyle="">A:hover {color: #0000FF; font-style: italic; font-weight: bold}
|
---|
17 | </style>
|
---|
18 | </head>
|
---|
19 | <body link="#0000FF" vlink="#0000FF" alink="#0000FF">
|
---|
20 | <table border="0" cellpadding="3" width="100%" height="674">
|
---|
21 | <tbody>
|
---|
22 | <tr>
|
---|
23 | <td width="25%" height="39"><br>
|
---|
24 | </td>
|
---|
25 | <td valign="top" width="50%" height="39">
|
---|
26 | <p align="center"><font size="4"><br>'In this world I will confess
|
---|
27 | myself to be the king's true wife, and in the next they will know how
|
---|
28 | unreasonably I am afflicted.'</font><b><font size="4"> </font> <br>
|
---|
29 | </b><i><font size="-1">Katharine of Aragon, 1532</font></i> </p>
|
---|
30 | </td>
|
---|
31 | <td width="25%" height="39"><br>
|
---|
32 | </td>
|
---|
33 | </tr>
|
---|
34 | <tr>
|
---|
35 | <td width="25%" height="1"><br>
|
---|
36 | </td>
|
---|
37 | <td width="50%" height="1">
|
---|
38 | <p align="center"></p>
|
---|
39 | </td>
|
---|
40 | <td width="25%" height="1"><br>
|
---|
41 | </td>
|
---|
42 | </tr>
|
---|
43 | <tr>
|
---|
44 | <td width="25%" height="610"><br>
|
---|
45 | </td>
|
---|
46 | <td valign="top" width="50%" height="610">
|
---|
47 | <p align="center">
|
---|
48 | <img border="0" src="aragoncardinal.gif" alt="Katharine of Aragon" width="443" height="114"></p>
|
---|
49 | <p align="center">
|
---|
50 | <img border="2" src="aragonsittow1.jpg" alt="portrait of Katharine of Aragon by Michael Sittow, c1502" width="351" height="541"></p>
|
---|
51 | <p align="center"> <i><font size="2">portrait of Katharine of Aragon by
|
---|
52 | Michael Sittow, c1502</font></i></p>
|
---|
53 | <p align="left"> <b><br>The youngest surviving child of
|
---|
54 | the 'Catholic Kings' of Spain, Katharine was born on 16 December 1485,
|
---|
55 | the same year that Henry VII established the Tudor dynasty. At
|
---|
56 | the age of three, she was betrothed to his infant son, Prince
|
---|
57 | Arthur. In 1501, shortly before her sixteenth birthday, Katharine
|
---|
58 | sailed to England. But her marriage to Arthur lasted less than
|
---|
59 | six months and was supposedly never consummated. Katharine was
|
---|
60 | then betrothed to Arthur's younger brother, Prince Henry. When he
|
---|
61 | became king in 1509, at the age of eighteen, he promptly married
|
---|
62 | Katharine and they lived together happily for many years. But
|
---|
63 | their marriage produced just one living child, a daughter called Mary,
|
---|
64 | and Henry was desperate for a male heir. He also fell deeply in
|
---|
65 | love with another woman. Cast aside, Katharine fought against
|
---|
66 | great odds to deny Henry an annulment. But the king would not be
|
---|
67 | denied and when the Catholic church would not grant the annulment, he
|
---|
68 | declared himself head of a new English church. Katharine was
|
---|
69 | banished from court and died on 7 January 1536, broken-hearted but
|
---|
70 | still defiant.</b> </p>
|
---|
71 | <p align="left"> </p>
|
---|
72 | <blockquote>
|
---|
73 | <blockquote>
|
---|
74 | <p><a
|
---|
75 | href="aragon.html#Biography">
|
---|
76 | <font size="4">Read the biography of Katharine of Aragon.</font></a></p>
|
---|
77 | </blockquote>
|
---|
78 | <blockquote>
|
---|
79 | <p><b><br>
|
---|
80 | Primary Sources</b> <br>
|
---|
81 | Read <a href="../letters.html">letters
|
---|
82 | written by Katharine</a> and <a
|
---|
83 | href="../h8crown.html">an account of her
|
---|
84 | coronation</a> at Westminster Abbey. <br>
|
---|
85 | <br>
|
---|
86 | <b>Secondary Sources<br></b>Read JA Froude's 1891 work <i>
|
---|
87 | <a href="../secondary.html">The Divorce
|
---|
88 | of Catherine of Aragon</a></i>.</p>
|
---|
89 | <p><br>Visit <a href="http://www.marileecody.com/images.html">Tudor England:
|
---|
90 | Images</a> to view portraits of Katharine.<br>
|
---|
91 | Visit the <a href="mary1.html">Queen
|
---|
92 | Mary I site</a> to learn more about Katharine's daughter.</p>
|
---|
93 | <p><font size="2"><b><br>
|
---|
94 | Interact<br>
|
---|
95 | </b>Meet other Six Wives enthusiasts at <a
|
---|
96 | href="http://ladiesallfanlist.cjb.net/">Ladies All: A Fanlisting for
|
---|
97 | the Six Wives of Henry VIII</a>.<br>
|
---|
98 | <a href="http://tudorhistory.org/lists/list.html"> Tudor Talk
|
---|
99 | </a> This email discussion list is sponsored by
|
---|
100 | Tudorhistory.org.<br>
|
---|
101 | <a
|
---|
102 | href="http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Reign_of_the_Tudors_rpg/">Reign of
|
---|
103 | the Tudors</a> This is a role-playing game set in 16th century
|
---|
104 | England. If you would like to 'play' Jane Grey or Anne Boleyn or
|
---|
105 | other Tudors, click the link to join.</font></p>
|
---|
106 | </blockquote>
|
---|
107 | <p align="left"> </p>
|
---|
108 | </blockquote>
|
---|
109 | </td>
|
---|
110 | <td width="25%" height="610"><br>
|
---|
111 | </td>
|
---|
112 | </tr>
|
---|
113 | </tbody>
|
---|
114 | </table>
|
---|
115 | <blockquote>
|
---|
116 | <blockquote>
|
---|
117 | <blockquote>
|
---|
118 | <blockquote>
|
---|
119 | <p> </p>
|
---|
120 | <p><a name="Biography"><br>
|
---|
121 | </a><font size="4">'My tribulations are so great, my life so
|
---|
122 | disturbed by the plans daily invented to further the king's wicked
|
---|
123 | intention, the surprises which the king gives me, with certain persons
|
---|
124 | of his council, are so mortal, and my treatment is what God knows, that
|
---|
125 | it is enough to shorten ten lives, much more mine.' </font><i>
|
---|
126 | <font size="-1">Katharine of Aragon to Charles V, November 1531</font></i></p>
|
---|
127 | <p> </p>
|
---|
128 | </blockquote>
|
---|
129 | </blockquote>
|
---|
130 | <p><b>Biography</b> <br>
|
---|
131 | Katharine was born on 16 December 1485 at Alcala de Henares, in the
|
---|
132 | archbishop of Toledo's palace. Her early life promised a future
|
---|
133 | of splendor and success, if not personal happiness. Her parents,
|
---|
134 | Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, were legends throughout
|
---|
135 | Europe. Their marriage had united the kingdom of Spain and
|
---|
136 | together they had driven the Moors from Granada. Katharine's
|
---|
137 | mother was deeply pious and very intelligent. Her children, even
|
---|
138 | the daughters, received excellent educations. Katharine's brother
|
---|
139 | Juan and sister Joanna were married off into the powerful Hapsburg
|
---|
140 | family and two other sisters, Isabella and Maria, would each marry the
|
---|
141 | king of Portugal. Katharine was promised to England; the
|
---|
142 | betrothal contract was finalized before her fourth birthday. The
|
---|
143 | island nation, so long torn between Plantagenet cousins vying for the
|
---|
144 | throne, was now ruled by Henry Tudor. He had married the daughter
|
---|
145 | of the former Plantagenet king, Edward IV, and in 1486 had a male heir
|
---|
146 | and a desire to establish the stability and validity of his new
|
---|
147 | dynasty. A match with a Spanish princess would give him
|
---|
148 | both. And so Katharine, proud and solemn and accompanied by a
|
---|
149 | vast dowry, came to England in 1501. </p>
|
---|
150 | <p> She
|
---|
151 | wed Prince Arthur within a few weeks of her arrival. It was a
|
---|
152 | grand celebration; all of London rejoiced and there was every
|
---|
153 | expectation of a glorious future for both husband and wife. They
|
---|
154 | left for Ludlow Castle, the government seat of the Prince of Wales, and
|
---|
155 | within six months Arthur was dead. It was the dreaded sweating
|
---|
156 | sickness. The news devastated his parents. Katharine
|
---|
157 | returned to London but was not sent home. Henry VII was already
|
---|
158 | writing to her parents about another marriage. </p>
|
---|
159 | <p>Katharine was now promised to Arthur's younger brother,
|
---|
160 | Henry. Born 28 June 1491, he was almost six years younger than
|
---|
161 | Katharine. But he was robust and healthy, and already regarded as
|
---|
162 | a precocious intellect. Before his brother's death, he had been
|
---|
163 | destined for the church and educated accordingly. But now he was
|
---|
164 | the future king and as such he needed a future wife. Henry VII
|
---|
165 | betrothed young Henry to his brother's widow, a plan which required a
|
---|
166 | papal dispensation. Ferdinand, at odds with France, was anxious
|
---|
167 | to please his English ally; Isabella's piety may have ruined the plan
|
---|
168 | but she was dying and did not protest. Katharine and her duenna,
|
---|
169 | Dona Elvira, both wrote that her marriage to Arthur had never been
|
---|
170 | consummated. Pope Julius II granted the dispensation. </p>
|
---|
171 | <p>The new betrothal may have been spurred by Henry VII's legendary
|
---|
172 | avarice. Katharine had brought half of her dowry with her upon
|
---|
173 | marriage to Arthur; if she returned home, her marriage contract
|
---|
174 | required that the dowry be returned. Also, her inheritance as
|
---|
175 | dowager Princess of Wales was substantial. If she left England,
|
---|
176 | so would that steady income. </p>
|
---|
177 | <p>Katharine herself <a
|
---|
178 | href="../letters.html">wrote to her father</a>
|
---|
179 | that she had no wish to remain in England but she would obey his
|
---|
180 | decision. Perhaps she had already learned enough of Henry VII's
|
---|
181 | character to know she would be shabbily treated. Despite her
|
---|
182 | royal position, she lived in poverty. The Spanish ambassador was
|
---|
183 | forced to buy her necessities and she was unable to pay her
|
---|
184 | attendants. And soon enough Henry VII was implying that he would
|
---|
185 | break the Spanish betrothal. Katharine spent the next seven years
|
---|
186 | in a state of political limbo. And when he turned fourteen, Henry
|
---|
187 | VII had his son publicly repudiate the betrothal, claiming that the
|
---|
188 | marriage contract was made without his knowledge or consent. Yet
|
---|
189 | Katharine remained in England. </p>
|
---|
190 | <p>In 1509, the situation was resolved with startling speed.
|
---|
191 | Henry VII died and his eighteen year old son became king.
|
---|
192 | Handsome, proud, and imbued with the romantic spirit of chivalry, he
|
---|
193 | promptly married Katharine. Did he marry her out of a sense of
|
---|
194 | obligation? Was it because, as he later claimed, he wished to
|
---|
195 | respect his father's last wish? Were political councilors
|
---|
196 | encouraging the Spanish alliance? Or did he love the dignified
|
---|
197 | and lovely young princess? It is impossible to know. But
|
---|
198 | they certainly acted like a loving and affectionate couple, far beyond
|
---|
199 | typical royal marriages. There were public displays of affection,
|
---|
200 | declarations of love and respect, and for a long while she was also a
|
---|
201 | close political adviser. </p>
|
---|
202 | <p>Henry VIII's court was full of gaiety and celebration. It
|
---|
203 | was a welcome change from the austerity of his father's rule.
|
---|
204 | Katharine proved herself to be the perfect consort, even when politics
|
---|
205 | led her father to humiliate and betray Henry. Katharine
|
---|
206 | recognized that she must choose between unwavering support of her
|
---|
207 | father and loyalty to her husband. She chose Henry, though his
|
---|
208 | Lord Chancellor, <a
|
---|
209 | href="../citizens/wolsey.html">Cardinal
|
---|
210 | Wolsey</a>, never trusted her and instead favored an Anglo-French
|
---|
211 | alliance. His influence, and Henry's own suspicions, led the king
|
---|
212 | to disregard her political advice. </p>
|
---|
213 | <p>Katharine's primary duty was both personal and political - to
|
---|
214 | bear children, as many as possible and preferably sons. This was
|
---|
215 | especially important in England since Henry VIII was the sole surviving
|
---|
216 | son of his father. Katharine was far from barren and did her
|
---|
217 | best; in the first nine years of their marriage, she conceived at least
|
---|
218 | six times. She miscarried twice, once delivered a stillborn
|
---|
219 | daughter, and two sons died within weeks. The only surviving
|
---|
220 | child was a daughter, Princess Mary, born in 1516. Katharine's
|
---|
221 | last recorded pregnancy was in 1518, when she was thirty-three years
|
---|
222 | old. </p>
|
---|
223 | <p>Henry was not unhappy with the birth of Mary; he assured
|
---|
224 | ambassadors that if it were a daughter this time, a son would surely
|
---|
225 | follow. But it was soon clear there would be no sons. The
|
---|
226 | age difference between he and Katharine was now more noticeable.
|
---|
227 | The queen, struggling with frequent pregnancies and constant stress,
|
---|
228 | looked older than her years. Henry was a far more prudent king
|
---|
229 | than most; he had just two serious affairs during his marriage to
|
---|
230 | Katharine. But one of his mistresses, Elizabeth Blount, bore him
|
---|
231 | a son. It was clear he could have sons, but the queen could
|
---|
232 | not. </p>
|
---|
233 | <p>By 1527, the question of the succession was the most pressing
|
---|
234 | issue facing the king. Two years before, he had titled his
|
---|
235 | illegitimate son the duke of Richmond and granted him vast estates.
|
---|
236 | Many, Katharine included, believed this was a preliminary step to
|
---|
237 | naming him heir to the throne. This never occurred and Richmond
|
---|
238 | would die in 1536, but - until then - it was a possibility. Henry
|
---|
239 | sent Princess Mary to Ludlow Castle as Princess of Wales and his
|
---|
240 | official heir, but even that did not stop the rumors or her mother's
|
---|
241 | concerns. Katharine confronted Henry; he responded angrily and
|
---|
242 | dismissed several of her beloved Spanish attendants. </p>
|
---|
243 | <p>The king by now had hopes of a legitimate heir. He had
|
---|
244 | fallen in love the year previously with a young Englishwoman, <a
|
---|
245 | href="boleyn.html">Anne Boleyn</a>.
|
---|
246 | She was the sister of a former mistress and refused to take that
|
---|
247 | position herself. Henry, who was also deeply pious and a student
|
---|
248 | of theology, now took a closer look at his marriage to Katharine.
|
---|
249 | In particular, he looked at the text in Leviticus which seemed to
|
---|
250 | directly reference his own life - 'If a man shall take his brother's
|
---|
251 | wife it is an unclean thing..... they shall be childless.'(Leviticus,
|
---|
252 | XX, 21) </p>
|
---|
253 | <p>Of course, they were not childless but a daughter was not the
|
---|
254 | heir he needed. No woman had attempted to rule England since the
|
---|
255 | disastrous Matilda centuries<img border="0" src="aragonhorenbout1.jpg" alt="miniature portrait of Katharine of Aragon by Lucas Horenbout" align="right" width="329" height="324"> before. Henry now firmly believed
|
---|
256 | that his incestuous marriage had been doomed from the start. </p>
|
---|
257 | <p>But how could he annul the marriage? He needed to convince
|
---|
258 | the current pope, Clement VII, that the dispensation of his predecessor
|
---|
259 | was inadequate. It directly contradicted the Bible and had no
|
---|
260 | merit. This should have been a simple enough matter. Royal
|
---|
261 | marriages had been annulled for far less. But Katharine's nephew,
|
---|
262 | Charles V, was the Holy Roman Emperor and he had no intention of
|
---|
263 | allowing his aunt to be cast off. This was not out of personal
|
---|
264 | love or loyalty, but a purely political stance. And after the
|
---|
265 | 1527 'sack of Rome', Charles controlled the pope. </p>
|
---|
266 | <p>Henry was soon thwarted, despite extensive work by Wolsey and
|
---|
267 | other advisers. For her part, Katharine was kept in the dark for
|
---|
268 | as long as the king could manage it. But she was no fool.
|
---|
269 | She knew of the romance between her husband and Mistress Boleyn; she
|
---|
270 | knew Henry avoided her company, though he was scrupulous about
|
---|
271 | attending official functions with her. He had always respected
|
---|
272 | her unassailable dignity and eloquence. He did not wish to fight
|
---|
273 | Katharine; he wanted an amicable end to their union and he was prepared
|
---|
274 | to be generous. </p>
|
---|
275 | <p>When news of his intentions became official, she was given
|
---|
276 | counsel but only that chosen by the king. She turned to the
|
---|
277 | Spanish ambassador and close friends at court for support. Anne
|
---|
278 | Boleyn was not popular and Katharine was a respected and beloved
|
---|
279 | queen. The king soon came under popular scorn for his
|
---|
280 | plans. </p>
|
---|
281 | <p>But Henry was as firmly convinced of the righteousness of his
|
---|
282 | cause as Katharine was of hers. He had read the Bible; he had
|
---|
283 | debated the issue with prominent theologians; he even sponsored
|
---|
284 | hearings of the case at European universities. Both king and pope
|
---|
285 | knew there was a valid basis for the annulment, and a pressing national
|
---|
286 | need for it. Clement could have granted it without troubling his
|
---|
287 | conscience. And with the spread of Lutheranism in the German
|
---|
288 | states, Clement had no wish to antagonize the loyal and devoted king of
|
---|
289 | England. </p>
|
---|
290 | <p>But the English king could not be helped at the Holy Roman Emperor's
|
---|
291 | expense. This was soon made abundantly clear.</p>
|
---|
292 | <p>The pope prevaricated; he could do little else. And for
|
---|
293 | several years, the 'King's Great Matter' consumed England and
|
---|
294 | fascinated Europe. </p>
|
---|
295 | <p>Henry inevitably tired of the endless parade of papal legates
|
---|
296 | and repetitious hearings. He was growing older and Anne was
|
---|
297 | growing impatient. Her youth was being wasted to no purpose, she
|
---|
298 | told the king. Meanwhile, Katharine encouraged Mary to be
|
---|
299 | obstinate in protecting her rights as princess. Mary lost her
|
---|
300 | father's favor and was forbidden to visit her mother. </p>
|
---|
301 | <p>Finally, in 1533, Henry did the only thing he could to end the
|
---|
302 | marriage - he rejected the authority of the Holy See and declared
|
---|
303 | himself Supreme Head of a new Church of England. His archbishop
|
---|
304 | of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, issued the long-awaited decree of
|
---|
305 | nullity. Katharine was no longer queen of England but 'Princess
|
---|
306 | dowager of Wales'. Princess Mary was now illegitimate, and rumors
|
---|
307 | spread that Anne Boleyn had finally succumbed to the king and was
|
---|
308 | pregnant. </p>
|
---|
309 | <p> Katharine was exiled from court and to a
|
---|
310 | succession of damp and unpleasant castles. She had but a handful
|
---|
311 | of servants for few would call her queen and she refused to be called
|
---|
312 | princess. It was a mark of her early education that she was meek,
|
---|
313 | deeply pious and believed in obedience to her husband - but she was
|
---|
314 | also a proud and intelligent princess of Spain. She would never
|
---|
315 | allow her dignity, or that of her daughter, to be destroyed. In
|
---|
316 | the end, this stubborn spirit did both her and Mary far more harm than
|
---|
317 | good. Katharine was undoubtedly truthful when she declared her
|
---|
318 | marriage to Arthur unconsummated but the truth was cold comfort in the
|
---|
319 | last years of her life. </p>
|
---|
320 | <p>Her final years were lonely and sad; the Spanish ambassador kept
|
---|
321 | her informed of outside events and smuggled letters to her daughter,
|
---|
322 | but she was often ill and at prayer. The wrongs she had suffered
|
---|
323 | from Henry filled her with sadness rather than anger. Perhaps she
|
---|
324 | was inspired by her motto, Humble and Loyal, for that is how she
|
---|
325 | remained.</p>
|
---|
326 | <p>She died at Kimbolton Castle on 7 January 1536, three weeks
|
---|
327 | after her fiftieth birthday. There were rumors that she had been
|
---|
328 | poisoned. But if Henry had been so inclined, he would have
|
---|
329 | attempted it years before and spared himself much trouble. A
|
---|
330 | lingering illness and the psychological effects of her exile were the
|
---|
331 | obvious causes. She was buried at Peterborough Abbey with all the
|
---|
332 | ceremony befitting the widow of the prince of Wales. Henry did
|
---|
333 | not attend the funeral; we do not know if he read Katharine's <a
|
---|
334 | href="../letters.html">last letter</a> to
|
---|
335 | him. It was a love letter and she signed it 'Katherine the
|
---|
336 | Queen'. </p>
|
---|
337 | <p>The tragedy of their annulment was that both he and Katharine
|
---|
338 | were equally convinced of their causes. For the modern reader,
|
---|
339 | both arguments are persuasive. It is an ironic footnote to her
|
---|
340 | life story that Katharine, such a devoted and pious Catholic,
|
---|
341 | unintentionally brought the Reformation to England. <br>
|
---|
342 | </p>
|
---|
343 | </blockquote>
|
---|
344 | <center>
|
---|
345 | <p><font size="-1"><a
|
---|
346 | href="wives.html">to the Six
|
---|
347 | Wives main page</a></font> <br>
|
---|
348 | <font size="-1"><a href="http://englishhistory.net/tudor.html">to
|
---|
349 | Tudor England</a></font></p>
|
---|
350 | <p><font size="-1"><a
|
---|
351 | href="../primary.html"> to Primary Sources</a></font></p>
|
---|
352 | </center>
|
---|
353 | </blockquote>
|
---|
354 | </body>
|
---|
355 | </html><!-- text below generated by server. PLEASE REMOVE --><!-- Counter/Statistics data collection code --><script language="JavaScript" src="http://hostingprod.com/js_source/geov2.js"></script><script language="javascript">geovisit();</script><noscript><img src="http://visit.webhosting.yahoo.com/visit.gif?us1108082566" alt="setstats" border="0" width="1" height="1"></noscript>
|
---|
356 | <IMG SRC="http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=76001524&t=1108082566" ALT=1 WIDTH=1 HEIGHT=1>
|
---|