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3 more GS3 model-collections, two of which are intermediate stages of tutorials

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14 <Metadata name="Content">Katharine Catherine Katherine of Aragon first wife of Henry VIII</Metadata>
15 <Metadata name="Page_topic">Katharine Catherine Katherine of Aragon first wife of Henry VIII mother of Queen Mary I</Metadata>
16 <Metadata name="Author">Marilee Mongello</Metadata>
17 <Metadata name="Title">Katharine / Katherine / Catherine of Aragon: Biography, Portraits, Primary Sources</Metadata>
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21 <Metadata name="dc.Subject">Tudor period|Monarchs</Metadata>
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33&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;674&quot;&gt;
34 &lt;tbody&gt;
35 &lt;tr&gt;
36 &lt;td width=&quot;25%&quot; height=&quot;39&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
37 &lt;/td&gt;
38 &lt;td valign=&quot;top&quot; width=&quot;50%&quot; height=&quot;39&quot;&gt;
39 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;'In this world I will confess
40myself to be the king's true wife, and in the next they will know how
41unreasonably I am afflicted.'&lt;/font&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;br&gt;
42 &lt;/b&gt;&lt;i&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;-1&quot;&gt;Katharine of Aragon, 1532&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/i&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
43 &lt;/td&gt;
44 &lt;td width=&quot;25%&quot; height=&quot;39&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
45 &lt;/td&gt;
46 &lt;/tr&gt;
47 &lt;tr&gt;
48 &lt;td width=&quot;25%&quot; height=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
49 &lt;/td&gt;
50 &lt;td width=&quot;50%&quot; height=&quot;1&quot;&gt;
51 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
52 &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
53 &lt;td width=&quot;25%&quot; height=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
54 &lt;/td&gt;
55 &lt;/tr&gt;
56 &lt;tr&gt;
57 &lt;td width=&quot;25%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
58 &lt;/td&gt;
59 &lt;td valign=&quot;top&quot; width=&quot;50%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;
60 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
61 &lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/aragoncardinal.gif&quot; alt=&quot;Katharine of Aragon&quot; width=&quot;443&quot; height=&quot;114&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
62 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
63 &lt;img border=&quot;2&quot; src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/aragonsittow1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;portrait of Katharine of Aragon by Michael Sittow, c1502&quot; width=&quot;351&quot; height=&quot;541&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
64 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt; &lt;i&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;portrait of Katharine of Aragon by
65 Michael Sittow, c1502&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
66 &lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt; &lt;b&gt;&lt;br&gt;The youngest surviving child of
67the 'Catholic Kings' of Spain, Katharine was born on 16 December 1485,
68the same year that Henry VII established the Tudor dynasty.&amp;nbsp; At
69the age of three, she was betrothed to his infant son, Prince
70Arthur.&amp;nbsp; In 1501, shortly before her sixteenth birthday, Katharine
71sailed to England.&amp;nbsp; But her marriage to Arthur lasted less than
72six months and was supposedly never consummated.&amp;nbsp; Katharine was
73then betrothed to Arthur's younger brother, Prince Henry.&amp;nbsp; When he
74became king in 1509, at the age of eighteen, he promptly married
75Katharine and they lived together happily for many years.&amp;nbsp; But
76their marriage produced just one living child, a daughter called Mary,
77and Henry was desperate for a male heir.&amp;nbsp; He also fell deeply in
78love with another woman.&amp;nbsp; Cast aside, Katharine fought against
79great odds to deny Henry an annulment.&amp;nbsp; But the king would not be
80denied and when the Catholic church would not grant the annulment, he
81declared himself head of a new English church.&amp;nbsp; Katharine was
82banished from court and died on 7 January 1536, broken-hearted but
83still defiant.&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
84 &lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
85 &lt;blockquote&gt;
86 &lt;blockquote&gt;
87 &lt;p&gt;&lt;a
88 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2faragon.html#Biography&quot;&gt;
89 &lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;Read the biography of Katharine of Aragon.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
90 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
91 &lt;blockquote&gt;
92 &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br&gt;
93Primary Sources&lt;/b&gt; &lt;br&gt;
94Read &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fletters.html&quot;&gt;letters
95written by Katharine&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a
96 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fh8crown.html&quot;&gt;an account of her
97coronation&lt;/a&gt; at Westminster Abbey.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;
98 &lt;br&gt;
99 &lt;b&gt;Secondary Sources&lt;br&gt;&lt;/b&gt;Read JA Froude's 1891 work &lt;i&gt;
100 &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fsecondary.html&quot;&gt;The Divorce
101 of Catherine of Aragon&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
102 &lt;p&gt;&lt;br&gt;Visit &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fwww.marileecody.com%2fimages.html&quot;&gt;Tudor England:
103Images&lt;/a&gt; to view portraits of Katharine.&lt;br&gt;
104Visit the &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fmary1.html&quot;&gt;Queen
105Mary I site&lt;/a&gt; to learn more about Katharine's daughter.&lt;/p&gt;
106 &lt;p&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br&gt;
107Interact&lt;br&gt;
108 &lt;/b&gt;Meet other Six Wives enthusiasts at &lt;a
109 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fladiesallfanlist.cjb.net&quot;&gt;Ladies All: A Fanlisting for
110the Six Wives of Henry VIII&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br&gt;
111 &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2ftudorhistory.org%2flists%2flist.html&quot;&gt; Tudor Talk
112 &lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;This email discussion list is sponsored by
113Tudorhistory.org.&lt;br&gt;
114 &lt;a
115 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fgroups.yahoo.com%2fgroup%2fReign%5fof%5fthe%5fTudors%5frpg&quot;&gt;Reign of
116the Tudors&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; This is a role-playing game set in 16th century
117England.&amp;nbsp; If you would like to 'play' Jane Grey or Anne Boleyn or
118other Tudors, click the link to join.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
119 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
120 &lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
121 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
122 &lt;/td&gt;
123 &lt;td width=&quot;25%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
124 &lt;/td&gt;
125 &lt;/tr&gt;
126 &lt;/tbody&gt;
127&lt;/table&gt;
128&lt;blockquote&gt;
129 &lt;blockquote&gt;
130 &lt;blockquote&gt;
131 &lt;blockquote&gt;
132 &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
133 &lt;p&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;Biography&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
134 &lt;/a&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;'My tribulations are so great, my life so
135disturbed by the plans daily invented to further the king's wicked
136intention, the surprises which the king gives me, with certain persons
137of his council, are so mortal, and my treatment is what God knows, that
138it is enough to shorten ten lives, much more mine.'&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;i&gt;
139 &lt;font size=&quot;-1&quot;&gt;Katharine of Aragon to Charles V, November 1531&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
140 &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
141 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
142 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
143 &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Biography&lt;/b&gt; &lt;br&gt;
144Katharine was born on 16 December 1485 at Alcala de Henares, in the
145archbishop of Toledo's palace.&amp;nbsp; Her early life promised a future
146of splendor and success, if not personal happiness.&amp;nbsp; Her parents,
147Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, were legends throughout
148Europe.&amp;nbsp; Their marriage had united the kingdom of Spain and
149together they had driven the Moors from Granada.&amp;nbsp; Katharine's
150mother was deeply pious and very intelligent.&amp;nbsp; Her children, even
151the daughters, received excellent educations.&amp;nbsp; Katharine's brother
152Juan and sister Joanna were married off into the powerful Hapsburg
153family and two other sisters, Isabella and Maria, would each marry the
154king of Portugal.&amp;nbsp; Katharine was promised to England; the
155betrothal contract was finalized before her fourth birthday.&amp;nbsp; The
156island nation, so long torn between Plantagenet cousins vying for the
157throne, was now ruled by Henry Tudor.&amp;nbsp; He had married the daughter
158of the former Plantagenet king, Edward IV, and in 1486 had a male heir
159and a desire to establish the stability and validity of his new
160dynasty.&amp;nbsp; A match with a Spanish princess would give him
161both.&amp;nbsp; And so Katharine, proud and solemn and accompanied by a
162vast dowry, came to England in 1501.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
163 &lt;p&gt; She
164wed Prince Arthur within a few weeks of her arrival.&amp;nbsp; It was a
165grand celebration; all of London rejoiced and there was every
166expectation of a glorious future for both husband and wife.&amp;nbsp; They
167left for Ludlow Castle, the government seat of the Prince of Wales, and
168within six months Arthur was dead.&amp;nbsp; It was the dreaded sweating
169sickness.&amp;nbsp; The news devastated his parents.&amp;nbsp; Katharine
170returned to London but was not sent home.&amp;nbsp; Henry VII was already
171writing to her parents about another marriage.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
172 &lt;p&gt;Katharine was now promised to Arthur's younger brother,
173Henry.&amp;nbsp; Born 28 June 1491, he was almost six years younger than
174Katharine.&amp;nbsp; But he was robust and healthy, and already regarded as
175a precocious intellect.&amp;nbsp; Before his brother's death, he had been
176destined for the church and educated accordingly.&amp;nbsp; But now he was
177the future king and as such he needed a future wife.&amp;nbsp; Henry VII
178betrothed young Henry to his brother's widow, a plan which required a
179papal dispensation.&amp;nbsp; Ferdinand, at odds with France, was anxious
180to please his English ally; Isabella's piety may have ruined the plan
181but she was dying and did not protest.&amp;nbsp; Katharine and her duenna,
182Dona Elvira, both wrote that her marriage to Arthur had never been
183consummated.&amp;nbsp; Pope Julius II granted the dispensation.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
184 &lt;p&gt;The new betrothal may have been spurred by Henry VII's legendary
185avarice.&amp;nbsp; Katharine had brought half of her dowry with her upon
186marriage to Arthur; if she returned home, her marriage contract
187required that the dowry be returned.&amp;nbsp; Also, her inheritance as
188dowager Princess of Wales was substantial.&amp;nbsp; If she left England,
189so would that steady income.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
190 &lt;p&gt;Katharine herself &lt;a
191 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fletters.html&quot;&gt;wrote to her father&lt;/a&gt;
192that she had no wish to remain in England but she would obey his
193decision.&amp;nbsp; Perhaps she had already learned enough of Henry VII's
194character to know she would be shabbily treated.&amp;nbsp; Despite her
195royal position, she lived in poverty.&amp;nbsp; The Spanish ambassador was
196forced to buy her necessities and she was unable to pay her
197attendants.&amp;nbsp; And soon enough Henry VII was implying that he would
198break the Spanish betrothal.&amp;nbsp; Katharine spent the next seven years
199in a state of political limbo.&amp;nbsp; And when he turned fourteen, Henry
200VII had his son publicly repudiate the betrothal, claiming that the
201marriage contract was made without his knowledge or consent.&amp;nbsp; Yet
202Katharine remained in England.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
203 &lt;p&gt;In 1509, the situation was resolved with startling speed.&amp;nbsp;
204Henry VII died and his eighteen year old son became king.&amp;nbsp;
205Handsome, proud, and imbued with the romantic spirit of chivalry, he
206promptly married Katharine.&amp;nbsp; Did he marry her out of a sense of
207obligation?&amp;nbsp; Was it because, as he later claimed, he wished to
208respect his father's last wish?&amp;nbsp; Were political councilors
209encouraging the Spanish alliance?&amp;nbsp; Or did he love the dignified
210and lovely young princess?&amp;nbsp; It is impossible to know.&amp;nbsp; But
211they certainly acted like a loving and affectionate couple, far beyond
212typical royal marriages.&amp;nbsp; There were public displays of affection,
213declarations of love and respect, and for a long while she was also a
214close political adviser.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
215 &lt;p&gt;Henry VIII's court was full of gaiety and celebration.&amp;nbsp; It
216was a welcome change from the austerity of his father's rule.&amp;nbsp;
217Katharine proved herself to be the perfect consort, even when politics
218led her father to humiliate and betray Henry.&amp;nbsp; Katharine
219recognized that she must choose between unwavering support of her
220father and loyalty to her husband.&amp;nbsp; She chose Henry, though his
221Lord Chancellor, &lt;a
222 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fcitizens%2fwolsey.html&quot;&gt;Cardinal
223Wolsey&lt;/a&gt;, never trusted her and instead favored an Anglo-French
224alliance.&amp;nbsp; His influence, and Henry's own suspicions, led the king
225to disregard her political advice.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
226 &lt;p&gt;Katharine's primary duty was both personal and political - to
227bear children, as many as possible and preferably sons.&amp;nbsp; This was
228especially important in England since Henry VIII was the sole surviving
229son of his father.&amp;nbsp; Katharine was far from barren and did her
230best; in the first nine years of their marriage, she conceived at least
231six times.&amp;nbsp; She miscarried twice, once delivered a stillborn
232daughter, and two sons died within weeks.&amp;nbsp; The only surviving
233child was a daughter, Princess Mary, born in 1516.&amp;nbsp; Katharine's
234last recorded pregnancy was in 1518, when she was thirty-three years
235old.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
236 &lt;p&gt;Henry was not unhappy with the birth of Mary; he assured
237ambassadors that if it were a daughter this time, a son would surely
238follow.&amp;nbsp; But it was soon clear there would be no sons.&amp;nbsp; The
239age difference between he and Katharine was now more noticeable.&amp;nbsp;
240The queen, struggling with frequent pregnancies and constant stress,
241looked older than her years.&amp;nbsp; Henry was a far more prudent king
242than most; he had just two serious affairs during his marriage to
243Katharine.&amp;nbsp; But one of his mistresses, Elizabeth Blount, bore him
244a son.&amp;nbsp; It was clear he could have sons, but the queen could
245not.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
246 &lt;p&gt;By 1527, the question of the succession was the most pressing
247issue facing the king.&amp;nbsp; Two years before, he had titled his
248illegitimate son the duke of Richmond and granted him vast estates.&amp;nbsp;
249Many, Katharine included, believed this was a preliminary step to
250naming him heir to the throne.&amp;nbsp; This never occurred and Richmond
251would die in 1536, but - until then - it was a possibility.&amp;nbsp; Henry
252sent Princess Mary to Ludlow Castle as Princess of Wales and his
253official heir, but even that did not stop the rumors or her mother's
254concerns.&amp;nbsp; Katharine confronted Henry; he responded angrily and
255dismissed several of her beloved Spanish attendants.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
256 &lt;p&gt;The king by now had hopes of a legitimate heir.&amp;nbsp; He had
257fallen in love the year previously with a young Englishwoman, &lt;a
258 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fboleyn.html&quot;&gt;Anne Boleyn&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;
259She was the sister of a former mistress and refused to take that
260position herself.&amp;nbsp; Henry, who was also deeply pious and a student
261of theology, now took a closer look at his marriage to Katharine.&amp;nbsp;
262In particular, he looked at the text in Leviticus which seemed to
263directly reference his own life - 'If a man shall take his brother's
264wife it is an unclean thing..... they shall be childless.'(Leviticus,
265XX, 21)&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
266 &lt;p&gt;Of course, they were not childless but a daughter was not the
267heir he needed.&amp;nbsp; No woman had attempted to rule England since the
268disastrous Matilda centuries&lt;img border=&quot;0&quot; src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/aragonhorenbout1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;miniature portrait of Katharine of Aragon by Lucas Horenbout&quot; align=&quot;right&quot; width=&quot;329&quot; height=&quot;324&quot;&gt; before.&amp;nbsp; Henry now firmly believed
269that his incestuous marriage had been doomed from the start.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
270 &lt;p&gt;But how could he annul the marriage?&amp;nbsp; He needed to convince
271the current pope, Clement VII, that the dispensation of his predecessor
272was inadequate.&amp;nbsp; It directly contradicted the Bible and had no
273merit.&amp;nbsp; This should have been a simple enough matter.&amp;nbsp; Royal
274marriages had been annulled for far less.&amp;nbsp; But Katharine's nephew,
275Charles V, was the Holy Roman Emperor and he had no intention of
276allowing his aunt to be cast off.&amp;nbsp; This was not out of personal
277love or loyalty, but a purely political stance.&amp;nbsp; And after the
2781527 'sack of Rome', Charles controlled the pope.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
279 &lt;p&gt;Henry was soon thwarted, despite extensive work by Wolsey and
280other advisers.&amp;nbsp; For her part, Katharine was kept in the dark for
281as long as the king could manage it.&amp;nbsp; But she was no fool.&amp;nbsp;
282She knew of the romance between her husband and Mistress Boleyn; she
283knew Henry avoided her company, though he was scrupulous about
284attending official functions with her.&amp;nbsp; He had always respected
285her unassailable dignity and eloquence.&amp;nbsp; He did not wish to fight
286Katharine; he wanted an amicable end to their union and he was prepared
287to be generous.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
288 &lt;p&gt;When news of his intentions became official, she was given
289counsel but only that chosen by the king.&amp;nbsp; She turned to the
290Spanish ambassador and close friends at court for support.&amp;nbsp; Anne
291Boleyn was not popular and Katharine was a respected and beloved
292queen.&amp;nbsp; The king soon came under popular scorn for his
293plans.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
294 &lt;p&gt;But Henry was as firmly convinced of the righteousness of his
295cause as Katharine was of hers.&amp;nbsp; He had read the Bible; he had
296debated the issue with prominent theologians; he even sponsored
297hearings of the case at European universities.&amp;nbsp; Both king and pope
298knew there was a valid basis for the annulment, and a pressing national
299need for it.&amp;nbsp; Clement could have granted it without troubling his
300conscience.&amp;nbsp; And with the spread of Lutheranism in the German
301states, Clement had no wish to antagonize the loyal and devoted king of
302England.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
303 &lt;p&gt;But the English king could not be helped at the Holy Roman Emperor's
304 expense.&amp;nbsp; This was soon made abundantly clear.&lt;/p&gt;
305 &lt;p&gt;The pope prevaricated; he could do little else.&amp;nbsp; And for
306several years, the 'King's Great Matter' consumed England and
307fascinated Europe.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
308 &lt;p&gt;Henry inevitably tired of the endless parade of papal legates
309and repetitious hearings.&amp;nbsp; He was growing older and Anne was
310growing impatient.&amp;nbsp; Her youth was being wasted to no purpose, she
311told the king.&amp;nbsp; Meanwhile, Katharine encouraged Mary to be
312obstinate in protecting her rights as princess.&amp;nbsp; Mary lost her
313father's favor and was forbidden to visit her mother.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
314 &lt;p&gt;Finally, in 1533, Henry did the only thing he could to end the
315marriage - he rejected the authority of the Holy See and declared
316himself Supreme Head of a new Church of England.&amp;nbsp; His archbishop
317of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, issued the long-awaited decree of
318nullity.&amp;nbsp; Katharine was no longer queen of England but 'Princess
319dowager of Wales'.&amp;nbsp; Princess Mary was now illegitimate, and rumors
320spread that Anne Boleyn had finally succumbed to the king and was
321pregnant.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
322 &lt;p&gt; Katharine was exiled from court and to a
323succession of damp and unpleasant castles.&amp;nbsp; She had but a handful
324of servants for few would call her queen and she refused to be called
325princess.&amp;nbsp; It was a mark of her early education that she was meek,
326deeply pious and believed in obedience to her husband - but she was
327also a proud and intelligent princess of Spain.&amp;nbsp; She would never
328allow her dignity, or that of her daughter, to be destroyed.&amp;nbsp; In
329the end, this stubborn spirit did both her and Mary far more harm than
330good.&amp;nbsp; Katharine was undoubtedly truthful when she declared her
331marriage to Arthur unconsummated but the truth was cold comfort in the
332last years of her life.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
333 &lt;p&gt;Her final years were lonely and sad; the Spanish ambassador kept
334her informed of outside events and smuggled letters to her daughter,
335but she was often ill and at prayer.&amp;nbsp; The wrongs she had suffered
336from Henry filled her with sadness rather than anger.&amp;nbsp; Perhaps she
337was inspired by her motto, Humble and Loyal, for that is how she
338remained.&lt;/p&gt;
339 &lt;p&gt;She died at Kimbolton Castle on 7 January 1536, three weeks
340after her fiftieth birthday.&amp;nbsp; There were rumors that she had been
341poisoned.&amp;nbsp; But if Henry had been so inclined, he would have
342attempted it years before and spared himself much trouble.&amp;nbsp; A
343lingering illness and the psychological effects of her exile were the
344obvious causes.&amp;nbsp; She was buried at Peterborough Abbey with all the
345ceremony befitting the widow of the prince of Wales.&amp;nbsp; Henry did
346not attend the funeral; we do not know if he read Katharine's &lt;a
347 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fletters.html&quot;&gt;last letter&lt;/a&gt; to
348him.&amp;nbsp; It was a love letter and she signed it 'Katherine the
349Queen'.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
350 &lt;p&gt;The tragedy of their annulment was that both he and Katharine
351were equally convinced of their causes.&amp;nbsp; For the modern reader,
352both arguments are persuasive.&amp;nbsp; It is an ironic footnote to her
353life story that Katharine, such a devoted and pious Catholic,
354unintentionally brought the Reformation to England.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;
355&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
356 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
357 &lt;center&gt;
358 &lt;p&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;-1&quot;&gt;&lt;a
359 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fwives.html&quot;&gt;to the Six
360Wives main page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/font&gt; &lt;br&gt;
361 &lt;font size=&quot;-1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor.html&quot;&gt;to
362Tudor England&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
363 &lt;p&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;-1&quot;&gt;&lt;a
364 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fprimary.html&quot;&gt; to Primary Sources&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
365 &lt;/center&gt;
366&lt;/blockquote&gt;
367
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370</Content>
371</Section>
372</Archive>
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