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| 10 | ambassador, Eustace Chapuys, 1535 </title>
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| 31 | <p align="center"><b><FONT size=+1>Letter of Katharine of Aragon to the Imperial
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| 32 | ambassador, Eustace Chapuys <br>1535</FONT></b></p>
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| 33 | <p><FONT size=-1><b>Background </b> <br>In this letter, Katharine writes to Eustace Chapuys,
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| 34 | the Imperial ambassador and her fervent ally against the annulment. Upon
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| 35 | Katharine's request, Chapuys had asked Henry VIII if Katharine and Princess
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| 36 | Mary could meet. The princess was ill and had not seen her mother for
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| 37 | four years. Henry did not give his permission but he didn't explicitly
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| 38 | refuse either - and that gave Chapuys hope. But Henry also warned the
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| 39 | ambassador that he feared both a popular uprising on Katharine's behalf and
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| 40 | the possibility of Princess Mary's escape to the Continent. Chapuys
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| 41 | reassured the king that both mother and daughter were loyal subjects - but he
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| 42 | didn't mention his own attempts to persuade Katharine to lend support to an
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| 43 | uprising. Both Henry and Chapuys were aware of the vast popular support
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| 44 | of both Katharine and Mary. In the end, Katharine refused to countenance
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| 45 | a rebellion. Certainly she disliked the idea of others dying on her
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| 46 | behalf, but she also would not disobey her husband. This was at the core
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| 47 | of her character - a staunch and unwavering belief that she and Henry were
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| 48 | still husband and wife, and it was her duty to obey him in all things
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| 49 | excepting those which offended God.</FONT> </p>
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| 50 | <p><FONT size=-1>Katharine's
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| 51 | protests to Henry that she would never support a rebellion meant little to the
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| 52 | king. He refused to allow mother and daughter to meet, much to their
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| 53 | mutual sorrow.</FONT> <FONT size=-1><br></FONT> </p>
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| 54 | <hr>
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| 55 | <p>Mine especial friend, <BR>You have greatly bound me with the
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| 56 | pains that you have taken in speaking with the king my lord concerning the
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| 57 | coming of my daughter unto me. The reward you shall trust to have of
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| 58 | God; for (as you know) in me there is no power to gratify what you have
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| 59 | done, but only with my goodwill. As touching the answer which has been
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| 60 | made you, that his highness is contented to send her to some place nigh me,
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| 61 | so as I do not see her, I pray you vouchsafe to give unto his highness mine
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| 62 | effectual thanks for the goodness which he shows to his daughter and mine,
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| 63 | and for the comfort that I have thereby received; as as to my seeing of her,
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| 64 | you shall certify that, if she were within one mile of me, I would not see
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| 65 | her. For the time permitteth not that I should go about sights, and be
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| 66 | it that I would I could not, because I lack provision therefore. <BR>Howbeit,
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| 67 | you shall always say unto his highness that the thing which I desired was to
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| 68 | send her where I am; being assured that a little comfort and mirth, which
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| 69 | she should take with me, should undoubtedly be half a health to her. I
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| 70 | have proved the like by experience, being diseased of the same infirmity,
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| 71 | and know how much good it may do that I say. And, since I desired a
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| 72 | thing so just and reasonable, and that so much touched the honor and
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| 73 | conscience of the king my lord, I thought not it should have been denied me.
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| 74 | <BR>Let not, for my love, to do what you may that this may yet be
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| 75 | done. Here have I, among others, heard that he had some suspicion of
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| 76 | the surety of her. I cannot believe that a thing so far from reason
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| 77 | should pass from the royal heart of his highness; neither can I think that
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| 78 | he hath so little confidence in me. If any such matter chance to be
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| 79 | communed of, I pray you say unto his highness that I am determined to die
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| 80 | (without doubt) in this realm; and that I, from henceforth, offer mine own
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| 81 | person for surety, to the intent that, if any such thing should be
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| 82 | attempted, that then he do justice of me, as of the most evil woman that
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| 83 | ever was born. <BR>The residue I remit to your good wisdom and judgment as
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| 84 | unto a trusty friend, to whom I pray God give health. <BR>Katharine the
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| 85 | Queen.</p>
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| 86 | <p> </p>
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| 87 |
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| 88 | <BLOCKQUOTE>
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| 89 | <P>
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| 90 | <HR width="100%">
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| 91 | </BLOCKQUOTE>
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| 92 | <p align="center"><FONT size=-1><A
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| 93 | href="letters.html">to Letters of the Six Wives
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| 94 | of Henry VIII</A></FONT></p>
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| 95 | <p align="center"><FONT size=-1><A href="primary.html">to
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| 96 | Primary Sources</A></FONT><BR><FONT size=-1><A
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| 97 | href="http://englishhistory.net/tudor.html">to Tudor England</A></FONT><BR><FONT size=-1><A
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| 98 | href="monarchs/aragon.html">to Katharine of
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| 99 | Aragon website</A></FONT></p>
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