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32&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; height=&quot;674&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot;&gt;
33 &lt;tbody&gt;
34 &lt;tr&gt;
35 &lt;td height=&quot;39&quot; width=&quot;25%&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
36 &lt;/td&gt;
37 &lt;td height=&quot;39&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot; width=&quot;50%&quot;&gt;
38 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;'In this world I will confess
39myself to be the king's true wife, and in the next they will know how
40unreasonably I am afflicted.'&lt;/font&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt; &lt;/font&gt; &lt;br&gt;
41 &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;
42 &lt;/td&gt;
43 &lt;td height=&quot;39&quot; width=&quot;25%&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
44 &lt;/td&gt;
45 &lt;/tr&gt;
46 &lt;tr&gt;
47 &lt;td height=&quot;1&quot; width=&quot;25%&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
48 &lt;/td&gt;
49 &lt;td height=&quot;1&quot; width=&quot;50%&quot;&gt;
50 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
51 &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
52 &lt;td height=&quot;1&quot; width=&quot;25%&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
53 &lt;/td&gt;
54 &lt;/tr&gt;
55 &lt;tr&gt;
56 &lt;td height=&quot;610&quot; width=&quot;25%&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
57 &lt;/td&gt;
58 &lt;td height=&quot;610&quot; valign=&quot;top&quot; width=&quot;50%&quot;&gt;
59 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
60 &lt;img src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/aragoncardinal.gif&quot; alt=&quot;Katharine of Aragon&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;114&quot; width=&quot;443&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
61 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
62 &lt;img src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/aragonsittow1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;portrait of Katharine of Aragon by Michael Sittow, c1502&quot; border=&quot;2&quot; height=&quot;541&quot; width=&quot;351&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
63 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt; &lt;i&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;portrait of Katharine of Aragon by
64 Michael Sittow, c1502&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
65 &lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt; &lt;b&gt;&lt;br&gt;The youngest surviving child of
66the 'Catholic Kings' of Spain, Katharine was born on 16 December 1485,
67the same year that Henry VII established the Tudor dynasty.&amp;nbsp; At
68the age of three, she was betrothed to his infant son, Prince
69Arthur.&amp;nbsp; In 1501, shortly before her sixteenth birthday, Katharine
70sailed to England.&amp;nbsp; But her marriage to Arthur lasted less than
71six months and was supposedly never consummated.&amp;nbsp; Katharine was
72then betrothed to Arthur's younger brother, Prince Henry.&amp;nbsp; When he
73became king in 1509, at the age of eighteen, he promptly married
74Katharine and they lived together happily for many years.&amp;nbsp; But
75their marriage produced just one living child, a daughter called Mary,
76and Henry was desperate for a male heir.&amp;nbsp; He also fell deeply in
77love with another woman.&amp;nbsp; Cast aside, Katharine fought against
78great odds to deny Henry an annulment.&amp;nbsp; But the king would not be
79denied and when the Catholic church would not grant the annulment, he
80declared himself head of a new English church.&amp;nbsp; Katharine was
81banished from court and died on 7 January 1536, broken-hearted but
82still defiant.&lt;/b&gt; &lt;/p&gt;
83 &lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
84 &lt;blockquote&gt;
85 &lt;blockquote&gt;
86 &lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;_httpsamepagelink_#Biography&quot;&gt;
87 &lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;Read the biography of Katharine of Aragon.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
88 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
89 &lt;blockquote&gt;
90 &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br&gt;
91Primary Sources&lt;/b&gt; &lt;br&gt;
92Read &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fletters.html&quot;&gt;letters
93written by Katharine&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fh8crown.html&quot;&gt;an account of her
94coronation&lt;/a&gt; at Westminster Abbey.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;
95 &lt;br&gt;
96 &lt;b&gt;Secondary Sources&lt;br&gt;&lt;/b&gt;Read JA Froude's 1891 work &lt;i&gt;
97 &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fsecondary.html&quot;&gt;The Divorce
98 of Catherine of Aragon&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
99 &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:
100Images&lt;/a&gt; to view portraits of Katharine.&lt;br&gt;
101Visit the &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fmary1.html&quot;&gt;Queen
102Mary I site&lt;/a&gt; to learn more about Katharine's daughter.&lt;/p&gt;
103 &lt;p&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br&gt;
104Interact&lt;br&gt;
105 &lt;/b&gt;Meet other Six Wives enthusiasts at &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fladiesallfanlist.cjb.net&quot;&gt;Ladies All: A Fanlisting for
106the Six Wives of Henry VIII&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br&gt;
107 &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2ftudorhistory.org%2flists%2flist.html&quot;&gt; Tudor Talk
108 &lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;This email discussion list is sponsored by
109Tudorhistory.org.&lt;br&gt;
110 &lt;a 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
111the Tudors&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; This is a role-playing game set in 16th century
112England.&amp;nbsp; If you would like to 'play' Jane Grey or Anne Boleyn or
113other Tudors, click the link to join.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
114 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
115 &lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
116 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
117 &lt;/td&gt;
118 &lt;td height=&quot;610&quot; width=&quot;25%&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
119 &lt;/td&gt;
120 &lt;/tr&gt;
121 &lt;/tbody&gt;
122&lt;/table&gt;
123&lt;blockquote&gt;
124 &lt;blockquote&gt;
125 &lt;blockquote&gt;
126 &lt;blockquote&gt;
127 &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
128 &lt;p&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;Biography&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
129 &lt;/a&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;'My tribulations are so great, my life so
130disturbed by the plans daily invented to further the king's wicked
131intention, the surprises which the king gives me, with certain persons
132of his council, are so mortal, and my treatment is what God knows, that
133it is enough to shorten ten lives, much more mine.'&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;i&gt;
134 &lt;font size=&quot;-1&quot;&gt;Katharine of Aragon to Charles V, November 1531&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
135 &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
136 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
137 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
138 &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Biography&lt;/b&gt; &lt;br&gt;
139Katharine was born on 16 December 1485 at Alcala de Henares, in the
140archbishop of Toledo's palace.&amp;nbsp; Her early life promised a future
141of splendor and success, if not personal happiness.&amp;nbsp; Her parents,
142Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, were legends throughout
143Europe.&amp;nbsp; Their marriage had united the kingdom of Spain and
144together they had driven the Moors from Granada.&amp;nbsp; Katharine's
145mother was deeply pious and very intelligent.&amp;nbsp; Her children, even
146the daughters, received excellent educations.&amp;nbsp; Katharine's brother
147Juan and sister Joanna were married off into the powerful Hapsburg
148family and two other sisters, Isabella and Maria, would each marry the
149king of Portugal.&amp;nbsp; Katharine was promised to England; the
150betrothal contract was finalized before her fourth birthday.&amp;nbsp; The
151island nation, so long torn between Plantagenet cousins vying for the
152throne, was now ruled by Henry Tudor.&amp;nbsp; He had married the daughter
153of the former Plantagenet king, Edward IV, and in 1486 had a male heir
154and a desire to establish the stability and validity of his new
155dynasty.&amp;nbsp; A match with a Spanish princess would give him
156both.&amp;nbsp; And so Katharine, proud and solemn and accompanied by a
157vast dowry, came to England in 1501.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
158 &lt;p&gt; She
159wed Prince Arthur within a few weeks of her arrival.&amp;nbsp; It was a
160grand celebration; all of London rejoiced and there was every
161expectation of a glorious future for both husband and wife.&amp;nbsp; They
162left for Ludlow Castle, the government seat of the Prince of Wales, and
163within six months Arthur was dead.&amp;nbsp; It was the dreaded sweating
164sickness.&amp;nbsp; The news devastated his parents.&amp;nbsp; Katharine
165returned to London but was not sent home.&amp;nbsp; Henry VII was already
166writing to her parents about another marriage.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
167 &lt;p&gt;Katharine was now promised to Arthur's younger brother,
168Henry.&amp;nbsp; Born 28 June 1491, he was almost six years younger than
169Katharine.&amp;nbsp; But he was robust and healthy, and already regarded as
170a precocious intellect.&amp;nbsp; Before his brother's death, he had been
171destined for the church and educated accordingly.&amp;nbsp; But now he was
172the future king and as such he needed a future wife.&amp;nbsp; Henry VII
173betrothed young Henry to his brother's widow, a plan which required a
174papal dispensation.&amp;nbsp; Ferdinand, at odds with France, was anxious
175to please his English ally; Isabella's piety may have ruined the plan
176but she was dying and did not protest.&amp;nbsp; Katharine and her duenna,
177Dona Elvira, both wrote that her marriage to Arthur had never been
178consummated.&amp;nbsp; Pope Julius II granted the dispensation.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
179 &lt;p&gt;The new betrothal may have been spurred by Henry VII's legendary
180avarice.&amp;nbsp; Katharine had brought half of her dowry with her upon
181marriage to Arthur; if she returned home, her marriage contract
182required that the dowry be returned.&amp;nbsp; Also, her inheritance as
183dowager Princess of Wales was substantial.&amp;nbsp; If she left England,
184so would that steady income.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
185 &lt;p&gt;Katharine herself &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fletters.html&quot;&gt;wrote to her father&lt;/a&gt;
186that she had no wish to remain in England but she would obey his
187decision.&amp;nbsp; Perhaps she had already learned enough of Henry VII's
188character to know she would be shabbily treated.&amp;nbsp; Despite her
189royal position, she lived in poverty.&amp;nbsp; The Spanish ambassador was
190forced to buy her necessities and she was unable to pay her
191attendants.&amp;nbsp; And soon enough Henry VII was implying that he would
192break the Spanish betrothal.&amp;nbsp; Katharine spent the next seven years
193in a state of political limbo.&amp;nbsp; And when he turned fourteen, Henry
194VII had his son publicly repudiate the betrothal, claiming that the
195marriage contract was made without his knowledge or consent.&amp;nbsp; Yet
196Katharine remained in England.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
197 &lt;p&gt;In 1509, the situation was resolved with startling speed.&amp;nbsp;
198Henry VII died and his eighteen year old son became king.&amp;nbsp;
199Handsome, proud, and imbued with the romantic spirit of chivalry, he
200promptly married Katharine.&amp;nbsp; Did he marry her out of a sense of
201obligation?&amp;nbsp; Was it because, as he later claimed, he wished to
202respect his father's last wish?&amp;nbsp; Were political councilors
203encouraging the Spanish alliance?&amp;nbsp; Or did he love the dignified
204and lovely young princess?&amp;nbsp; It is impossible to know.&amp;nbsp; But
205they certainly acted like a loving and affectionate couple, far beyond
206typical royal marriages.&amp;nbsp; There were public displays of affection,
207declarations of love and respect, and for a long while she was also a
208close political adviser.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
209 &lt;p&gt;Henry VIII's court was full of gaiety and celebration.&amp;nbsp; It
210was a welcome change from the austerity of his father's rule.&amp;nbsp;
211Katharine proved herself to be the perfect consort, even when politics
212led her father to humiliate and betray Henry.&amp;nbsp; Katharine
213recognized that she must choose between unwavering support of her
214father and loyalty to her husband.&amp;nbsp; She chose Henry, though his
215Lord Chancellor, &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fcitizens%2fwolsey.html&quot;&gt;Cardinal
216Wolsey&lt;/a&gt;, never trusted her and instead favored an Anglo-French
217alliance.&amp;nbsp; His influence, and Henry's own suspicions, led the king
218to disregard her political advice.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
219 &lt;p&gt;Katharine's primary duty was both personal and political - to
220bear children, as many as possible and preferably sons.&amp;nbsp; This was
221especially important in England since Henry VIII was the sole surviving
222son of his father.&amp;nbsp; Katharine was far from barren and did her
223best; in the first nine years of their marriage, she conceived at least
224six times.&amp;nbsp; She miscarried twice, once delivered a stillborn
225daughter, and two sons died within weeks.&amp;nbsp; The only surviving
226child was a daughter, Princess Mary, born in 1516.&amp;nbsp; Katharine's
227last recorded pregnancy was in 1518, when she was thirty-three years
228old.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
229 &lt;p&gt;Henry was not unhappy with the birth of Mary; he assured
230ambassadors that if it were a daughter this time, a son would surely
231follow.&amp;nbsp; But it was soon clear there would be no sons.&amp;nbsp; The
232age difference between he and Katharine was now more noticeable.&amp;nbsp;
233The queen, struggling with frequent pregnancies and constant stress,
234looked older than her years.&amp;nbsp; Henry was a far more prudent king
235than most; he had just two serious affairs during his marriage to
236Katharine.&amp;nbsp; But one of his mistresses, Elizabeth Blount, bore him
237a son.&amp;nbsp; It was clear he could have sons, but the queen could
238not.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
239 &lt;p&gt;By 1527, the question of the succession was the most pressing
240issue facing the king.&amp;nbsp; Two years before, he had titled his
241illegitimate son the duke of Richmond and granted him vast estates.&amp;nbsp;
242Many, Katharine included, believed this was a preliminary step to
243naming him heir to the throne.&amp;nbsp; This never occurred and Richmond
244would die in 1536, but - until then - it was a possibility.&amp;nbsp; Henry
245sent Princess Mary to Ludlow Castle as Princess of Wales and his
246official heir, but even that did not stop the rumors or her mother's
247concerns.&amp;nbsp; Katharine confronted Henry; he responded angrily and
248dismissed several of her beloved Spanish attendants.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
249 &lt;p&gt;The king by now had hopes of a legitimate heir.&amp;nbsp; He had
250fallen in love the year previously with a young Englishwoman, &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fhtml%5ffiles%2fboleyn.html&quot;&gt;Anne Boleyn&lt;/a&gt;.&amp;nbsp;
251She was the sister of a former mistress and refused to take that
252position herself.&amp;nbsp; Henry, who was also deeply pious and a student
253of theology, now took a closer look at his marriage to Katharine.&amp;nbsp;
254In particular, he looked at the text in Leviticus which seemed to
255directly reference his own life - 'If a man shall take his brother's
256wife it is an unclean thing..... they shall be childless.'(Leviticus,
257XX, 21)&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
258 &lt;p&gt;Of course, they were not childless but a daughter was not the
259heir he needed.&amp;nbsp; No woman had attempted to rule England since the
260disastrous Matilda centuries&lt;img src=&quot;_httpdocimg_/aragonhorenbout1.jpg&quot; alt=&quot;miniature portrait of Katharine of Aragon by Lucas Horenbout&quot; align=&quot;right&quot; border=&quot;0&quot; height=&quot;324&quot; width=&quot;329&quot;&gt; before.&amp;nbsp; Henry now firmly believed
261that his incestuous marriage had been doomed from the start.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
262 &lt;p&gt;But how could he annul the marriage?&amp;nbsp; He needed to convince
263the current pope, Clement VII, that the dispensation of his predecessor
264was inadequate.&amp;nbsp; It directly contradicted the Bible and had no
265merit.&amp;nbsp; This should have been a simple enough matter.&amp;nbsp; Royal
266marriages had been annulled for far less.&amp;nbsp; But Katharine's nephew,
267Charles V, was the Holy Roman Emperor and he had no intention of
268allowing his aunt to be cast off.&amp;nbsp; This was not out of personal
269love or loyalty, but a purely political stance.&amp;nbsp; And after the
2701527 'sack of Rome', Charles controlled the pope.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
271 &lt;p&gt;Henry was soon thwarted, despite extensive work by Wolsey and
272other advisers.&amp;nbsp; For her part, Katharine was kept in the dark for
273as long as the king could manage it.&amp;nbsp; But she was no fool.&amp;nbsp;
274She knew of the romance between her husband and Mistress Boleyn; she
275knew Henry avoided her company, though he was scrupulous about
276attending official functions with her.&amp;nbsp; He had always respected
277her unassailable dignity and eloquence.&amp;nbsp; He did not wish to fight
278Katharine; he wanted an amicable end to their union and he was prepared
279to be generous.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
280 &lt;p&gt;When news of his intentions became official, she was given
281counsel but only that chosen by the king.&amp;nbsp; She turned to the
282Spanish ambassador and close friends at court for support.&amp;nbsp; Anne
283Boleyn was not popular and Katharine was a respected and beloved
284queen.&amp;nbsp; The king soon came under popular scorn for his
285plans.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
286 &lt;p&gt;But Henry was as firmly convinced of the righteousness of his
287cause as Katharine was of hers.&amp;nbsp; He had read the Bible; he had
288debated the issue with prominent theologians; he even sponsored
289hearings of the case at European universities.&amp;nbsp; Both king and pope
290knew there was a valid basis for the annulment, and a pressing national
291need for it.&amp;nbsp; Clement could have granted it without troubling his
292conscience.&amp;nbsp; And with the spread of Lutheranism in the German
293states, Clement had no wish to antagonize the loyal and devoted king of
294England.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
295 &lt;p&gt;But the English king could not be helped at the Holy Roman Emperor's
296 expense.&amp;nbsp; This was soon made abundantly clear.&lt;/p&gt;
297 &lt;p&gt;The pope prevaricated; he could do little else.&amp;nbsp; And for
298several years, the 'King's Great Matter' consumed England and
299fascinated Europe.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
300 &lt;p&gt;Henry inevitably tired of the endless parade of papal legates
301and repetitious hearings.&amp;nbsp; He was growing older and Anne was
302growing impatient.&amp;nbsp; Her youth was being wasted to no purpose, she
303told the king.&amp;nbsp; Meanwhile, Katharine encouraged Mary to be
304obstinate in protecting her rights as princess.&amp;nbsp; Mary lost her
305father's favor and was forbidden to visit her mother.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
306 &lt;p&gt;Finally, in 1533, Henry did the only thing he could to end the
307marriage - he rejected the authority of the Holy See and declared
308himself Supreme Head of a new Church of England.&amp;nbsp; His archbishop
309of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, issued the long-awaited decree of
310nullity.&amp;nbsp; Katharine was no longer queen of England but 'Princess
311dowager of Wales'.&amp;nbsp; Princess Mary was now illegitimate, and rumors
312spread that Anne Boleyn had finally succumbed to the king and was
313pregnant.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
314 &lt;p&gt; Katharine was exiled from court and to a
315succession of damp and unpleasant castles.&amp;nbsp; She had but a handful
316of servants for few would call her queen and she refused to be called
317princess.&amp;nbsp; It was a mark of her early education that she was meek,
318deeply pious and believed in obedience to her husband - but she was
319also a proud and intelligent princess of Spain.&amp;nbsp; She would never
320allow her dignity, or that of her daughter, to be destroyed.&amp;nbsp; In
321the end, this stubborn spirit did both her and Mary far more harm than
322good.&amp;nbsp; Katharine was undoubtedly truthful when she declared her
323marriage to Arthur unconsummated but the truth was cold comfort in the
324last years of her life.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
325 &lt;p&gt;Her final years were lonely and sad; the Spanish ambassador kept
326her informed of outside events and smuggled letters to her daughter,
327but she was often ill and at prayer.&amp;nbsp; The wrongs she had suffered
328from Henry filled her with sadness rather than anger.&amp;nbsp; Perhaps she
329was inspired by her motto, Humble and Loyal, for that is how she
330remained.&lt;/p&gt;
331 &lt;p&gt;She died at Kimbolton Castle on 7 January 1536, three weeks
332after her fiftieth birthday.&amp;nbsp; There were rumors that she had been
333poisoned.&amp;nbsp; But if Henry had been so inclined, he would have
334attempted it years before and spared himself much trouble.&amp;nbsp; A
335lingering illness and the psychological effects of her exile were the
336obvious causes.&amp;nbsp; She was buried at Peterborough Abbey with all the
337ceremony befitting the widow of the prince of Wales.&amp;nbsp; Henry did
338not attend the funeral; we do not know if he read Katharine's &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fletters.html&quot;&gt;last letter&lt;/a&gt; to
339him.&amp;nbsp; It was a love letter and she signed it 'Katherine the
340Queen'.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
341 &lt;p&gt;The tragedy of their annulment was that both he and Katharine
342were equally convinced of their causes.&amp;nbsp; For the modern reader,
343both arguments are persuasive.&amp;nbsp; It is an ironic footnote to her
344life story that Katharine, such a devoted and pious Catholic,
345unintentionally brought the Reformation to England.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;
346&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
347 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
348 &lt;center&gt;
349 &lt;p&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;-1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fwives.html&quot;&gt;to the Six
350Wives main page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/font&gt; &lt;br&gt;
351 &lt;font size=&quot;-1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor.html&quot;&gt;to
352Tudor England&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
353 &lt;p&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;-1&quot;&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fprimary.html&quot;&gt; to Primary Sources&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
354 &lt;/center&gt;
355&lt;/blockquote&gt;
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358</Content>
359</Section>
360</Archive>
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