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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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32&lt;table border=&quot;0&quot; cellpadding=&quot;3&quot; width=&quot;100%&quot; height=&quot;674&quot;&gt;
33 &lt;tbody&gt;
34 &lt;tr&gt;
35 &lt;td width=&quot;25%&quot; height=&quot;39&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
36 &lt;/td&gt;
37 &lt;td valign=&quot;top&quot; width=&quot;50%&quot; height=&quot;39&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 width=&quot;25%&quot; height=&quot;39&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
44 &lt;/td&gt;
45 &lt;/tr&gt;
46 &lt;tr&gt;
47 &lt;td width=&quot;25%&quot; height=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
48 &lt;/td&gt;
49 &lt;td width=&quot;50%&quot; height=&quot;1&quot;&gt;
50 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
51 &amp;nbsp;&lt;/td&gt;
52 &lt;td width=&quot;25%&quot; height=&quot;1&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
53 &lt;/td&gt;
54 &lt;/tr&gt;
55 &lt;tr&gt;
56 &lt;td width=&quot;25%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
57 &lt;/td&gt;
58 &lt;td valign=&quot;top&quot; width=&quot;50%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;
59 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
60 &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;
61 &lt;p align=&quot;center&quot;&gt;
62 &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;
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
87 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2faragon.html#Biography&quot;&gt;
88 &lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;Read the biography of Katharine of Aragon.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
89 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
90 &lt;blockquote&gt;
91 &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br&gt;
92Primary Sources&lt;/b&gt; &lt;br&gt;
93Read &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fletters.html&quot;&gt;letters
94written by Katharine&lt;/a&gt; and &lt;a
95 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fh8crown.html&quot;&gt;an account of her
96coronation&lt;/a&gt; at Westminster Abbey.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;
97 &lt;br&gt;
98 &lt;b&gt;Secondary Sources&lt;br&gt;&lt;/b&gt;Read JA Froude's 1891 work &lt;i&gt;
99 &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fsecondary.html&quot;&gt;The Divorce
100 of Catherine of Aragon&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/i&gt;.&lt;/p&gt;
101 &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:
102Images&lt;/a&gt; to view portraits of Katharine.&lt;br&gt;
103Visit the &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fmary1.html&quot;&gt;Queen
104Mary I site&lt;/a&gt; to learn more about Katharine's daughter.&lt;/p&gt;
105 &lt;p&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;2&quot;&gt;&lt;b&gt;&lt;br&gt;
106Interact&lt;br&gt;
107 &lt;/b&gt;Meet other Six Wives enthusiasts at &lt;a
108 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fladiesallfanlist.cjb.net&quot;&gt;Ladies All: A Fanlisting for
109the Six Wives of Henry VIII&lt;/a&gt;.&lt;br&gt;
110 &lt;a href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=0&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2ftudorhistory.org%2flists%2flist.html&quot;&gt; Tudor Talk
111 &lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp;This email discussion list is sponsored by
112Tudorhistory.org.&lt;br&gt;
113 &lt;a
114 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
115the Tudors&lt;/a&gt;&amp;nbsp; This is a role-playing game set in 16th century
116England.&amp;nbsp; If you would like to 'play' Jane Grey or Anne Boleyn or
117other Tudors, click the link to join.&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
118 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
119 &lt;p align=&quot;left&quot;&gt; &amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
120 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
121 &lt;/td&gt;
122 &lt;td width=&quot;25%&quot; height=&quot;610&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
123 &lt;/td&gt;
124 &lt;/tr&gt;
125 &lt;/tbody&gt;
126&lt;/table&gt;
127&lt;blockquote&gt;
128 &lt;blockquote&gt;
129 &lt;blockquote&gt;
130 &lt;blockquote&gt;
131 &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
132 &lt;p&gt;&lt;a name=&quot;Biography&quot;&gt;&lt;br&gt;
133 &lt;/a&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;4&quot;&gt;'My tribulations are so great, my life so
134disturbed by the plans daily invented to further the king's wicked
135intention, the surprises which the king gives me, with certain persons
136of his council, are so mortal, and my treatment is what God knows, that
137it is enough to shorten ten lives, much more mine.'&amp;nbsp;&amp;nbsp; &lt;/font&gt;&lt;i&gt;
138 &lt;font size=&quot;-1&quot;&gt;Katharine of Aragon to Charles V, November 1531&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/i&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
139 &lt;p&gt;&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
140 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
141 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
142 &lt;p&gt;&lt;b&gt;Biography&lt;/b&gt; &lt;br&gt;
143Katharine was born on 16 December 1485 at Alcala de Henares, in the
144archbishop of Toledo's palace.&amp;nbsp; Her early life promised a future
145of splendor and success, if not personal happiness.&amp;nbsp; Her parents,
146Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, were legends throughout
147Europe.&amp;nbsp; Their marriage had united the kingdom of Spain and
148together they had driven the Moors from Granada.&amp;nbsp; Katharine's
149mother was deeply pious and very intelligent.&amp;nbsp; Her children, even
150the daughters, received excellent educations.&amp;nbsp; Katharine's brother
151Juan and sister Joanna were married off into the powerful Hapsburg
152family and two other sisters, Isabella and Maria, would each marry the
153king of Portugal.&amp;nbsp; Katharine was promised to England; the
154betrothal contract was finalized before her fourth birthday.&amp;nbsp; The
155island nation, so long torn between Plantagenet cousins vying for the
156throne, was now ruled by Henry Tudor.&amp;nbsp; He had married the daughter
157of the former Plantagenet king, Edward IV, and in 1486 had a male heir
158and a desire to establish the stability and validity of his new
159dynasty.&amp;nbsp; A match with a Spanish princess would give him
160both.&amp;nbsp; And so Katharine, proud and solemn and accompanied by a
161vast dowry, came to England in 1501.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
162 &lt;p&gt; She
163wed Prince Arthur within a few weeks of her arrival.&amp;nbsp; It was a
164grand celebration; all of London rejoiced and there was every
165expectation of a glorious future for both husband and wife.&amp;nbsp; They
166left for Ludlow Castle, the government seat of the Prince of Wales, and
167within six months Arthur was dead.&amp;nbsp; It was the dreaded sweating
168sickness.&amp;nbsp; The news devastated his parents.&amp;nbsp; Katharine
169returned to London but was not sent home.&amp;nbsp; Henry VII was already
170writing to her parents about another marriage.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
171 &lt;p&gt;Katharine was now promised to Arthur's younger brother,
172Henry.&amp;nbsp; Born 28 June 1491, he was almost six years younger than
173Katharine.&amp;nbsp; But he was robust and healthy, and already regarded as
174a precocious intellect.&amp;nbsp; Before his brother's death, he had been
175destined for the church and educated accordingly.&amp;nbsp; But now he was
176the future king and as such he needed a future wife.&amp;nbsp; Henry VII
177betrothed young Henry to his brother's widow, a plan which required a
178papal dispensation.&amp;nbsp; Ferdinand, at odds with France, was anxious
179to please his English ally; Isabella's piety may have ruined the plan
180but she was dying and did not protest.&amp;nbsp; Katharine and her duenna,
181Dona Elvira, both wrote that her marriage to Arthur had never been
182consummated.&amp;nbsp; Pope Julius II granted the dispensation.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
183 &lt;p&gt;The new betrothal may have been spurred by Henry VII's legendary
184avarice.&amp;nbsp; Katharine had brought half of her dowry with her upon
185marriage to Arthur; if she returned home, her marriage contract
186required that the dowry be returned.&amp;nbsp; Also, her inheritance as
187dowager Princess of Wales was substantial.&amp;nbsp; If she left England,
188so would that steady income.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
189 &lt;p&gt;Katharine herself &lt;a
190 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;
191that she had no wish to remain in England but she would obey his
192decision.&amp;nbsp; Perhaps she had already learned enough of Henry VII's
193character to know she would be shabbily treated.&amp;nbsp; Despite her
194royal position, she lived in poverty.&amp;nbsp; The Spanish ambassador was
195forced to buy her necessities and she was unable to pay her
196attendants.&amp;nbsp; And soon enough Henry VII was implying that he would
197break the Spanish betrothal.&amp;nbsp; Katharine spent the next seven years
198in a state of political limbo.&amp;nbsp; And when he turned fourteen, Henry
199VII had his son publicly repudiate the betrothal, claiming that the
200marriage contract was made without his knowledge or consent.&amp;nbsp; Yet
201Katharine remained in England.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
202 &lt;p&gt;In 1509, the situation was resolved with startling speed.&amp;nbsp;
203Henry VII died and his eighteen year old son became king.&amp;nbsp;
204Handsome, proud, and imbued with the romantic spirit of chivalry, he
205promptly married Katharine.&amp;nbsp; Did he marry her out of a sense of
206obligation?&amp;nbsp; Was it because, as he later claimed, he wished to
207respect his father's last wish?&amp;nbsp; Were political councilors
208encouraging the Spanish alliance?&amp;nbsp; Or did he love the dignified
209and lovely young princess?&amp;nbsp; It is impossible to know.&amp;nbsp; But
210they certainly acted like a loving and affectionate couple, far beyond
211typical royal marriages.&amp;nbsp; There were public displays of affection,
212declarations of love and respect, and for a long while she was also a
213close political adviser.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
214 &lt;p&gt;Henry VIII's court was full of gaiety and celebration.&amp;nbsp; It
215was a welcome change from the austerity of his father's rule.&amp;nbsp;
216Katharine proved herself to be the perfect consort, even when politics
217led her father to humiliate and betray Henry.&amp;nbsp; Katharine
218recognized that she must choose between unwavering support of her
219father and loyalty to her husband.&amp;nbsp; She chose Henry, though his
220Lord Chancellor, &lt;a
221 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fcitizens%2fwolsey.html&quot;&gt;Cardinal
222Wolsey&lt;/a&gt;, never trusted her and instead favored an Anglo-French
223alliance.&amp;nbsp; His influence, and Henry's own suspicions, led the king
224to disregard her political advice.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
225 &lt;p&gt;Katharine's primary duty was both personal and political - to
226bear children, as many as possible and preferably sons.&amp;nbsp; This was
227especially important in England since Henry VIII was the sole surviving
228son of his father.&amp;nbsp; Katharine was far from barren and did her
229best; in the first nine years of their marriage, she conceived at least
230six times.&amp;nbsp; She miscarried twice, once delivered a stillborn
231daughter, and two sons died within weeks.&amp;nbsp; The only surviving
232child was a daughter, Princess Mary, born in 1516.&amp;nbsp; Katharine's
233last recorded pregnancy was in 1518, when she was thirty-three years
234old.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
235 &lt;p&gt;Henry was not unhappy with the birth of Mary; he assured
236ambassadors that if it were a daughter this time, a son would surely
237follow.&amp;nbsp; But it was soon clear there would be no sons.&amp;nbsp; The
238age difference between he and Katharine was now more noticeable.&amp;nbsp;
239The queen, struggling with frequent pregnancies and constant stress,
240looked older than her years.&amp;nbsp; Henry was a far more prudent king
241than most; he had just two serious affairs during his marriage to
242Katharine.&amp;nbsp; But one of his mistresses, Elizabeth Blount, bore him
243a son.&amp;nbsp; It was clear he could have sons, but the queen could
244not.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
245 &lt;p&gt;By 1527, the question of the succession was the most pressing
246issue facing the king.&amp;nbsp; Two years before, he had titled his
247illegitimate son the duke of Richmond and granted him vast estates.&amp;nbsp;
248Many, Katharine included, believed this was a preliminary step to
249naming him heir to the throne.&amp;nbsp; This never occurred and Richmond
250would die in 1536, but - until then - it was a possibility.&amp;nbsp; Henry
251sent Princess Mary to Ludlow Castle as Princess of Wales and his
252official heir, but even that did not stop the rumors or her mother's
253concerns.&amp;nbsp; Katharine confronted Henry; he responded angrily and
254dismissed several of her beloved Spanish attendants.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
255 &lt;p&gt;The king by now had hopes of a legitimate heir.&amp;nbsp; He had
256fallen in love the year previously with a young Englishwoman, &lt;a
257 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;
258She was the sister of a former mistress and refused to take that
259position herself.&amp;nbsp; Henry, who was also deeply pious and a student
260of theology, now took a closer look at his marriage to Katharine.&amp;nbsp;
261In particular, he looked at the text in Leviticus which seemed to
262directly reference his own life - 'If a man shall take his brother's
263wife it is an unclean thing..... they shall be childless.'(Leviticus,
264XX, 21)&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
265 &lt;p&gt;Of course, they were not childless but a daughter was not the
266heir he needed.&amp;nbsp; No woman had attempted to rule England since the
267disastrous 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
268that his incestuous marriage had been doomed from the start.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
269 &lt;p&gt;But how could he annul the marriage?&amp;nbsp; He needed to convince
270the current pope, Clement VII, that the dispensation of his predecessor
271was inadequate.&amp;nbsp; It directly contradicted the Bible and had no
272merit.&amp;nbsp; This should have been a simple enough matter.&amp;nbsp; Royal
273marriages had been annulled for far less.&amp;nbsp; But Katharine's nephew,
274Charles V, was the Holy Roman Emperor and he had no intention of
275allowing his aunt to be cast off.&amp;nbsp; This was not out of personal
276love or loyalty, but a purely political stance.&amp;nbsp; And after the
2771527 'sack of Rome', Charles controlled the pope.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
278 &lt;p&gt;Henry was soon thwarted, despite extensive work by Wolsey and
279other advisers.&amp;nbsp; For her part, Katharine was kept in the dark for
280as long as the king could manage it.&amp;nbsp; But she was no fool.&amp;nbsp;
281She knew of the romance between her husband and Mistress Boleyn; she
282knew Henry avoided her company, though he was scrupulous about
283attending official functions with her.&amp;nbsp; He had always respected
284her unassailable dignity and eloquence.&amp;nbsp; He did not wish to fight
285Katharine; he wanted an amicable end to their union and he was prepared
286to be generous.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
287 &lt;p&gt;When news of his intentions became official, she was given
288counsel but only that chosen by the king.&amp;nbsp; She turned to the
289Spanish ambassador and close friends at court for support.&amp;nbsp; Anne
290Boleyn was not popular and Katharine was a respected and beloved
291queen.&amp;nbsp; The king soon came under popular scorn for his
292plans.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
293 &lt;p&gt;But Henry was as firmly convinced of the righteousness of his
294cause as Katharine was of hers.&amp;nbsp; He had read the Bible; he had
295debated the issue with prominent theologians; he even sponsored
296hearings of the case at European universities.&amp;nbsp; Both king and pope
297knew there was a valid basis for the annulment, and a pressing national
298need for it.&amp;nbsp; Clement could have granted it without troubling his
299conscience.&amp;nbsp; And with the spread of Lutheranism in the German
300states, Clement had no wish to antagonize the loyal and devoted king of
301England.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
302 &lt;p&gt;But the English king could not be helped at the Holy Roman Emperor's
303 expense.&amp;nbsp; This was soon made abundantly clear.&lt;/p&gt;
304 &lt;p&gt;The pope prevaricated; he could do little else.&amp;nbsp; And for
305several years, the 'King's Great Matter' consumed England and
306fascinated Europe.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
307 &lt;p&gt;Henry inevitably tired of the endless parade of papal legates
308and repetitious hearings.&amp;nbsp; He was growing older and Anne was
309growing impatient.&amp;nbsp; Her youth was being wasted to no purpose, she
310told the king.&amp;nbsp; Meanwhile, Katharine encouraged Mary to be
311obstinate in protecting her rights as princess.&amp;nbsp; Mary lost her
312father's favor and was forbidden to visit her mother.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
313 &lt;p&gt;Finally, in 1533, Henry did the only thing he could to end the
314marriage - he rejected the authority of the Holy See and declared
315himself Supreme Head of a new Church of England.&amp;nbsp; His archbishop
316of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer, issued the long-awaited decree of
317nullity.&amp;nbsp; Katharine was no longer queen of England but 'Princess
318dowager of Wales'.&amp;nbsp; Princess Mary was now illegitimate, and rumors
319spread that Anne Boleyn had finally succumbed to the king and was
320pregnant.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
321 &lt;p&gt; Katharine was exiled from court and to a
322succession of damp and unpleasant castles.&amp;nbsp; She had but a handful
323of servants for few would call her queen and she refused to be called
324princess.&amp;nbsp; It was a mark of her early education that she was meek,
325deeply pious and believed in obedience to her husband - but she was
326also a proud and intelligent princess of Spain.&amp;nbsp; She would never
327allow her dignity, or that of her daughter, to be destroyed.&amp;nbsp; In
328the end, this stubborn spirit did both her and Mary far more harm than
329good.&amp;nbsp; Katharine was undoubtedly truthful when she declared her
330marriage to Arthur unconsummated but the truth was cold comfort in the
331last years of her life.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
332 &lt;p&gt;Her final years were lonely and sad; the Spanish ambassador kept
333her informed of outside events and smuggled letters to her daughter,
334but she was often ill and at prayer.&amp;nbsp; The wrongs she had suffered
335from Henry filled her with sadness rather than anger.&amp;nbsp; Perhaps she
336was inspired by her motto, Humble and Loyal, for that is how she
337remained.&lt;/p&gt;
338 &lt;p&gt;She died at Kimbolton Castle on 7 January 1536, three weeks
339after her fiftieth birthday.&amp;nbsp; There were rumors that she had been
340poisoned.&amp;nbsp; But if Henry had been so inclined, he would have
341attempted it years before and spared himself much trouble.&amp;nbsp; A
342lingering illness and the psychological effects of her exile were the
343obvious causes.&amp;nbsp; She was buried at Peterborough Abbey with all the
344ceremony befitting the widow of the prince of Wales.&amp;nbsp; Henry did
345not attend the funeral; we do not know if he read Katharine's &lt;a
346 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
347him.&amp;nbsp; It was a love letter and she signed it 'Katherine the
348Queen'.&amp;nbsp; &lt;/p&gt;
349 &lt;p&gt;The tragedy of their annulment was that both he and Katharine
350were equally convinced of their causes.&amp;nbsp; For the modern reader,
351both arguments are persuasive.&amp;nbsp; It is an ironic footnote to her
352life story that Katharine, such a devoted and pious Catholic,
353unintentionally brought the Reformation to England.&amp;nbsp; &lt;br&gt;
354&amp;nbsp;&lt;/p&gt;
355 &lt;/blockquote&gt;
356 &lt;center&gt;
357 &lt;p&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;-1&quot;&gt;&lt;a
358 href=&quot;_httpextlink_&amp;amp;rl=1&amp;amp;href=http:%2f%2fenglishhistory.net%2ftudor%2fmonarchs%2fwives.html&quot;&gt;to the Six
359Wives main page&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/font&gt; &lt;br&gt;
360 &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
361Tudor England&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/font&gt;&lt;/p&gt;
362 &lt;p&gt;&lt;font size=&quot;-1&quot;&gt;&lt;a
363 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;
364 &lt;/center&gt;
365&lt;/blockquote&gt;
366
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369</Content>
370</Section>
371</Archive>
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