The unfortunate victim of what Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn “Our Matter” nobly fulfilled her role as Henry’s first queen. Queen Catherine of Aragon, beloved of the people and the pope, began life as a Spanish princess and was buried as the Dowager Princess of Wales, having fought for what was rightfully hers.
Catherine (or Katharine) was the youngest surviving child of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain, the Catholic Kings. She was born on 16 December 1485. Henry Tudor (Henry VII) married Elizabeth the daughter of the previous king, Edward IV. In 1486, they were blessed with the arrival of a male heir. The marriage of his son, Arthur, to a Spanish princess would further King Henry’s legitimacy, so when Catherine was three and Arthur not even two-years-old, the two were betrothed.
Catherine Becomes Princess of Wales
Catherine followed her siblings in significant marriage arrangements: her brother Juan and sister Joanna were both married to Hapsburgs, while her sisters Isabella and Maria would both marry the king of Portugal. Now, Ferdinand and Isabella would have a child on the throne of England. They could not ask for a better political alliance.
In 1501, when Catherine was sixteen, the princess traveled for three months to England, where she arrived 2 October. She and Arthur were married 14 November 1501 at the Old Paul’s Cathedral in London where she was escorted by her young brother-in-law, and future husband and king, Henry.
Just six months after their marriage, however, Arthur passed away, having fallen victim to the sweating sickness. However, Henry VII was interested in keeping the political alliance with Spain and Catherine’s dowry. His daughter-in-law therefore remained in England and fourteen months later was betrothed to his other son, Henry.
Catherine’s Betrothal and Marriage to Henry VIII
In 1505 the younger Henry was finally old enough for marriage, but by this time, his father the king was no longer enthused by the Spanish alliance and the betrothal was rescinded. However, when Henry VII died in 1509, one of the first actions performed by his son was to marry Catherine. She was named Queen of England at their joint coronation 24 June 1509.
The Children of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon
Henry VIII was eager to father a male heir, so it is no surprise that the couple’s first child was born in January 1510. It was stillborn, however, and to add insult to injury, the child was a girl.
The birth of Prince Henry was celebrated 1 January 1511. The infant was christened 5 January and lived for fifty-two days. Prince Henry’s passing was followed by at least one miscarriage and another son who lived for a very short time.
Finally, in February 1516, another viable infant was born: the princess Mary. She would live to adulthood and eventually follow in her father’s footsteps and become queen. It is likely that two other pregnancies occurred without issue after Mary’s birth, with the last recorded in 1518.
The Annulment of Henry VIII and Catherine’s Marriage
While Henry VIII had at least two mistresses during his marriage to Catherine—Bessie Blount and Mary Boleyn—he was devoted to Catherine, despite the fact that she had failed to bear a viable male heir. The trouble showed up in the form of Anne Boleyn in 1526 when Catherine was forty-two and conveniently, for Henry, past the age of fertility.
Having fallen in love with Anne Boleyn, the king petitioned the pope for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine, citing Leviticus’ warning in the Old Testament regarding the marriage of a man to his brother’s wife. Henry claimed that the couple’s lack of children was evidence of their sins. His daughter Mary, because she was a girl, did not factor into Henry’s definition of children.
Catherine would prove to be a stubborn adversary, however, once she caught wind of what was happening. Her nephew was Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor and a strong ally against Henry in supplication to the pope. Catherine maintained during the six years of political and legal debate that she and Arthur never consummated the marriage and so it was not a true marriage in the biblical sense. Catherine fought not only for her position, but also for Mary’s. If the marriage were annulled, Mary’s position was at stake as much as her mother’s.
In 1533, Anne Boleyn became pregnant and Henry, desperate to marry his mistress, having been assured that she carried a son, rejected the pope’s authority and employed the Archbishop of Canterbury, Thomas Cranmer in the annulment of his marriage to Catherine, at the same time beginning the English Reformation.
Demotion to Princess Dowager and the End of Catherine’s Life
Catherine was named by Henry the Princess Dowager of Wales, referring to her title from her first marriage. Catherine, however, would never accept the title and maintained that she was the true Queen of England for the rest of her life.
She was moved around to several unhealthy castles, but rarely complained of her treatment. On 7 January 1536, Catherine died at Kimbolton Castle and was buried at Petersborough Abbey in ceremonies for a princess dowager, not a queen.
Catherine of Aragon, “Humble and Loyal,” as her motto stated, held firm to her convictions and her faith. She possessed the dignity of a queen and the love of the English people even in her death.
Sources:
Eakins, Lara E. “Catherine of Aragon” from website: The Six Wives of Henry VIII. 1995-2009.
Hanson, Marilee. “Katharine of Aragon” from website: Tudor England 1485 to 1603. 1997.
Starkey, David. Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII. Harper Perennial, 2004.
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