Catherine of Aragon was born on December 16, 1485, at the Archbishop’s Palace at Alcala de Henares in Madrid, Spain.. She was the youngest child of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile. At the age of three, she was betrothed to Arthur, the eldest son of Henry VII of England. On November 14, 1501, Catherine and Arthur were married at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. They were then sent to Ludlow Castle, on the Welsh border. A few months later, both became ill, possibly with the sweating sickness. Catherine survived, but Arthur died in April 1502.
Catherine was now a widow and in the middle of a tug of war between her father and her former father-in-law. King Henry, not willing to return her dowry, offered his second son, Henry, as a husband. The younger Henry was five years younger than Catherine. The marriage was delayed until the younger Henry was older. Eventually, King Henry forced his son to repudiate betrothal. Catherine was given very little money and lived as a virtual prisoner at Durham House in London.
Queen of England
In 1509, King Henry VII died and his son became King Henry VIII. On June 11, 1509, Henry and Catherine were married at Greenwich Palace. On June 24, Henry and Catherine were crowned together in a double coronation.
Catherine was soon pregnant. In January 1510, she gave birth to a stillborn daughter. A son was born the next year. He lived for fifty-two days. Catherine lost two more sons before giving birth to a healthy daughter, Mary, on February 18, 1516. There were two more failed pregnancies, the last in 1518. Henry grew frustrated by the lack of a male heir. He had at least 2 mistresses during this time, Bessie Blount, who gave birth to his son, and Mary Boleyn.
The King's Secret Matter
By 1525, Henry had become enamored with Anne Boleyn, a lady-in-waiting to Catherine. He began to believe his marriage to Catherine was cursed. Leviticus 20:13 states that if a man marries the widow of his brother, then they shall be childless. Henry interpreted this to mean that there would be no male heir. He began to petition the pope for an annulment. When Catherine discovered Henry’s plan, she was very upset. She stated that her marriage to Arthur was never consummated and, thus, was not a true marriage. “The King’s Secret Matter” dragged on for six years.
In 1533, Anne Boleyn became pregnant. She and Henry were married in a secret ceremony. On May 23, 1533, Thomas Cranmer, now Archbishop of Canterbury, annulled Catherine’s marriage. Catherine was required to renounce her title and would be known as the Dowager Princess of Wales. Catherine was forced to leave Court and was separated from her daughter. She refused to renounce her title to the end of her life.
Catherine died on January 7, 1536, at Kimbolton Castle. She is buried in Peterborough Cathedral.
Selected Bibliography:
Fraser, Antonia. The Wives of Henry VIII. London: Random House, 1993.
Froude, James Anthony. The Divorce of Catherine of Aragon: The Story as Told by the Imperial Ambassadors Resident at the Court of Henry VIII. Boston: Adament Media Corp., 2005.
Mattingly, Garrett. Catherine of Aragon. Boston: Little Brown, 1941.
Starkey, David. Six Wives: The Queen of Henry VIII. New York: Harper Perennial, 2004.
Weir, Alison. The Six Wives of Henry VIII. New York: Grove Press, 1991.
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