Katharine of Aragon
The Later Life of the First Wife of Henry VIII, 1516-1536
Sep 9, 2009 Graidi Taylor-Rose
Following the birth of her daughter, Mary, in 1516 at the age of 31, it soon became clear that Katharine would be unable to produce a healthy male heir.
An Heir to the Tudor Throne
After Katharine discovered her husband's attempts to make his illegitimate son (by his mistress Bessy Blount) the legal heir to the throne, she fought to ensure her daughter's birth right was protected. Henry eventually sent Mary to Ludlow Castle as Princess of Wales and his official heir.
However, after failing to have his son pronounced heir and falling in love with one of Katharine's Ladies' in Waiting- Anne Boleyn- the King started to question the validity of his marriage.
The Divorce of Henry VIII and Katharine of Aragon
Following the loss of so many children, including two sons, the King started to study the Bible, claiming that his marriage had been cursed by God on the grounds of it's being incestuous. Finding support for his cause from a passage in the book of Leviticus, the King started to petition Pope Clement VII to declare the marriage invalid, thus rendering his daughter Mary illegitimate.
Katharine protested against the proposal, enlisting the assistance of her nephew, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor. Turning to close friends within the court, Katharine retained the support of the public and held fast to her position, declaring herself "the King's true and legitimate wife".
In front of a number of hearings, Katharine maintained her position, giving a now famous speech which declared that she was “a true maid” at the time of her marriage to Henry, before leaving the court and refusing to return.
Katharine was eventually exiled from court in 1531, being forced to live in a number of damp and unpleasant houses with few servants and little money to support herself. Contact between Katharine and her daughter was forbidden and the two could only communicate through letters smuggled in by sympathisers. In these letters, Katharine encouraged her daughter to remain steadfast to her position and remember that she was the rightful heir to the throne. Mary repeatedly refused to except Anne Boleyn as Queen of England or renounce her position.
With the Pope refusing to annul the marriage between Henry VIII and Katharine, the King broke away from the Catholic Church (known as The Reformation) and appointed himself the head of the new Church of England, annulling his first marriage and having his second marriage declared valid.
The Death of Katharine of Aragon
During her exile, Katharine spent most of her time in prayer and paying penitence, wearing a hair shirt and fasting. Throughout this time she continued to refer to herself as Queen and refused to answer to the title her husband had bestowed upon her- Dowager Princess of Wales.
In her last letter to the King, Katharine implored him to be a good father to Mary and ensure her servants were provided for financially. In her closing, Katharine declared "that mine eyes desire you above all things" before signing "Katharine, the Quene".
Katharine of Aragon died on 7th January 1536, aged 50. She was buried at Peterbourgh Abbey under the title Dowager Princess of Wales. Her funeral was not attended by the King, nor did he allow their daughter to attend. In the 20th Century, the final resting place of Katharine of Aragon was upgraded and now displays banners denoting her as a Queen of England.
For an account of the early life of Katharine of Aragon, click here.
Sources:
Letters of the Queens of England, Ed. Anne Crawford, (Sutton Publishing Ltd; New edition edition,Aug 2002)
Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII, David Starkey, (Vintage; New edition edition, Mar 2004)
A Treasure of Royal Scandles, Michael Farquhar, (Penguin Books, New York, 2001)
Katharine of Aragon
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