Defending Katharine of Aragon

Many may know of the first wife of Henry VIII. My you know the character from the Showtime Original, The Tudors. Fewer know the real-life woman who fought for her position and loved a man who had paid her so much cruelty.

Born Catalina Infante of Spain, to King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabelle of Castile, on December 16, 1485. She was the youngest child of the King and Queen to survive to adulthood. Catalina was born to the house of Trastamara. Her parents negotiated for a good marriage for their daughter. Well, they negotiated for good alliance they could benefit from. At the time, I doubt Catalina really cared, she was just three years old. She probably just wanted to play. After finalizing the marriage contract with Henry VII, the King of England, for Catalina to marry Henry’s eldest son Arthur. The children were betrothed in a ceremony with proxies. Proxies being people who would stand in for the child who was not in the country. Catalina grew up knowing that one day she would have to leave her beloved home to journey to her new life in England as the future queen. At age 15, the day had come. Catalina said goodbye to all that she knew and loved. The journey to meet her soon-to-be husband was full of delays and course changed. There had been a plan for the ship to dock closest to London, but bad weather forced a landing at Plymouth. The nobles of Plymouth quickly got together and escorted the Princess to Exeter. Early November, Catalina finally arrived in London. Catalina married Arthur, Prince of Wales, on November 14,1501. After weeks of celebrations, the couple left London to travel to Ludlow Castle in the Welsh Marshes. After arriving, the couple was plagued by illness for most of the short marriage. Arthur died April 2, 1502. The couple was married for less than six months. During these times, consummation of a marriage was not up to the couple. Advisors would make the determination of when it would be appropriate. First, Catalina and Arthur had to get a special dispensation from the Pope to marry before their coming of age. The advisors did not want them to consummate before they were old enough, so the date was pushed back. After they were sure they were well enough, the advisors set the consummation date. Then Arthur fell ill again, and Catalina was secluded from her husband.

Defense #1: The couple was not permitted the time.

When Arthur died it was customary for the Catalina to not attend the funeral. She could not attend even if she had been permitted. Catalina had been confined to her bed with the same illness that had made her a widow. When she was well enough to travel, Catalina returned to London. Catalina started a period in her life of uncertainty. Her parents started a new negotiation with Henry VII for a marriage between their daughter and Prince Henry, the new Prince of Wales. Ferdinand and Isabella did not want to lose the much beneficial alliance with England. On June 25,1503, the official betrothal of Catalina and Prince Henry was certified. Due to the contract, Catalina had no personal income, so she was utterly dependent on the “kindness” of Henry VII.

Once again, Catalina needed to obtain a dispensation to marry Henry, since she had been married to his brother. The Pope did not answer right away. While waiting the dispensation, Catalina fell ill. It was certain that she would die. In October 1504, a new Pope granted the dispensation. Henry VII had become weary of waiting and quietly started considering a “better match” his son. He cut off Catalina’s allowance, making it difficult for Catalina to par her staff. Catalina’s financial situation forced her to give up her court at Durham House and join the court in London.

Catalina was stuck in the precarious position of a pawn in the fight between her father and Henry VII. She did not know what was to happen to her and she was afraid that her childbearing years were slipping away. As the kings fought, Catalina fought illness and fretted over finances. During this time Henry and Catalina had become very close. As a romance was blooming, Henry VII became worried. He decided to send Catalina from London to separate the pair. Henry took the throne after his father’s death. June 1509, now King Henry VIII, Henry went to Catalina’s private apartments. He dismissed her servants and purposed to the Princess. In Broken English, she had not learned much of the language despite being in the country since 1501, she accepted. June 11,1509, they pair married and Catalina could finally fulfill the promise from all those years ago. She decided that, as Queen, she should have a more “English” name. She changed her name to Katharine. Yes, that is how it is supposed to be spelled. This is how she signed her name on letters and how it is spelled on her grave.

It has been suggested that Katharine faked losing her virginity to Henry. The arguments include her squeezing a “bag” of blood and she cut her foot to produce the blood on the sheets. The sheets had been saved and later examined. If she had squeezed anything, the blood would have been on her hand and someone would have noticed. When her ladies were interviewed, they made no mention of blood on either of her hands. Cutting her foot seems unlikely as well. One, cutting her foot would have been painful and a serious risk. She could have gotten an infection or cause serious damage. Once again, no mention of such event was reported by her ladies. There would have been a scar on one of her feet. No scar reported. No limp caused by possible damage of cutting of the foot improperly.

Defense #2: The sheets were bloody, and no reasonably explanation, other than she had been a virgin that night, has been presented.

Katharine was a devout Catholic her whole life. Her parents had been “defenders of the faith”, recognized by the Pope, for their ongoing war to expel the Moors from Spain. Rarely had she missed mass and she prayed several times a day. Her faith was foremost in her mind. She knew that lying, especially to the Pope, was a sin and would send her straight to Hell.

Defense #3: Katharine would not have risked her soul for a marriage.

Henry knew the truth and he knew that there was no way he could when with the Pope. His defense was dependent on a piece of scripture about not marrying a brother’s wife. However, in those days a marriage had to be consummated in order to be validated. Knowing this, Henry saw one solution and the behest of Anne Boleyn. He broke from Rome and started his own church with him as the Head. Enter the Church of England. With the Divorce granted under the new church, Henry cast Katharine aside after 24 years of marriage. All because no son had survived, after at least six pregnancies. They did have a living daughter but that was not good enough for Henry.

Katharine was sent way and ended up at Kimbolton Castle. Days before her death, Katharine dictated letters to her daughter and Henry. She begged Henry to take care of their daughter. The one he had forbade from seeing her mother because neither would agree that the marriage was illegal, making Mary a “bastard” child. A “bastard” child being a child born out of wedlock. Katharine also included in her letter to Henry her undying love for the King, no matter how much misery he had caused her. She also asserted her rightful place as the Queen and that she was his lawful wife in the eyes of God. On January 7,1536, Katharine drew her last breath in the arms of her friend, Maria de Salinas.