Today, I am concluding my examination of Catherine of Aragon’s pregnancies and what evidence we have for them from the primary sources.
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Catherine of Aragon’s Pregnancies Part 2: 1513 – 1518
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A bench belonging to Catherine of Aragon? – by John Roberts
Discovering new artefacts from Henry VIII’s era, and so far away from England, sounds highly unlikely, but I am an ex-Brit living on the west coast of Canada, and I think I may have found the ‘holy grail’ of pre-Elizabethan furniture.
I am a retiree, and in December 2016 I was looking for historical items for my daughter, Melanie, who had recently purchased a two-piece upright cupboard with 1703 among the carvings.
My latest find, a highly ornate wood-panelled bench, or settle (we’ll settle on the bench word from now on!), was at a weekly auction in Victoria, British Columbia, on Vancouver Island. It was described as 19th century, and I was the winning bidder at a hammer price of $725 Canadian (415 GBP).
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Catherine of Aragon’s Pregnancies Part 1: 1509 – 1511
As this week was the anniversary of Queen Catherine of Aragon giving birth to a still-born daughter in 1510, I thought I’d look at the primary source accounts we have of Catherine’s pregnancies.
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Katharine of Aragon Festival 2018
Every year, Peterborough Cathedral hosts the Katharine of Aragon Festival to commemorate the anniversary of Katharine’s burial at the cathedral, then Peterborough Abbey, on 29th January 1536. The Tudor-themed events are a wonderful way to pay tribute to Henry VIII’s first wife.
Here is the schedule of events:
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The Moot Virginity of Catherine of Aragon – 27 July 2017, London
We’ve just had an email from Tête à Tête: The Opera Festival regarding one of their productions which they thought would be of interest to our members, “The Moot Virginity of Catherine of Aragon”. Here are the details:
The Moot Virginity of Catherine of Aragon
Produced by The Belfast Ensemble9:15pm – 10:05pm | Thursday 27 July 2017
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Robin Howard Dance Theatre, The Place, 17 Duke’s Rd, London, WC1H 9PY -
Should Ferdinand of Aragon have insisted on Katherine’s return?
Thank you to Tudor Society member Angela for asking the question “Should Ferdinand of Aragon have insisted on Katherine’s return when Prince Arthur died?”. Historian Amy Licence, who is the author of “Catherine of Aragon: An Intimate Life of Henry VIII’s True Wife” has answered Angela’s question…
This is a complex question, because Katherine’s position in England fluctuated during the period of her widowhood between 1502 and 1509. Also, we have to consider the dual impulses in Ferdinand, as a father on one hand, and as a monarch on the other, playing on the international stage, on which all his children were pawns for the furtherment of the Spanish Empire. Out of Katherine’s parents, it was Isabella of Castile who played a more active role in terms of writing to Henry VII before and after her daughter’s wedding, so she was really the commanding figure of the pair until her death in 1505. We must be careful too, with the word “should,” because it is suggestive of hindsight. We know what an awful time Katherine was to have during her widowhood and later, at the hands of Henry VIII, but back then they didn’t know how things would turn out.
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Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon Crossword
As yesterday was the anniversary of the coronation of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon in 1509, we’re going to have some fun and exercise our brains with a Henry and Catherine-themed crossword – enjoy!
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Katherine of Aragon
Katherine of Aragon was born into the royal Spanish household on 16th December 1485, at the Archbishop’s Palace of Alcalá de Henares. She was the daughter of King Ferdinand II of Aragon and his illustrious wife, Isabella I of Castile. Katherine’s parents were the Catholic powerhouses of Western Europe during the late fifteenth century, therefore during her youth, the young Spanish princess would have envisioned the grand future that awaited her, with an ambitious marriage into an equally powerful European royal household.
At aged just three, her parents were in negotiations with the English king, Henry VII, for a suitable marriage to his son, Arthur. The Tudors had recently taken the throne after defeating the Yorkist Richard III at Bosworth in 1485, although their Lancastrian claimant to the throne was still vulnerable to usurpation. England required international support to ensure the legitimacy and security of their house. An Anglo-Spanish alliance would be vitally important for the country’s prosperity and position in European politics.
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The Women of the House of Trastámara: An Introduction
Thank you to regular contributor Heather R. Darsie for writing this introduction to the women of the House of Trastámara.
When thinking about the important players of the Renaissance, particularly during the reign of Henry VIII of England, one recalls the powerful families of the English Tudors, French Valois, and Burgundian Habsburgs. The family that is even more influential, even if quietly, is the overlooked Trastámaras of Spain. This family married into the Tudor, Valois, and Habsburg families, among others, and its reach was far. Who were they?
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The Moot Virginity of Catherine of Aragon, the Belfast Ensemble
Tudor Society member Ceri Creffield has kindly agreed to share with us her experience of seeing “The Moot Virginity of Catherine of Aragon” production which was performed by the Belfast Ensemble at the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff, South Wales.
Here is a description of the production from the theatre website:
“‘ALL THIS, ALL EUROPE, ALL UNDONE? …AND FOR WHAT? A SON?’
Europe divides in two. An act of teenage love could be the cause. Catherine of Aragon’s first wedding night with Henry VIII’s brother, Arthur comes into question in this no-nonsense music-theatre first. Did they? Didn’t they?
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31 January 1510 – Queen Catherine of Aragon gives birth to a stillborn daughter
On this day in history, 31st January 1510, Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII, gave birth to a stillborn daughter. It was her first pregnancy and she had been married to Henry for just over 7 months.
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Catherine of Aragon resources
As today is the anniversary of the birth of Catherine of Aragon on 16th December 1485, I thought I would share with you some book recommendations and resources for finding out more about Catherine.
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Katherine of Aragon Quiz
Rebecca’s quiz this week is on Katherine of Aragon, first wife and queen consort of King Henry VIII. How much do you know about this fascinating Tudor lady?
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Henry VIII’s six wives are as popular as ever – Conor Byrne
Henry VIII’s six wives are as popular as ever. In the 2016 History Hot 100 recently compiled by BBC History Magazine, no less than four of the notorious Tudor king’s consorts featured. Perhaps, unsurprisingly, wife number two Anne Boleyn finished highest, at number 4. Katherine Parr came in at number 31, Katherine of Aragon at 36, and Anne of Cleves at 38.
Tudormania, as coined by a Guardian article, is pervasive. The general public and historians alike cannot get enough of the Tudors. But our obsession with this colourful dynasty, by and large, centres on a handful of characters that dominate films, novels and articles. This confinement of our focus is starkly revealed in the Hot 100: the top Tudor figures are, unsurprisingly, Elizabeth I, Henry VIII, Anne Boleyn and Thomas Cromwell.
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Catherine of Aragon – A true maid?
In today’s Claire Chats, I talk about Catherine of Aragon, her marriage to Arthur Tudor and its implications in Henry VIII’s quest for an annulment of his marriage to Catherine.
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Katharine of Aragon’s Spain by Heather R. Darsie
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9 April 1533 – No Longer Queen by Sarah Bryson
On 9th April 1533, the Dukes of Norfolk and Suffolk accompanied by a delegation from King Henry VIII met with Queen Katherine of Aragon at her residence at Ampthill where she had been moved to in February. When they arrived they informed Katherine that she was no longer Queen of England, but from that day forward she had to style herself as the Dowager Princess of Wales. Katherine took the news with grace but refused neither to use the new title nor to believe that Henry’s marriage to Anne Boleyn was valid.
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Katharine of Aragon Festival 2016 – 28-31st January
Every year, Peterborough Cathedral, the resting place of Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII, put on a programme of events around the anniversary of her burial (29th January) known as the Katharine of Aragon Festival to commemorate her life.
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The Pregnancies of Katherine of Aragon by Sarah Bryson
Sadly, on this day in history, on the 9th of November 1518, Katherine of Aragon, first wife of King Henry VIII, gave birth to a stillborn girl.
There are very few surviving details of Katherine’s pregnancy but Venetian Ambassador Sebastian Giustinian wrote that “This night the Queen was delivered of a daughter, to the vexation of as many as know it;—the entire nation looked for a prince.” A later report in the Venetian archives stated that: “The Queen had been delivered in her eighth month of a stillborn daughter, to the great sorrow of the nation at large”.
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9 September 1513 – The Battle of Flodden
On the 9th September 1513, while Henry VIII was away, busy campaigning against the French, James IV and his Scottish troops crossed the border and challenged the English force, which was headed by Thomas Howard, the Earl of Surrey, at Flodden in Northumberland.
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23 June 1509 – Coronation procession of King Henry VIII and Queen Catherine of Aragon
On Saturday 23rd June, Henry VIII and his wife Catherine of Aragon left the Tower of London and made their way through the streets of London to Westminster on their coronation procession.
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The Procession and Pageants for the wedding of Catherine of Aragon and Prince Arthur
In today’s Claire Chats, I look at an event from Henry VII’s reign, the marriage of Catherine of Aragon and Arthur, Prince of Wales, and the pageantry involved in Catherine’s procession through London.
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Video – Claire at the Alhambra in Granada
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Catherine of Aragon’s Stillbirth on 31 January 1510 – The Primary Source
On this day in history, 31st January 1510, Queen Catherine of Aragon gave birth to a still-born daughter. Although she had lost her baby, Catherine’s abdomen stayed rounded and actually began to increase in size, leading her physicians to conclude that she was still pregnant with the twin of the baby she’d lost. This was not true.
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Video – The Annulment of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon’s Marriage
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Catherine of Aragon’s Black Heart and Poison: The Primary Sources
Following Catherine of Aragon’s death on the afternoon of 7th January 1536, her body was prepared for burial by a chandler in her household, whose job it would have been to embalm her body. Sir Edmund Bedingfield and Sir Edward Chamberlain wrote to Thomas Cromwell from Kimbolton on 7th January about the arrangements they had made:
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