In my latest video, I unravel the heartbreaking saga of Catherine of Aragon’s relentless quest to provide Henry VIII with a male heir, which saw her experiencing six pregnancies between 1509 and 1518, and losing five children.
[Read More...]YOUR SEARCH UNCOVERED 565 RESULTS
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Catherine of Aragon’s Heartbreak: The Lost Babies of a Queen
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June 25 – Catherine of Aragon and Prince Henry get betrothed
On this day in Tudor history, 25th June 1503, seventeen-year old Catherine of Aragon became betrothed to the nearly twelve-year old Prince Henry, second son of King Henry VII.
Catherine had been widowed in April 1502 when her husband, Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, eldest son of Henry VII, died. The king was keen to keep hold of her dowry so negotiated with her parents, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, for her to marry his second son.
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June 18 – Catherine of Aragon appears at the Legatine Court
On this day in Tudor history, 18th June 1529, Catherine of Aragon made her first appearance at the special legatine court which had opened at Blackfriars on 31st May to hear Henry VIII’s case for an annulment of their marriage.
The couple had been summoned to appear on 18th, but only Catherine appeared, Henry sent proxies.
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Catherine of Aragon – The Case for Non-consummation by Amanda Glover
Thank you to Amanda Glover for writing this guest article for us on the question of whether Catherine of Aragon's marriage to Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, was consummated.The story
More than 500 years ago two teenagers married. Only four and a half months later the boy sadly died. Since then, historians have hotly debated whether the marriage was ever consummated.
The girl was called Catalina, known in England as Catherine of Aragon, and the boy was Arthur, Prince of Wales, heir to the fledgling dynasty of the Tudors.
But why was the question of the consummation so important?
When Arthur died so tragically young, his ten-year-old brother, Henry became the heir to his father’s crown. In 1509, eight years after Arthur’s demise, the 17-year-old Henry ascended the throne as Henry VIII on the death of his father, Henry VII. One of his first acts was to marry Catherine, having obtained Papal dispensation, a necessity in the eyes of the Church because of Catherine’s first marriage to Arthur, which made the new couple “related”.
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An update on the bench with links to Catherine of Aragon
Thank you to John Roberts for this update - click here for John's original article.
Tudor Society followers from four years ago may remember this historic bench and its many references to Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon.
Many notable historians of ancient furniture, including Jonathan Foyle, have determined that the bench displays woodworked artistry from between the 16th-19th centuries, so the question now remains, why were talented craftsmen adding on to a work of art rather than creating one?
The penny dropped early one morning this week with the theory that it's not the BENCH that is the main study here but the HEADBOARD!
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January 5 – The Christening of Henry, Duke of Cornwall, son of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon
On this day in Tudor history, Sunday 5th January 1511, the lavish christening of Henry, Duke of Cornwall, took place in the Chapel of Observant Friars at Richmond, in Surrey.
The little duke had been born on New Year’s Day at Richmond Palace on New Year’s Day. He was the son of King Henry VIII by his first wife, Catherine of Aragon, and news of the prince’s birth had been met with bonfires, wine being given out to the citizens of London, and processions.
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November 8 – William Blount, 4th Baron Mountjoy, Catherine of Aragon’s chamberlain and a friend of scholars
On this day in Tudor history, 8th November 1534, in the reign of King Henry VIII, William Blount, 4th Baron Mountjoy, died at Sutton on the Hill in Derbyshire.
Mountjoy was a courtier, scholar and literary patron, and he had a wonderful court career. He helped organise the young Henry VIII’s education, he served as Master of the Mint and chamberlain to Queen Catherine of Aragon, and he was close friends with the renowned humanist scholar, Erasmus.
In his position as chamberlain to Queen Catherine of Aragon, who had been set aside by Henry VIII, Mountjoy had to break bad news to her.
Find out all about Lord Mountjoy, his career and life…
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November 6 – Arthur Tudor meets Catherine of Aragon for the first time
On this day in Tudor history, 6th November 1501, just eight days before their marriage, Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, eldest son of King Henry VII, met Catherine of Aragon, daughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile.
The couple met at Dogmersfield in Hampshire.
Arthur and Catherine had already had a proxy marriage but had never met.
Let me tell you more about the lead-up to their meeting on 6th November 1501, including Catherine’s journey from Spain to England, how their first meeting went and what happened next…
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Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon Quiz
I thought we’d celebrate Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon’s wedding anniversary, which was yesterday, by testing your knowledge of them and their marriage.
Get those little grey cells working with this fun quiz and do feel free to share your score.
Good luck!
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June 11 – St Barnabas Day, Sir Anthony Cooke, and Henry VIII gets married to Catherine of Aragon
Today, 11th June, is the Feast of St Barnabas, a feast day that was celebrated by the Tudors by decorating churches with garlands of flowers.
Find out more about St Barnabas and how he was commemorated in medieval and Tudor times…
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June 5 – A favourite in trouble, a silkworm expert and Catherine of Aragon’s best friend
On this day in Tudor history, 5th June 1600, Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex, was in a spot of bother. Even though he was usually one of Elizabeth I’s favourite, Devereux was charged with insubordination. Oh dear.
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April 9 – A demotion for Catherine of Aragon and the death of Richard Bertie
On this day in Tudor history, 9th April, Catherine of Aragon, who’d been banished from the royal court, received a visit from a delegation of the king’s councillors. They were there to inform her that she was no longer queen.
Catherine was a tough cookie, though. Even when she was threatened by the king, she did not submit…
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March 27 – Arrangements are made for Prince Arthur to marry Catherine of Aragon and Reading the Bible in church could get you into trouble
On this day in Tudor history, 27th March 1489, the Treaty of Medina del Campo was signed between England and Spain.
One part of it was the arrangement of the marriage between Arthur, Prince of Wales, and Catherine (or Catalina) of Aragon. It was signed by Spain on this day and ratified in 1490 by Henry VII.
Find out more about this treaty and the betrothal and marriages (yes, plural!) of Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, and Catherine of Aragon in this talk…
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March 23 – The last abbey is dissolved and the Pope issued a bull proclaiming Catherine of Aragon to be England’s true queen
On this day in Tudor history, 23rd March 1540, Waltham Abbey, an Augustinian house in Essex, was surrendered to the Crown.
It was the last abbey to be dissolved in Henry VIII and Thomas Cromwell’s dissolution of the monasteries.
Find out more about this historic abbey, its origins and what’s left today, and also who profited from its lands, in this talk…
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22 February – Marie de Guise, who avoided marrying Henry VIII, and Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII lose their baby boy
On this day in Tudor history, 22nd February 1540, twenty-four-year-old Marie de Guise, or Mary of Guise, queen consort of King James V of Scotland, was crowned queen at Holyrood Abbey.
Did you know that Henry VIII was keen on making Marie de Guise his fourth wife? She declined, saying that her neck was small! Instead, she married James V.
Marie was, of course, the mother of Mary, Queen of Scots, and you can find out more about her in this talk…
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31 January – The great devil of all and Catherine of Aragon loses a baby girl
On this day in history, 31st January 1606, Gunpowder Plot conspirators Thomas Winter, Ambrose Rookwood, Robert Keyes, and Guy Fawkes were executed for treason at the Old Palace Yard, Westminster.
Two of them cheated the executioner and crowd by leaping at the gallows, but they still had awful ends.
Hear a contemporary account of their executions, including what they did and said, in this talk…
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29 January – Queen Anne Boleyn miscarries and the burial of Catherine of Aragon
On this day in Tudor history, 29th January 1536, the same day that Catherine of Aragon was buried at Peterborough Abbey, Queen Anne Boleyn, second wife of King Henry VIII suffered a miscarriage.
Contemporary accounts state that she was around 3 1/2 months pregnant and that it was a boy.
In this talk, I share information given by the imperial ambassador on Anne Boleyn’s miscarriage, including the gossip concerning the king and a certain Jane Seymour.
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8 January – Mary Shelton, Anne Boleyn’s cousin and lady, and Henry VIII celebrates news of Catherine of Aragon’s death
On this day in Tudor history, 8th January 1571, Mary Shelton (married names: Heveningham and Appleyard) was buried at Heveningham Church, Suffolk.
Mary Shelton was Queen Anne Boleyn’s cousin and lady-in-waiting, and may also have been King Henry VIII’s mistress. She also contributed to the Devonshire Manuscript with the likes of Mary Howard, Lady Margaret Douglas and Lord Thomas Howard.
Find out more about Mary Shelton in this talk…
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7 January – “You shall find Calais lying in my heart” and the death of Catherine of Aragon
On this day in Tudor history, 7th January 1558, in the reign of Queen Mary I, England lost Calais to the French.
It was a devastating blow as Calais had been held by England for over 200 years and was an important port for English wool exports. Mary I was said to have exclaimed ““When I am dead and opened, you shall find ‘Philip’ and ‘Calais’ lying in my heart”.
Find out exactly what happened in this talk…
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1 January – Catherine of Aragon has a son, and Henry VIII meets Anne of Cleves
On 1st January 1540, Henry VIII met Anne of Cleves for the very first time.
This meeting between King Henry VIII and the woman who would soon become his fourth wife, was a bit of a disaster, but exactly how much of a disaster was it? The accounts differ and Claire shares with you two slightly different contemporary accounts, one given in a chronicle and one shared in the annulment proceedings a few months later in 1540.
What happened on New Year’s Day 1540 at Rochester?
Find out all about Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves’ first meeting in this talk…
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16 December – The death of George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent, and the birth of Catherine of Aragon
On this day in Tudor history, 16th (or possibly the 18th) December 1503, George Grey, 2nd Earl of Kent, died at Ampthill, Bedfordshire.
Grey served as a soldier under Henry VII, was on the king’s council, and served him as Constable of Northampton Castle and as a judge at the trial of Edward, Earl of Warwick in 1499.
He was also married to a sister of Elizabeth Woodville.Grey also managed to retain royal favour on Henry VII’s accession even though he’d been rewarded by Richard III.
Find out more about George Grey in this talk…
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30 November – Elizabeth I’s Golden Speech, and Henry VIII gets told off by Catherine of Aragon AND Anne Boleyn
On this day in Tudor history, 30th November 1601, sixty-eight-year-old Queen Elizabeth I delivered her famous Golden Speech to the House of Commons.
In this final speech to Parliament, Elizabeth spoke of her position as Queen and her love and respect for her realm, her people, and for her members of Parliament. It was a speech that brought many of those listening to tears. It was obviously a very heartfelt speech by a queen who truly loved her people.
In today’s talk, I share Elizabeth I’s Golden Speech along with some beautiful portraits of the queen.
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14 November – Bad Signs for Culpeper and Lady Rochford, and Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon get married but not to each other
On this day in Tudor history, 14th November 1541, an inventory was taken of “the goods and chattels, lands and fees of” Thomas Culpeper, a groom of King Henry VIII’s privy chamber and a man who had been having secret meetings with Catherine Howard, Henry VIII’s fifth wife.
An inventory had also been taken of the possessions of Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, wife of the late George Boleyn, a woman who had allegedly helped the queen meet with Culpeper.
But what was going on in November 1541 and what was listed in these inventories?
Find out more in this talk…
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9 November – The Northern Rebellion against Elizabeth I and the birth of the stillborn daughter of Catherine of Aragon
This day in Tudor history, 9th November 1569, is the traditional date given for the start of the only major armed rebellion of Elizabeth I’s reign. It’s known as The Northern Rebellion or Rising of the North or Revolt of the Northern Earls.
Northern earls Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland and Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland, led this uprising against Elizabeth I, seeking to depose her, replace her with Mary, Queen of Scots, and restore Catholicism.
But what happened?
Find out about the 1569 Northern Rebellion and the fate of the Northern Earls in this talk…
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6 November – Catherine of Aragon met her betrothed for the first time and Catherine Howard was abandoned by Henry VIII
On this day in Tudor history, 6th November 1501, Catherine of Aragon, daughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, met her betrothed, Arthur, Prince of Wales, eldest son of King Henry VII, at Dogmersfield in Hampshire.
The couple were actually already married by proxy, but had never met, and Catherine had only just arrived in England.
Find out more about the lead-up to Catherine of Aragon and Arthur Tudor’s meeting on 6th November 1501, including Catherine’s journey from Spain to England, how their meeting went and what happened next, in this talk…
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27 September – Margaret Beaufort’s first husband and Catherine of Aragon sets sail from Spain
On this day in history, 27th September 1442, in the reign of King Henry VI, John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk, was born.
He may have been born in the Plantagenet period, but Suffolk’s first wife was Lady Margaret Beaufort, the future mother of Henry VII. Suffolk went on to serve Henry VII loyally, although his son was involved in the Lambert Simnel Rebellion.
Find out more about John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk, his life and career, and what happened with his marriage to Lady Margaret Beaufort…
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Did Catherine of Aragon and Arthur Tudor consummate their marriage?
Catherine of Aragon and Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, were married from 14th November 1501 until Arthur’s death on 2nd April 1502, but did they consummate their marriage? They certainly slept in the same bed, but did Catherine of Aragon and Arthur Tudor have sex?
Find out what people said at the Legatine court hearing in 1529 and the Zaragoza hearing in 1531, and what Catherine claimed, in this talk…
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Facebook Live reminder – Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon’s marriage Part 2 – Friday 16 July
I just wanted to remind you that I’m doing a Facebook Live talk tomorrow. This is the second part of my look at Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon’s marriage and will take us from the start of the Great Matter in 1527 to Catherine’s death in 1536.
Here are the times in different time zones. If your time zone isn’t listed you can use https://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/converter.html to convert the London time to your zone.
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25 June – Catherine of Aragon and Prince Henry are betrothed
On 25th June 1503, the widowed Catherine of Aragon got betrothed to Prince Henry, second son of King Henry VII.
Find out more about this, the plans for their marriage, and what happened, in this edition of #TudorHistoryShorts…
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18 June – Catherine of Aragon protests
On this day in Tudor history, 18th June 1529, Catherine of Aragon made her protest at the Blackfriars legatine court. What was she protesting about? What were the grounds of her appeal?
Find out in today’s #TudorHistoryShorts video…
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