Catalina de Aragón: Henry’s First Queen | Interview with Clemmie Bennett

Out of all of Henry VIII's Queens, the label of 'the boring old wife' is still attached to his first wife; Catalina de Aragón, a woman who dedicated twenty-four years of her life to being a loyal, graceful and dignified queen and wife to Henry VIII. More often or not, her influence and importance to history is diminished to her inability to provide her husband with a male heir to continue his dynasty and the fact that she was abandoned by him for a younger woman of lower status.

However, Catalina de Aragón was more than just the 'wife who failed' or the 'abandoned old crone' that she is remembered as today. How often are we reminded today of her sophisticated political skills or the fact that she was the first female ambassador for Spain in England or that she successfully defended England from a Scottish invasion whilst her husband was at war and also being heavily pregnant at the time? No–it is her failures and faults that history favors more, rather than celebrating her worth as a woman and as a queen consort.

History has a habit of diminishing important women through sexualization, overshadowing and a blatant disregard of their accomplishments. After all, some of history's most important events or inventions were either created or aided by women whose contributions are credited to women. Catalina de Aragón is one of these women and that is why I am so excited to welcome today's podcast guest, the talented Clemmie Bennett to discuss Catalina de Aragón and why we should remember her as more than just Henry VIII's first wife.

Clemmie is a Tudor historian and the author of the fantastic historical novel The Apple and The Tree which takes place in the early years of Henry VIII's reign and features a time travelling female protagonist who must learn how to survive or she might find her way to the chopping block.

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