(Cover image – © Unknown Artist – The National Portrait Gallery)
So, everyone knows the story of Henry VIII, the famous Tudor King who married six times, divorced two wives, chopped the heads off of two others, gained a lot of weight despite being deviously handsome in his youth, however…
…Not an awful lot is known – or at least talked – about his wives and the lives they led before they became famous Queens of England. Nonetheless, unlike the history books, this blog is completely focused on the lives of the women who surrounded Henry during his lifetime and what better place to start than with his first wife – the strong-willed, deeply devoted Spanish Catholic; Catherine of Aragon?
. . .
Born Catalina de Aragon – Catherine of Aragon in the English tongue – on 16th December 1485 to Spanish monarchs; King Ferdinand II of Aragon and Queen Isabella I of Castile, Catherine was their fourth daughter and fifth surviving child. Considering the fact that Isabella had previously had a stillborn daughter just three years before Catherine, her birth would have brought both Isabella and her husband great joy, despite the fact that Ferdinand wanted a second son – the ‘spare to the heir’, goes the traditional saying.
That does not mean to say, of course, that her parents did not celebrate her birth and dote on her like her sisters before her. No, all the sources surrounding Catherine’s birth speak of how thrilled and grateful the King and Queen were to be blessed with another living child, a daughter who would surely bring them important alliances through an arranged marriage in the future, as most princesses were expected to.
In fact, just a few days after her birth, Catherine – dressed in a ‘christening gown of white brocade lined with velvet with a gold lace trim’ – was blessed and baptised by the Bishop of Palencia. This event would have been extremely important to the Spanish as the King and Queen were engaged in a war during the time of her birth and for most of her early years – meaning that it would have been considered a luxury for the young Catherine to be baptised.
As the war continued on for the first five or so years of her life, Catherine’s early life would have been quite difficult, considering she would have moved quite a bit to follow her siblings and her parents as Isabella wanted to maintain a strong presence in her young children’s lives – even during the harsh times of war. It was Catherine’s early experiences with war – having witnessed the surrender of the Moors in Granada – that would help to shape her ability to assist her future husband, King Henry VIII of England, with any diplomatic and militaristic issues that he experienced during his early years as King. But we will discuss this in later posts.
This did not mean, by any means, that Catherine was not taught the ways of royal life or that her early life compromised her appeal as a potential bride, no – quite frankly, her mother’s opinion on female education set her apart from other princesses her age.
With Isabella’s firm belief that not just her son but her daughters should receive the finest education, Catherine – as well as all her siblings – received the best education that a woman could receive during the 1490s. Whilst she received – to some degree – a typical education of a woman in the 15th century, by learning skills that would allow her to be a dutiful wife and mother such as; how to run a household, needlework, learning music and dancing as well as proper etiquette for a lady and so on), she also received an education in the finer things in life.
Catherine – on the insistence of her mother – was taught other skills such as hunting, Latin (the language of diplomacy of the time – only taught to boys, which set her apart from her competition, so to speak), she was also given a Humanist education (history, poetry, law etc.,) but the most important aspect of her education was her lessons in religion.
As we will explore later on, Catherine was a devout Catholic and her religion was something she valued above all; something that she shared with her mother, Isabella – a devout Catholic, also. It was Catherine’s early childhood and her fine education that set her apart from other women of her time – both in a positive and negative light, as women of high intelligence could either be seen as a valued asset by their husbands or a downfall, as it meant conflict could arise between the married couple.
But the question is; did Catherine’s unique and unusual education enable or hinder her ability to act as a dutiful and successful wife and queen in her future years?
And did her mother, through her determination to give her children a better chance at life, help her daughter become one of the most famous Queens of England in all of history – or was it her ‘failed’ marriage to Henry VIII that provided her with – somewhat – immortal fame?
- Have a ‘Tudor-fic’ week!
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