(Cover image – © The Spanish Princess)
Queen Catalina de Aragón is, in my opinion, one of the most significant women in Tudor history, not because of her marriage to King Henry VIII but because of who she was as a woman and the achievements she had within her life. Whilst many might remember her as being the 'pious', 'boring', 'old' first wife of Henry VIII who was cast aside for a 'much younger woman', others might remember her for being the intelligent and optimistic daughter of Queen Isabel I of Castile, a warrior queen in her own right, or for her drive and determination to educate her daughter for future rule because she believed her daughter would become Queen of England one day...and she did; becoming Queen Mary I of England, the first Queen Regnant of England.
Whilst her relationships with her two husbands, Prince Arthur Tudor and King Henry VIII, her daughter Mary Tudor and her 'replacement' Anne Boleyn are heavily discussed, her relationships with her mother Queen Isabel I of Castile and Queen Juana of Castile are lesser known topics of discussion which is interesting considering that all three of them were Queens, all of them accomplished so much during their time and all three of them expected horrific infidelity from their husbands, though the latter was hardly uncommon during the Tudor period or at all during history.
Today marks the anniversary of Archbishop Thomas Cranmer officially annulling Catalina de Aragón's marriage to Henry VIII after 24 years of marriage on 23rd May 1533. By this point, Henry VIII had already married his second wife, Anne Boleyn, in January as she was expecting their first child, the future Elizabeth I, and would crown her as Queen of England in June 1533. And to mark this sad occasion, we spoke about the relationships Catalina had with her mother and sister with historian and specialist; Dr Emma Cahill Marrón!
Enjoy!
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Queen Isabel I of Castile was a fierce and sometimes frightening Queen whose marriage to King Fernando II of Aragón unified Spain and allowed her (and her husband) to drastically change and influence 15th century Spain. She was indeed very fortunate to bear her husband seven children, of which five survived into adulthood—Isabel; Juan, Prince of Asturias; Juana, the future Queen of Castile, María, and lastly, Catalina de Aragón. What was Queen Isabel’s thoughts and opinions towards motherhood prior and following the births of her seven children; was she interested in becoming a mother and did she like it?
Emma: I believe Queen Isabel I of Castile understood motherhood dually. On the one hand, she was a Catholic woman, and her faith made her aspire to get married and start a family. In the 15th century, this was one of the paths for a Christian woman. The other one was dedicating your life to God, but this was not an option for a woman who needed to perpetuate her lineage like she had to do. On the other hand, I think she understood that she was the reina propietaria in the Crown of Castile. This means that she was a ruling monarch, so her children were the continuation of her house and her dynasty. This made her son and daughters infantes of the realm. They had to fulfil their own destiny serving the House of Trastámara.
here are instances in which we can see this struggle between being a mother who wants to honor her children’s wishes, and the ambitious strategic Queen with imperialistic ideas. This is especially true with two of her daughters, Isabel, and Juana. After the death of her first husband, Isabel wanted to become a nun, but her parents did not allow it. In the case of Juana, her relationship with her husband Philip of Habsburg became very toxic. She was abused by him, and she became hostile to many of her parents’ interests and requests.
There is an interesting belief, and quite possibly an unfounded one, that Queen Isabel was abusive to her daughter Juana which left her mentally and physically scarred for the remainder of her life. Such claims have even been represented in fictional accounts of her life such as in The Spanish Princess where we also see Catalina reflect on the very loving and nurturing relationship she held with her mother. Is there any evidence that Isabel was abusive to Juana or her other children and if not, why is this belief so well spread and believed to be truth?
Emma: There is evidence that mother and daughter had a physical altercation when Juana wanted to leave Castile in 1503. Juana was heavily pregnant but wanted to be reunited with her husband in Flanders who had left without her. Queen Isabel was worried about Juana’s pregnancy. She sent orders to keep Juana in the Castle of La Mota en Medina del Campo. Juana understood this as forced imprisonment. She decided to protest by stepping outside one night in her undergarments in the cold. I think this scared Queen Isabel who finally decided to let Juana go to Flanders. Juana left shortly after 10 March when she had her son Fernando in Alcalá de Henares. She left the baby with her parents in Castile.
(Alba Galocha Vallejo and Philip Andrew as Juana and Philip the Fair in The Spanish Princess)
As mentioned above, in The Spanish Princess, we see Catalina reflect on her own relationship with her mother, Queen Isabel, although a large majority of it has been dramatized, exaggerated and/or completely made up. What was Catalina’s relationship with her mother like in comparison to her sister; did she admire her mother’s strength and independence within her marriage to King Ferdinand and did she learn from her mother’s mistakes (in regard to her public outrage towards her father’s infidelity) to act more dignified and graceful?
Emma: Contemporary accounts describe Catalina de Aragón (y Castilla) being very similar to her mother Isabel. This was both physically and in character. However, in the summer of 1514 Margaret of Austria’s ambassador mentioned that he had found the Queen of England strikingly opposite in appearance and demeanour to her sister Juana. We do have accounts of Catalina showing how painful infidelity was to her. She also used strong language and had different instances of exasperation during the divorce proceedings. But these were encounters with courtiers not public occasions. Publicly, Isabel and Catalina showed support and respect for Fernando and Henry’s private matters. This attitude was a strategy to gain power as a consort since a Queen had to be above all chaste to be virtuous. Both women played this role publicly but expressed their disagreement in other contexts. In the case of Juana, the confrontation with Philip finally became public and it also had a political element in their joint rulership and his authority in Castile. This played against her and her ability to gain support to rule like Isabel had with Fernando.
We hear so little in regard to the relationships that Catalina shared with her older siblings, since her relationships with both her husbands, Prince Arthur Tudor and King Henry VIII, are viewed as more significant and interesting. What do we know of the relationship between the two sisters and why do you believe we have seen such little representation of this relationship over the years?
Emma: I think the main reason is that the Spanish sources are extremely underused. Most Tudor books do not reference original documents from the Spanish archives. There is a disconnection between Catalina’s upbringing in Spain and her role as Princess of Wales in the Tudor court. There is a lot of work that has been published in recent years about the relationship between these sisters, but it’s mostly in Spanish. I believe we are in a turning point now so I’m hopeful for the future.
Something that I find quite odd is the belief that Queen Isabel hated her daughter Juana and much preferred her younger, more obedient, daughter Catalina. It is believed that Juana acted out as a young woman and that made her strict, pious mother despise her, is there any truth to this belief?
Emma: I think Isabel and Ferdinand did prefer their youngest daughter; in the case of the king, he openly expressed this in a letter to Catalina. We must understand the extremely difficult position Isabel was in as a woman in power. Juana’s extreme behaviour was seen as a reflection of her ability to manage her household. Since she became incapable of controlling her, she could be viewed as a weak ruler. Juana’s explosive personality often frightened servants. By contrast, the Princess of Wales was a collected person. She had a calm, cheerful demeanour, and she was extremely observant and intelligent. Above all, she was extremely loyal to her parents while Juana chose Philip. It is important to remember that Fernando of Aragón and Philip of Habsburg became mortal enemies. The Princess of Wales was involved in the feud when the King and Queen of Castile arrived in the Tudor court in 1506. While she was plotting against Philip in England, she presented herself as family in public. She was very strategic and throughout her life she proved to be more about long-term goals than short-term victories. She once confessed to Valencian Humanist Juan Luis Vives that she believed to be a Stoic.
All three of these Queens are respected and were influential in their own right, can you name what, in your mind, were the greatest accomplishments of Queen Isabel, Queen Catalina and Queen Juana in their lifetime as well as one unknown fact about each for our readers?
Emma: Isabel I of Castile is the first powerful ruling Queen of the Renaissance. She also became the founder of the Spanish Monarchy and its global empire. She is an iconic historical figure in women’s history and a true example of female determination. She triggered a cultural revolution that her daughter Catalina continued in Tudor England.
Juana I of Castile ruled briefly with her husband Philip I before being imprisoned in 1509 until her death in 1555. She embodies the complexity of female rulership in the Renaissance. Her spouse did not understand joined power like her father Fernando of Aragón did. Her life was thrown into chaos when she tried to defend her position as reina propietaria against her ambitious husband.
Catalina of Aragón (and Castile) or Catherine of Spain, Queen of England, represents the continuation of the revolution in female rulership started by her mother in the Iberian Peninsula. She became the educator of the first English princess trained to rule using an innovative Humanistic programme. Princess Mary Tudor (and Trastámara) became the first woman to be crowned and anointed Queen Regnant in her own right becoming Mary I of England in 1553. In homage to her mother, as ruler she chose the motto VERITAS TEMPORIS FILIA and the pomegranate as one of her personal badges.
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You can find Emma via the following links:
Are there any other figures in Tudor history you would like us to discuss?
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Until next time!
- Have a ‘Tudor-fic’ week!
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