(Cover image – © Unknown Artist – The National Portrait Gallery)
When the sixteen-year-old Catalina de Aragon stepped afoot Plymouth shores at 15:00 on 2nd October 1501, the infanta introduced not only a retinue of multicultural members of her household, but new traditions, languages, culture, and the latest Mediterranean styles.
Famed for being the first Queen of Henry VIII, Catalina (better known as Katherine) is frequently remembered for her feverous piety and stoicism throughout Henry’s ‘Great Matter.’ It is little wonder therefore, why her influence on Tudor fashion is frequently overlooked. Often attributed as the dowdy wife of unfulfilled and unforgiving King, we will explore Katherine’s considerable contributions to the evolution of the Tudor wardrobe and the way in which style was used to communicate.
A Spanish Princess:
To understand Katherine’s relationship with fashion and the impact this had on the English court, one must consider her illustrious upbringing. Out of all six wives, only two of Henry’s queens were from royalty. His fourth wife, Anna Von Cleve, and his first, Catalina de Aragon.
Catalina was the daughter of two of the most famous Catholic monarchs in European history- Isabela I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon- whose marriage established the kingdom of Spain in 1469. Despite this union, the couple never amalgamated their countries, meaning the pair ruled their own lands individually as separate entities.
Catalina, alongside her other sisters, was deemed a valuable tool in forging new dynastic alliances between Spain and the rest of Europe through the proposition of marriage. Thus, her image and education reflected such import.
Contrast to her own upbringing, Queen Isabela I of Castile insisted on all her children having a thorough and holistic education befitted for only the finest of leaders. Catalina and her siblings Juana, Juan, Isabela, and Maria were introduced to an array of humanistic teachings by their tutor Beatriz Galindo. The infanta was academically versed in history, geology, mathematics, philosophy, and law. She also studied poetry and classical literature, reading the works Juvencus and Prudentius and multiple church fathers. Furthermore, studied a myriad of languages including Castilian, Catalan, Leonese, and Galician Portuguese in addition to being fluent in both French and Latin. Katherine along with her sisters were also introduced to more traditional ‘feminine’ pastimes such as needlework, embroidery, stitching, hunting, and riding.
The Princess was well exposed to the luxuries of fashion throughout childhood. From an early age Catalina was taught that style served a purpose, playing a pivotal role in illustrating wealth and power. Much like celebrities of today, the royal household employed a 13th century version of a ‘style team’ consisting of tailors and shoemakers. Shoemakers Diego de Madrid and Diego de Valencia, made shoes for the princess from the age of two up until sixteen when she left for England.
Katherine possessed an assortment of blouses, skirts, farthingales, and coats lined in rabbit or cat fur. Accounts by an English envoy in March 1489 chronicling the Anglo-Spanish treaty of Medina del Campo illuminate this further. The treaty established an alliance between both England and Aragon/Castille where the marriage between infanta Catalina de Aragon and Arthur Prince of Wales was agreed. Discussions around trade and possibilities of fighting France were also brokered. Within the source material, the herald creates vivid depictions of the Spanish family and how they attended the treaty bedecked in precious jewels. Queen Isabela’s attire is described in considerable detail, on one occasion the matriarch was noted to be donning a gold dress adorned with gems in the shape of catholic paraphernalia. The three-year-old, flaxen haired, Catalina resting on her hips.
Princess of Wales and Queen of England:
It had been an arduous and perilous journey. Prince Arthur’s bride and England’s new Princess of Wales had left the warmth and comfort of her homeland on 21st May 1501 with the intention of becoming the next Queen of England. Queen of a dynasty still in its infancy. Queen of a land whose people cast doubt upon and questioned the legitimacy of the House of Tudor. One of the only tangible comforts Catalina could bring with her to this new world was her indeed her wardrobe.
Though the specific content of Catalina’s luggage on her travels to England have been lost to time, academics surmise that the princess brought a plethora jewels, books and embroidery. One distinct piece of clothing Katherine did definitely take with her, however, was shoes. A colossal and prodigious collection of shoes. Over one hundred pairs were made for Katherine to accompany her, which took Diego de Madrid and Diego de Valencia a whole year to produce. A portion of these were presented as gifts for members of the Tudor court. However, most of which Katherine kept for her own collection. Personal inventories from 1536 illuminate that Katherine had kept some of these pairs up until her death in January of that same year. As written in the accounts of Queen Isabela’s treasurer Gonzalo de Baeza, the princess’ footwear was unique in appearance and interestingly measured in fingers. With many ranging from three to five fingers high. A velvet slipper would have been worn underneath for comfort. It is likely her trousseau also included intricately embroidered chapines (cork-soled platforms), a common feature in Mediterranean regalia.
The fanfare of onlookers welcoming Arthur’s new bride to England may have been somewhat underwhelmed as Catalina donned a veil in addition to a coif and hat. All that could be seen by spectators of the enigmatic foreign bride was her long auburn hair that cascaded down across her shoulders. Nevertheless, members of Katherine’s entourage including her Doctor Licentiate Alcatraz highlighted that “she could not have been received with greater rejoicings, if she had been the Saviour of the World.”
One significant contribution Katherine made to the development of Tudor fashion was one that was not overtly seen, though undoubtedly influenced the silhouette of Tudor attire. Upon her arrival in England farthingales had been a staple in the Spanish wardrobe. Worn under the skirt and tied around the waist, the item was stiffened using whalebone, reeds or rope and had a circumference of nearly three meters. Katherine frequently wore these, particularly in the early years of her reign. However, the silhouette did not gain momentum until long after her death. Ironically, it was Elizabeth I, daughter of Anne Boleyn who famously adopted the iconic shape. Other notable royals who favoured the farthingale include Anne of Denmark and Queen Mary Stuart of Scotland.
Blackwork embroidery and needle work also gained momentum in the early Sixteenth century, synonymous with Katherine’s arrival from Spanish shores. It appears Katherine took onboard the teachings from childhood throughout her life, regularly embroidering her husband’s Henry’s shirts even after their separation, much to Anne Boleyn’s dismay.
Much like her mother Isabele, Katherine favoured rich and intense fabrics. The Queen undoubtedly knew how to wield the power of appearance, known for an illustrious catalogue of black, crimson, and gold velvet gowns adorned with pearls, rubies, and diamonds. Cloth of gold and silver were also frequent fabrics noted in her inventories and garments were often embroidered with red roses of England and Katherine wheels. So called ‘Sumptuary Laws’ were enforced throughout England since 1337, allowing the monarch of the time to dictate what types of garments, materials and colours an individual could wear based on their social rank. Katherine made her status clear to all, even to those who doubted her integrity and legitimacy as Queen. Most notably, during Henry VIII’s relentless pursuit for Anne Boleyn, the Queen decided to increase the expenditure of the Royal Wardrobe by fifty. A tactical measure to appeal to Henry (who equally adored fashion) and diminish what Katherine perceived as futile attempts to seize her queenship made by her lady-in-waiting and mistress Boleyn.
Katherine undoubtedly had the talent to merge both Spanish and English styles. In doing so, created a language that did not require words and was able to openly display her opinion and influence in a clear yet subtle way. Whilst Katherine was known to wear the rather awkward ‘Gable Hood’ otherwise known as the ‘English Hood’ as a means to illuminate her devotion as Queen to her new home and country, there were instances where she would adopt more Spanish headwear. Her attendance at the Field of Cloth meeting wearing a traditional Spanish headdress somewhat savagely illuminated to all attendees her displeasure with the newfound Anglo-French alliance.
Katherine’s contributions to Tudor evidence are clearly evidenced through the popularity in farthingales and blackwork embroidery. However, it could be argued that Katherine’s utilisation of fashion as means to send messages also influenced the way in which Tudor fashion was designed and utilised throughout the dynasty.
What do you think?
Does Katherine deserve more credit, or was she simply a woman of time using the resources available?
Until next time!
- Have a ‘Tudor-fic’ week!
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