Catherine of Aragon – Queen at last (Part four)

Read part three here.

The following years were difficult for Catherine. Prince Henry formally renounced his betrothal to her, but it is unclear how much she knew about that. She was certainly aware that no wedding was being planned. Her household was disbanded in 1505, and she was moved from Durham House to a corner of Richmond Palace. She was soon in financial trouble as she did not receive a high enough income to have a standard of living. She wrote to the Spanish ambassador about the “misery in which she lived.”¹

In 1506, she briefly met her sister, Joanna, and her brother-in-law, Philip, who had been forced to land in England because of the storm. Catherine had not seen Joanna in ten years, and they only had a little time together. It was the last time they would see each other, and Joanna and Philip were soon back on their way to Castile. Meanwhile, her financial situation was becoming more strained. She wrote to her father, “Things here become daily worse and my life more and more unsupportable, I can no longer bear this in any manner… It is impossible for me any longer to endure what I have gone through and am still suffering from the unkindness of the King and the manner in which he treats me…”²

Things finally changed when King Henry VII died on 21 April 1509. Prince Henry now became King Henry VIII. Catherine was presumably at Richmond Palace when the King died there, but his death had been kept a secret for three days. In early May, the Spanish ambassador learned that the new King intended to marry Catherine and King Ferdinand wrote that he was thankful to hear of it as he loved Catherine “more than any of his other children.”³

Catherine and Henry were married at Greenwich on 11 June 1509, and she finally became Queen of England. In stark contrast with her first wedding night, there was no doubt that this second marriage was fully consummated. On 23 June 1509, she and Henry had a joint coronation at Westminster Abbey. The celebrations continued for days, and it appeared that better days were finally coming for Catherine.

On 1 November, Catherine’s first pregnancy was announced to the court. King Henry wrote to his father that “the child in her womb is alive” and that he and the kingdom “rejoice at this good news.”⁴ At the end of January 1510, Catherine went into premature labour and gave birth to a stillborn daughter. However, her belly remained large, and one of the physicians told her she had been pregnant with twins and that she was still pregnant with the second twin. She entered confinement again in March, but the month passed with no sign of labour. By the end of May, Catherine realised there would be no second baby. However, she was already pregnant again. Because of how her first pregnancy had ended, she remained secluded at Eltham Palace. In October, she joined Henry at Greenwich, and in November, she headed to Richmond Palace for her confinement.

On 1 January 1511, Catherine gave birth to a healthy baby boy, who was named Henry. Her husband rode to the shrine of Our Lady of Walsingham to give thanks. Their happiness was short-lived, and the little prince died on 22 February 1511. Catherine was “like a naturall woman, [she] made much lamentacioun.”⁵ It was not clear what caused little Henry’s death.

In 1513, King Henry was planning an invasion of France, and in June, he appointed Catherine as “Regent and Governess of England, Wales, and Ireland during the king’s absence.”⁶ She was four months pregnant at the time and still travelled with him to the coast as he headed to France. At the same time, King James IV of Scotland was planning to invade England. The invasion came in September, and she travelled to Buckinghamshire, where she addressed the troops. The battle took place on 9 September and King James was killed. A victorious Catherine wrote to Henry, “My Lord Howard hath sent me a letter, open, to your Grace, within one of mine, by the which ye shall see at length the great victory that our Lord hath sent your subjects in your absence. Thinks the victory the great honour that could be.”⁷ She also sent him a piece of King James’s coat.

Sometime in September, Catherine lost her third child. This likely happened on her way home or soon after she arrived home. It was reported that she had given birth to a son, and he was given a name – Henry. This seems to suggest that he was born alive and died shortly after. Catherine and Henry were reunited at the end of October. Catherine wrote to King James’s widow, Margaret, who also happened to be her sister-in-law, and Margaret wrote back thanking her “for her sympathy in the misfortune fallen upon her.”⁸

In October 1514, King Henry’s other sister, Mary, married the 52-year-old King Louis XII of France. Catherine was already pregnant again when she waved off her sister-in-law. But she lost the child at the end of the year or early in the new year. Catherine herself wrote of losing the child after Candlemas, which fell on 2 February 1515.⁹ She had now lost four children in five years, which must have weighed heavy on her mind. Just four months later, she was pregnant again. In January 1515, Mary was widowed after just three months of marriage, and she secretly married Charles Brandon, who had come to fetch her home. Henry was furious when he learned of the marriage, and it wasn’t until May that the couple was forgiven and formally married in Greenwich.

At the end of January 1516, Catherine went into confinement at Greenwich. On 18 February, she gave birth to a daughter who lived – Mary. Henry was relieved at the birth of a healthy child, saying, “If it was a daughter this time, by the grace of God, the sons would follow.”¹⁰ Only after Mary’s birth was Catherine informed of her father’s death on 23 January 1516. Catherine would conceive once more in early 1518, but an outbreak of the sweating sickness threw the court into turmoil. As Catherine neared the end of her pregnancy, Henry also conceived a child with Bessie Blount. On 10 November 1518, Catherine gave birth to a stillborn or shortlived daughter. The following June, Bessie gave birth to a healthy son, who was named Henry Fitzroy. It is unclear when Catherine learned of his existence, although this was certainly at some point before 1525 when he was created Duke of Richmond and Somerset.

Part five coming soon.

1. Catherine of Aragon by Amy Licence p.156
2. Catherine of Aragon by Amy Licence p.178
3. Catherine of Aragon by Amy Licence p.195
4. Catherine of Aragon by Amy Licence p.213-214
5. Catherine of Aragon by Amy Licence p.227
6. Catherine of Aragon by Amy Licence p.236
7. Catherine of Aragon by Amy Licence p.240
8. Catherine of Aragon by Amy Licence p.242
9. Catherine of Aragon by Amy Licence p.249
10. Catherine of Aragon by Amy Licence p.255