Catherine of Aragon

Catherine of Aragon was born on December 16, 1485 in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. She was the youngest surviving child of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, the Catholic Monarchs who united Spain and sponsored the voyages of Christopher Columbus. She was betrothed to Arthur, Prince of Wales, the eldest son of Henry VII of England, when she was three years old. She married him in 1501, but he died six months later. She then became the widow of the heir to the English throne and remained in England under the protection of Henry VII. In 1509, after Henry VII's death, she married his second son, Henry VIII, who had obtained a papal dispensation to marry his brother's widow. She was crowned as Queen of England with him and gave birth to six children, but only one survived: Mary, later known as Mary I or Bloody Mary. Catherine was a devout Catholic and a patron of education and humanism. She also acted as regent when Henry VIII was away fighting in France and successfully defended England from a Scottish invasion. However, her marriage to Henry VIII became troubled when she failed to produce a male heir and he fell in love with Anne Boleyn, one of her ladies-in-waiting. Henry VIII sought to annul his marriage to Catherine on the grounds that it was invalid because she had been his brother's wife. He appealed to Pope Clement VII, who refused to grant the annulment because he was under pressure from Catherine's nephew, Emperor Charles V. Henry VIII then broke with Rome and declared himself the Supreme Head of the Church of England. He married Anne Boleyn in 1533 and had his marriage to Catherine declared null and void by his own clergy. Catherine refused to accept the annulment and maintained that she was still the rightful Queen and Henry's wife. She also refused to acknowledge Anne Boleyn as Queen or Elizabeth I as Princess. She was banished from court and separated from her daughter Mary. She spent the last years of her life in various castles, where she suffered from ill health and loneliness. She died on January 7, 1536 at Kimbolton Castle and was buried at Peterborough Cathedral as Dowager Princess of Wales, not as Queen. She was mourned by many people who admired her courage, piety and loyalty.