Catherine of Aragon: A Brief Biography

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            Catherine of Aragon, the first of Henry VIII’s infamous six wives, was born in 1485.  She was the youngest daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain.  As such she was born into one of the most prestigious royal houses in Europe.

            At three years old she was betrothed to Arthur, son of Henry VII of England.  The Tudor dynasty was still new and very vulnerable.  For Henry to secure a Spanish princess for his son was a huge diplomatic achievement and represented a recognition of the Tudors as the rightful kings of England.

            Betrothal at such a young age was not uncommon in the high stakes world of royal alliances.  She would not make the journey to England to meet her husband to be until 1501, when she was almost sixteen.  She was married to Prince Arthur on 14th November 1501.  Within six months of the wedding, young Arthur was dead and Catherine found herself a sixteen year old widow in a foreign land.

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            For Henry VII the Spanish connection was too important to be allowed to lapse and he was determined to keep Catherine in England.  After briefly considering marrying her himself, it was eventually determined that she should be betrothed to his second son, Henry.  Henry was only eleven at the time, and so the king had to be satisfied once again with a promise of a wedding in the future.

            However when Henry was old enough to marry in 1505 there was a further difficulty in the form of a dispute over her dowry.  Henry refused to allow the couple to marry until the dispute had been resolved.  The betrothal stood, however.  Catherine and Prince Henry were left waiting for one another until Henry VII’s death in 1509.