|
|
|
|
Catherine of Aragon
|
| |
|
| |
Catherine of Aragon (16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) also known as Katherine or Katharine; (Spanish Infanta Catalina de Aragón y Castilla or Infanta Catalina de Trastámara y Trastámara) was the Queen of England as the first wife of Henry VIII of England, and Princess of Wales by her first marriage to Arthur, Prince of Wales. She was also an Infanta of Castille and Aragon.
Henry VIII's attempt to have their 24-year marriage annulled set in motion a chain of events that led to England's break with the Roman Catholic Church.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Catherine of Aragon' Start a new discussion about 'Catherine of Aragon' Answer questions from other users |
Encyclopedia
Catherine of Aragon (16 December 1485 – 7 January 1536) also known as Katherine or Katharine; (Spanish Infanta Catalina de Aragón y Castilla or Infanta Catalina de Trastámara y Trastámara) was the Queen of England as the first wife of Henry VIII of England, and Princess of Wales by her first marriage to Arthur, Prince of Wales. She was also an Infanta of Castille and Aragon.
Henry VIII's attempt to have their 24-year marriage annulled set in motion a chain of events that led to England's break with the Roman Catholic Church. Henry was dissatisfied because their sons died in infancy, leaving only one of their six children, Princess Mary, later Queen Mary I, as heiress presumptive, at a time when there was no established precedent for a woman on the throne. When Pope Clement VII refused to annul the marriage, Henry defied him by assuming supremacy over religious matters. This allowed him to marry Anne Boleyn on the judgment of clergy in England, without reference to the Pope. He was motivated by the hope of fathering a male heir to the Tudor dynasty. Catherine refused to accept Henry as Supreme Head of the Church of England and considered herself the King's rightful wife and Queen until her death.
Catherine's contemporaries said that she was "more beloved than any queen who ever reigned". Over the years, numerous artistic and cultural works have been dedicated to her, written about her, or mentioned her, including some by her husband Henry VIII, who wrote "Grene growth the holy" about and for her, and Juan Luis Vives, who dedicated "The Institution of Christian Women" to her.
Early life (1485-1501)
When Catherine was born she was named "Catalina", though she would later change her name to the more English "Catherine" upon her arrival in England. She was born at the Archbishop's Palace in Alcalá de Henares, in Madrid, on the night of 16 December 1485. She was the youngest child of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile. Her siblings were Isabella, Queen of Portugal; Juan, Prince of Asturias; Joanna of Castile; and Maria, Queen of Portugal. She was aunt to, among others, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, John III of Portugal and their wives, Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor, Henry I of Portugal and Isabella, Queen of Denmark. She was a granddaughter of John II of Castile and John II of Aragon. She was quite short in stature, with long golden auburn hair, wide blue eyes, a round face, and a fair complexion. She was descended from the English royal house as her great-grandmother Katherine of Lancaster, after whom she was named, and her great-great-grandmother Philippa of Lancaster, were both daughters of John of Gaunt and granddaughters of Edward III of England. Consequently she was third cousin of her father-in-law, Henry VII, and fourth cousin of her mother-in-law Elizabeth of York.
When Catherine was aged two, in the spring of 1488, a tournement took place, and in the interval the ambassadors from England came to pay their respects to her mother Queen Isabella. Katherine was seated upon her mother's lap, and the ambassadors said that Katherine was "singularly beautiful". She was educated by a tutor, Alessandro Geraldini, who was a clerk in Holy Orders. She studied religion, the classics, Latin histories, and canon and civil law. She had a strong religious upbringing and developed a faith that would play a major role in later life. She learned to speak, read and write in Spanish and Latin, and spoke French and Greek. She was also taught domestic skills, such as needlepoint, lacemaking, embroidery, music and dancing. The great scholar Erasmus would later say that Catherine "loved good literature which she had studied with success since childhood".
At an early age, she was considered a suitable wife for Arthur, Prince of Wales, eldest son of Henry VII of England and heir to the throne. They were married by proxy on 19 May 1499, and corresponded in Latin until Arthur turned 15 and it was decided that they were old enough to be married. A portrait by Juan de Flandes, entitled "Portrait of an Infanta" (circa 1496), is thought to be of either Catherine or her sister Joanna. An ongoing debate about which Infanta it is has come to no conclusion. The fact that the young girl holds a rose may be seen as symbolism regarding the House of Tudor, and has been seen as evidence as it being Catherine, as Catherine was betrothed to its heir. Elisa Bermejo, however, considers the flower as an attribute related to the sitter's very young age. David Starkey considers the portrait to be of Catherine, and has used the image, along with other portraits of the six wives of Henry VIII, on the cover of his book "The Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII". The fact that the sitter appears to be between 10-12 would fit Katherine's age at the time of the painting, her being about 11. However it has been noted that "Portrait of an Infanta" has similarities with a painting of Joanna held in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, but similarities have also been drawn to paintings of Catherine.
Catherine arrived in England in the autumn of 1501, with a retinue including George de Athequa. The couple later met on 4 November at Dogmersfield in Hampshire. Little is known about their first impressions of each other, but Arthur did write to his parents-in-law that he would be 'a true and loving husband' and told his parents that he was immensely happy to 'behold the face of his lovely bride'. They found that they were unable to speak to each other since they had learned different pronunciations of Latin. Ten days later, on 14 November 1501, they were married at St. Paul's Cathedral, with Catherine being led up the aisle by Arthur's younger brother, Henry, the future Henry VIII.
As wife and widow of Arthur
Saint Thomas More wrote that on her arrival in England she "thrilled the hearts of everyone, there is nothing lacking in her that the most beautiful girl should have". Arthur was sent to Ludlow Castle on the borders of Wales, to preside over the Council of Wales and the Marches, as was his duty as Prince of Wales, and his bride accompanied him. A few months later, they both became ill, possibly with the sweating sickness which was sweeping the area. He died on 2 April 1502, and she almost died too, but recovered to find herself a widow. Catherine, as Princess of Wales, adopted as her personal motto "Not for my crown" along with her personal badge of the pomegranate crowned.
At this point, Henry VII faced the challenge of avoiding returning her dowry to her father. To avoid complications, it was agreed she would marry Henry VII's second son, Prince Henry, who was a little more than five years younger than she was. The marriage was delayed until Prince Henry was old enough, and Henry VII procrastinated so much that it was doubtful if the marriage would ever take place. She lived, almost as prisoner, at Durham House in London. Some of her letters to her father, complaining of her treatment, have survived. She had little money and struggled to cope, as she had the wellbeing of her ladies-in-waiting to maintain as well as her own.
Marriage to Arthur's brother depended on the Pope granting a dispensation because of the close relationship. Catherine testified her marriage to Arthur was never consummated. The matter was considered of minor importance at the time, as the Pope had the power to overrule any objections, whether or not they were for religious reasons.
Queen of England (1509-1533)
Their wedding took place on 11 June 1509, seven weeks after Henry VII's death. They were married in a private ceremony at Greenwich Church. As she claimed to have remained virgin during her first marriage, Catherine wore white with her hair loose - a symbol of virginity.
Coronation
On Saturday 23 June, the traditional eve-of-coronation procession to Westminster was greeted by an extremely large and very enthusiastic crowd. As was the custom, they spent the night before their coronation at the Tower of London. On Midsummer's Day, Sunday, 24 June 1509, Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon were anointed and crowned together by the Archbishop of Canterbury at a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey. Catherine again wore a white dress with her long hair flowing loose, and a coronet on her head set with many pearls. As a queen consort she took no oath, nor was she invested with the sword or spurs. She was anointed on her head and breasts; the coronation ring was put on the fourth finger of her right hand, the crown on her head, the sceptre in her right hand and the ivory rod surmounted with the dove in her left. The coronation was followed by a banquet in Westminster Hall. Many new Knights of the Bath were created in honour of the coronation.
A pamphlet by Stephen Hawes in 1509, contains a poem of praise on the occasion of the coronation of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, entitled "A joyfull medytacyon to all Englonde of the coronacyon of our moost naturall souerayne lorde kynge Henry the eyght", .
Thomas More wrote about the coronation "This day is the end of our slavery, the fount of our liberty; the end of sadness, the beginning of joy." Henry was almost 18 when crowned and Katherine was 23.
Marriage, pregnancies, and children
It seems Catheirne and Henry did genuinly love each other, and the marriage seems to have been very happy until it started to become likely that they would have no male heir. Catherine had seven pregnancies altogether. On New Year's day 1510, Catherine received her first Yuletide gift from Henry, it was a illuminated missal which had once belonged to his own mother, Elizabeth of York, into which Henry had written himself, in French, which Henry and Catherine both spoke fluently "If your rememberance be according to my affection, I shall not be forgotten in your daily prayers, for I am yours, Henry R., forever" Catherine wrote her own inscription underneath it:"By daily proof you shall me find to be to you both loving and kind".
Another item owned by Elizabeth of York was passed to Catherine, a Psalter in which Elizabeth wrote on the first page wrote, ‘Thys Booke ys myn Elizabeth ye Quene’. the Psalter was probably originally made in the latter half of the fourteenth-century for Humphrey Bohun. The Psalter also contains Catherine’s signature.Later that year, on New Year's Eve 1510, Catherine had a stillborn girl. Also in 1510, when Catherine was pregnant for a second time, Henry VIII took his first known mistress, Elizabeth FitzWalter, who was also his second cousin. When her family found out about her affair with the King, they removed her from court and she was placed in a convent sixty miles away. Henry blamed Catherine for this, and confronted her. Catherine knew nothing about his infidelity so this led to an argument between the two, with Catherine reproaching Henry for his affair, and Henry berating her for lecturing him. The whole Court learned of the incident and they ended up being "very vexed with each other". To the Spanish Ambassador's dismay, Catherine continued to censure Henry for his affair someways after. She later gave birth to the baby on New Year's Day 1511. The child was a boy and was named Henry. However, he only lived for 52 days.
Henry often came into Catherine's rooms in disguise with some of his gentlemen and dance with Catherine and her ladies, and Catherine always pretended to be suprised when Henry revealed his identity, even after he had been doing this for many years. In 1513, Catherine was pregnant again. Henry appointed her regent when he went to France on a military campaign. When the Scots invaded, they were defeated at the Battle of Flodden Field, with Catherine addressing the army, and riding north with some of the troops. She sent a letter to Henry along with the bloodied coat of the King of Scots, James IV, who died in the battle.
Henry returned from France, but Catherine lost the baby, another boy. He was either stillborn or died shortly afterward. In 1514, she had another stillborn son.
On 18 February 1516, Catherine delivered a healthy girl. She was named Mary and christened three days later with great ceremony at The Church of Observant Friars.
In 1517, she had a miscarriage and in 1518, Catherine became pregnant for the last time. She gave birth to a daughter in November, but the child was weak and lived only a few days.
Catherine's religious dedication increased as she aged, as did her interest in academics. She continued to broaden her knowledge and provide training for her daughter. Education among women became fashionable, partly because of Catherine's influence. She also donated large sums of money to several colleges. Henry, however, still considered a male heir essential. The Tudor dynasty was new, and its legitimacy might still be tested. A long civil war (1135–54) had been fought the last time a woman, (Henry I of England's daughter, the Empress Matilda), had inherited the throne. The disasters of civil war were still fresh in living memory from the Wars of the Roses.
In 1520, Catherine's nephew Emperor Charles V, of the Holy Roman Empire, paid a state visit to England, and she urged Henry to enter an alliance with Charles rather than with France. Immediately after his departure, she accompanied Henry to France on the celebrated visit to Francis I, the so-called Field of the Cloth of Gold. Within two years, war was declared against France and the Emperor was once again welcome in England, where plans were afoot to betroth him to Princess Mary.
The King's Great Matter
In 1525, Henry VIII became enamoured of Anne Boleyn, a maid-of-honour to Queen Catherine, who was between 10-17 years younger than Henry. Henry began pursuing her. By this time Catherine was no longer able to undergo further pregnancies. Henry began to believe that his marriage was cursed and sought confirmation from the Bible, which said if a man marries his brother's wife, the couple will be childless. If she had lied when she said her marriage to Arthur had not been consummated, it meant that their marriage was wrong in the eyes of God. It is possible that the idea of annulment had been suggested to Henry much earlier than this, and is highly probable that it was motivated by his desire for a son. Before Henry's father, Henry VII, ascended the throne, England was beset by civil warfare over rival claims to the English crown, and Henry may have wanted to avoid a similar uncertainty over the succession.
It soon became the one absorbing object of Henry's desires to secure an annulment. Catherine was defiant when it was suggested that she quietly retire to a nunnery, saying "God never called me to a nunnery I am the King's true and legitimate wife". He set his hopes upon an appeal to the Holy See, acting independently of Thomas Cardinal Wolsey, whom he told nothing of his plans. William Knight, the King's secretary, was sent to Pope Clement VII to sue for an annulment, on the grounds that the dispensing bull of Pope Julius II was obtained by false pretences.
When Henry spoke to Queen Catherine of Doctors' and Lawyers' opinions on their annulment, telling her that he had been assured that he was not her legitimate husband by learned doctors and lawyers, Katherine retorted :
After the argument, Henry went to seek consolation in Anne Boleyn, but she told him that:
Catherine had the support of the people, in particular women. They were generally opposed to the annulment and the prospect of the King's mistress becoming Queen.
As the Pope was, at that time, the prisoner of Catherine's nephew, Emperor Charles V, following the Sack of Rome in May 1527, Knight had difficulty in obtaining access to him. In the end, Henry's envoy had to return without accomplishing much. Henry now had no choice but to put his great matter into the hands of Thomas Wolsey, and Wolsey did all he could to secure a decision in Henry's favour. How far the pope was influenced by Charles V, it is difficult to say, but it is clear Henry saw that the Pope was unlikely to give him an annulment from the Emperor's aunt. The Pope forbade Henry to marry again before a decision was given in Rome. Wolsey had failed and was dismissed from public office in 1529. Wolsey then began a secret plot to have Anne Boleyn forced into exile and began communicating with the Pope, to that end. When this was discovered, Henry ordered Wolsey's arrest and, had it not been for his death from terminal illness in 1530, he might have been executed for treason. A year later, Catherine was banished from court and her old rooms were given to Anne Boleyn. When Archbishop of Canterbury William Warham died, the Boleyn family's chaplain, Thomas Cranmer, was appointed to the vacant position. In November 1531, Catherine wrote to her nephew:
In the Legatine Trial of 1529, which was appointed to make a decision regarding the annulment of Henry and Catherine's marriage (although it never did) Catherine wore an expensive red and yellow dress, made a brave speech, ignoring the summons of the crier and counsellors, she went up to Henry, bowed, then dropped to her knees and said:
She then walked out, the crier shouted three times for her to come back into Court, she ignored him and said "It is no indifferent court therefore I will not tarry".
Catherine's speech would later be represented in art many times over the centuries. When Henry decided to annul his marriage to Catherine, John Fisher became her most trusted counsellor and one of her chief supporters. He appeared in the legates' court on her behalf, where he shocked people with the directness of his language, and by declaring that, like John the Baptist, he was ready to die on behalf of the indissolubility of marriage. Henry was so enraged by this that he wrote a long Latin address to the legates in answer to Fisher's speech. Fisher's copy of this still exists, with his manuscript annotations in the margin which show how little he feared Henry's anger. The removal of the cause to Rome ended Fisher's role in the matter, but Henry never forgave him. Other people who supported Katherine's case included Saint Thomas More, Henry's own sister Mary Tudor, Queen of France, Martin Luther, Maria de Salinas, Charles V of Spain, and Pope Paul III.
Later years (1533-1536)
Upon returning to Dover from a meeting with King Francis I of France in Calais, Henry married Anne Boleyn in a secret ceremony, Anne was already pregnant at the time. Events now began to move at a quick pace. On 23 May 1533, Cranmer, sitting in judgment at a special court convened at Dunstable Priory to rule on the validity of Henry's marriage to Catherine, declared that marriage null and void. Five days later, on 28 May 1533, Cranmer declared the marriage of Henry and Anne valid.
Until the end of her life, Catherine would refer to herself as Henry's only lawful wedded wife and England's only rightful queen; her faithful servants continued to address her by that title, and most of the population of Europe believed her to be Queen, and Anne just a concubine and her daughter a bastard. Henry refused her the right to any title but "Dowager Princess of Wales", in recognition of her position as his brother's widow.
In 1535 she was transferred to the decaying and remote Kimbolton Castle. Confining herself to one room, leaving it only to attend Mass, and fasting most of the time, and wearing the hair shirt of the Order of St. Francis, she prepared to meet her end. While she was permitted to receive occasional visitors, she was forbidden to see her daughter, Mary. They were also forbidden to communicate but discreet sympathizers ferried letters between mother and daughter. Henry offered them both better quarters and each other's company if they would acknowledge Anne Boleyn as his new Queen. Neither did.
In late December 1535, sensing death was near, she made her will, and wrote to her nephew, the Emperor Charles V, asking him to protect her daughter. She then penned one final letter to Henry, her "most dear lord and husband":
She died at Kimbolton Castle, on 7 January 1536. The following day, news of her death reached the King. According to the chronicler Edward Hall, Anne wore yellow for the mourning, which has been interpreted in various ways; Polydore Vergil interpreted this to mean that Anne did not mourn. However, Chapuys reported that it was actually King Henry who decked himself in yellow, celebrating the news and making a great show of his and Anne's daughter, Elizabeth, to his courtiers. This was seen as distasteful and vulgar by many. Rumours then circulated that she had been poisoned by Anne or Henry, or both, as Anne had threatened to murder both Katherine and Mary on several occasions. The rumours were born after the apparent discovery during her embalming that there was a black growth on her heart that might have been caused by poisoning. Modern medical experts are in agreement that her heart's discolouration was due not to poisoning, but to cancer, something which was not understood at the time. She was buried in Peterborough Cathedral with the ceremony due to a Dowager Princess of Wales, not a queen. Henry did not attend the funeral and refused to allow Mary to attend either. Many peasants lined the route to Catherine's funeral, as she was still a very popular figure with them, the chief mourner was Lady Eleanor Brandon, and the secondry mourner was the daughter of Maria de Salinas, Catherine Willoughby, a concourse of poor men in black gowns and hoods, carrying black torches attended. Chapys, the Imperial Ambassador and a supporter of Catherine refused to attend, in defiance of the service not being fitting to a Queen but a Princess Dowager. The wax figure in its robes on the hearse, representing the Queen was, wrote William Forrest, curiously lifelike.
Legacy, Memory, and Historiography
In the reign of her daughter, Mary I of England her marriage to Henry VIII was declared "good and valid", her daughter Queen Mary I also had several portraits comissioned of Catherine, and it would not by any means be the last time she was painted after her death, numerous portriats have been painted of her, particularly of her speech of the Legatine Trial. Her tomb in Peterborough Cathedral can be seen and there is hardly ever a time when it is not decorated with flowers or pomegranates, her heraldic symbol. It bears the title Katharine Queen of England. Peterborough is twinned with the Castilian city of Alcalá de Henares, her birthplace, as a tribute to Catherine, and children from schools in the two places have learned about each other as part of the twinning venture, and artists have even come over from Alcala de Heneres to paint Katharine's tombstone. In the 20th century, another Queen Consort, Mary of Teck, had her grave upgraded and there are now banners there denoting her as a Queen of England. Every year at Peterbourgh Cathedral there is a service in her memory. On the service commemorating the 470th anniversary of her death, the Spanish Ambassador to the United Kingdom attended. The service started with a procession, led by the Mayor, from the Peterbourgh town hall, invited guests then joined the parade en route, before taking up their position in the Cathedral, music was played by pupils from the King's School, and a trumpeter heralded the start of the procession, then as they entered the Cathedral, music was played from the restored organ. After the service, people were able to view portraits of Catharine of Aragon drawn by local schoolchildren for an art competition, which the ambassador then judged. There is a statue of her in her birthplace of Alcalá de Henares, as a young woman holding a book and a rose.
Catherine has remained a popular biographical subject to the present day. The American historian Garrett Mattingly was the author of a popular biography Katherine of Aragon in 1942. In 1966, Catherine and her many supporters at court were the subjects of Catherine of Aragon and her Friends, a biography by John E. Paul. In 1967, Mary M. Luke wrote the first book of her Tudor trilogy, Catherine the Queen which portrayed her and the controversial era of English history through which she lived. In recent years, the historian Alison Weir covered her life extensively in her biography The Six Wives of Henry VIII, first published in 1991. Antonia Fraser did the same in her own 1992 biography of the same title; as did the British historian David Starkey in his 2003 book Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII.
Spelling of her name
"Catherine", or "Katherine" is the most common modern English spelling of her name. Katherine herself signed her name "Katharine" and sometimes "Katharina". In a letter to her, Arthur, her first husband addressed her as "Princess Katerine". Her he will her daughter Queen Mary I called her "Quene Kateryn". Rarely were names, particularly first names, written in an exact manner during the sixteenth century and it is evident from Catherine's own letters that she endorsed different variations.
The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography lists her name as Katherine
Loveknots built into his various palaces by her husband, Henry VIII, display the initials "H & K", as do other items belonging to Henry and Katherine, including gold goblets, a gold salt cellar, basins of gold, and candlesticks. Her tomb in Peterborough Cathedral is marked "Katharine Queen of England".
Titles and styles
- 16 December 1485 – 14 November 1501: [Infanta]] Catalina of Castile and Aragon
- 14 November 1501 – 2 April 1502:
Her Highness The Princess of Wales, Duchess of Cornwall, Countess of Chester 2 April 1502 – 11 June 1509: The Dowager Princess of Wales, Dowager Duchess of Cornwall, Dowager Countess of Chester 11 June 1509 – 23 May 1533: Her Grace The Queen of EnglandHer Majesty The Queen of England 23 May 1533 – 7 January 1536: Her Highness The Dowager Princess of Wales, Dowager Duchess of Cornwall, Dowager Countess of Chester
In popular media
Catherine of Aragon has been portrayed in film, television, plays, books, and other forms many times. There has never been a film or television series where she is the main character; her only appearances have been in a supporting role. There were, however, many novels, songs, and poems written about her.
Although Katherine is often portrayed in film and on stage as having possessed the stereotypical Spanish traits of dark hair, eyes, and olive complexion, she had, according to existing portraits and contemporary descriptions, blue eyes, fair skin, and reddish-blonde hair, not too unusual for many Spaniards such as those from her father's land of Aragon.
Furthermore, she was part English, through her ancestors, Katherine of Lancaster and Philippa of Lancaster, who were both daughters of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster.
Music and Rhymes
- The ballad by Henry VIII "
Pastime with Good Company" is said to have been written for Katherine of Aragon.She is mentioned in the song "Who shot Henry VIII?".The song "Green goweth the holly" is said to have been written for her by Henry VIII. In the children's nursery rhyme "I had a little nut tree" she is the "King of Spain's Daughter". In the nursery rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpence" the "Queen in the Parlour" is believed to be Katherine of Aragon. She is remembered in a street ballad, for vouching for the rioters after the Evil May Day.
Books
Katherine is the main character in
"Katharine, The Virgin Widow", "The Shadow of the Pomegranate", and "The King's Secret Matter" (later published in an omnibus "Katharine of Aragon") The King's Pleasure, by Norah Lofts; "The Constant Princess", by Philippa Gregory (a novel about Katherine's younger years); "Patience, Princess Katherine" by Carolyn Meyer (young adult novel); "Isabella's Daughter" by Charity Bishop.
Katherine is a character in
"Murder Most Royal", by Jean Plaidy; "The Trusted Servant" by Alison Macleod "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Philippa Gregory (a novel about Mary Boleyn's life) The Dark Rose, Volume 2 of The Morland Dynasty, a series of historical novels by author Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. This novel covers the annulment of Katherine and Henry VIII's marriage, very much from the viewpoint of Anne Boleyn. Katherine herself is more of a background character and the subject of political dispute within the fictional Morland family.
Theatre, Film, Stage and TV
Katherine was portrayed by:
- Violet Vanbrugh in the 1911 short film production of William Shakespeare's play Henry VIII (first film portrayal).
- German actress Hedwig Pauly-Winterstein in the film "Anna Boleyn".
- Rosalie Crutchley in "The Sword and the Rose", an account of Mary Tudor's romance with the Duke of Suffolk in 1515. (Crutchley later played Henry's sixth queen Katherine Parr in The Six Wives of Henry VIII.).
- Greek actress Irene Pappas in Hal B. Wallis' acclaimed film Anne of the Thousand Days.
- Frances Cuka in the 1973 film "Henry VIII and his Six Wives". Keith Michell reprised his role as Henry VIII. A scene was incorporated between Frances Cuka and Charlotte Rampling (playing Anne Boleyn) to show their quiet, glacial enmity.
- Claire Bloom in a 1979 adaptation of Shakespeare's "Henry VIII".
- British actress Annette Crosbie in a 90-minute television drama entitled "Catherine of Aragon", the first part of the BBC series "The Six Wives of Henry VIII".
- Annabelle Dowler in Dr. David Starkey's 2001 documentary series on Henry VIII's Six Wives.
- Spanish actress Yolanda Vasquez, a brief appearance in the British TV version "The Other Boleyn Girl" (January 2003), opposite Jared Harris as Henry VIII and Natascha McElhone as Mary Boleyn.
- Assumpta Serna in the October 2003 ITV two-part television drama, "Henry VIII" which starred Ray Winstone in the title role. Part 1 chronicled the king's life from the birth of his bastard son, Henry Fitzroy until the execution of Anne Boleyn in 1536. David Suchet co-starred as Cardinal Wolsey.
- Maria Doyle Kennedy in the Showtime 2007 television series, "The Tudors" opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry. For her performance, Kennedy won an IFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role Television.
- Ana Torrent in the 2007 film adaptation of the novel "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Philippa Gregory, with Eric Bana as Henry VIII.
- Virgina Weeks portrayed her in the play "Six Dead Queens and an Inflatable Henry", and is one of only three productions that show Catherine with the correct colouring.
- In 2008 she was played by Victoria Pelro in the film "The Twisted Tale of Bloody Mary".
Other
Ancestry
See also
Further reading
- Ashley, Mike (2002). British Kings & Queens. ISBN 0-7867-1104-3
- Bernard, G.W. The King's Reformation: Henry VIII and the Remaking of the English Church.
- Coates, Tim. Letters of Henry VIII 1526-29.
- Lindsey, Karen. (1995). Divorced Beheaded Survived: A Feminist Reinterpretation of the Wives of Henry VIII. ISBN 0201408236
- Mattingly, Garrett. (1941). Katherine of Aragon.
- Starkey, David. Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII.
- Weir, Alison. (2002). Henry VIII: The King and His Court. ISBN 034543708X
External links
- - A good overview of her life, accompanied by an excellent portrait gallery
- - An in-depth look at her life and times
- of the Six Wives of Henry the VIII on Google Earth
- , letter from her to Pope Clement VII
|-
|-
|-
|
| |
|
|
