Catherine of Aragon, the first of six wives. Whatever is associated with King Henry VIII will likely forever be his six wives. Each a fascinating personality in her own right, yet each overshadowed by the larger-than-life king. But here, it is not his story that will be told, but theirs. From Spanish princess to German duchess to English nobility – I want to tell the story of each of them. And we are going to start with the marriage of Henry VIII that actually lasted longer then most people think.
Catherine of Aragon, Spanish Princess
Born in 1485, Catherine of Aragon was the youngest child of the famous “Catholic Monarchs,“ Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, who together ruled over Spain. As a scion of one of Europe’s most powerful royal houses, she was considered a highly desirable match. At the age of four, she was betrothed to Arthur Tudor, the eldest son of Henry VII of England, who was one year younger than her. As was customary for noble daughters at the time, Catherine left her homeland at the age of 16 to marry a complete stranger in a foreign land.
The young couple wed in 1501, and despite their youth, it was decided that they should immediately begin their married life together – not always typical for the time. But only five months after the wedding, Arthur unexpectedly died following a brief illness. King Henry VII, however, wanted to maintain his alliance with Spain. Thus, Catherine was betrothed to his second son, the future Henry VIII. The Pope duly granted the requested dispensation for Henry to marry his brother’s widow. Both Catherine and her parents swore that Catherine’s marriage to Arthur had never been consummated.
However, when Catherine’s mother Isabella died and Spain descended into chaos, Catherine lost her appeal as a desirable match. The wedding was delayed repeatedly, and Catherine lived in uncertain circumstances in England. Her father was too preoccupied with maintaining control over Castile to care for his daughter. Furthermore, both Catherine’s father and her (future) father-in-law claimed that the other was responsible for covering the costs of Catherine’s upkeep. As a result, the Spanish princess had to sell parts of her dowry to sustain her household. She implored her father to either help her or call her back to Spain, where she could spend her remaining days in a convent. These were the words of a young woman in her early twenties.
Queen of England
However, when Henry VII died and his son ascended the throne as Henry VIII, everything changed. The nearly 18-year-old king, who had spent his life doing as he was told, was eager to prove that he was no longer a child and could take charge of his own life. He asked Catherine of Aragon for her hand and rescued her from her plight. The couple married on July 11, 1509 in Greenwich Palace, London.
Catherine soon became pregnant, and the country, already in love with its beautiful young royal couple, was overjoyed. But in January 1510, Catherine suffered a miscarriage. She could not have known how fatefully this misfortune would shape her life.
However, just a few months later, Catherine became pregnant again, and on New Year’s Day 1511, she gave birth to a son named Henry after his father. Again, the nation rejoiced, but after only 52 days, the heir to the throne died. Catherine was devastated.
Nevertheless, the couple remained devoted to one another. Catherine was the perfect wife and queen, even personally embroidering all her husband’s shirts. When Henry went to war against France, he appointed his wife as regent in his absence. When King James IV of Scotland (Henry’s brother-in-law) seized the opportunity to invade England, Catherine sent an army against him that decisively defeated the Scots at Flodden Field. Catherine sent her husband a symbol of her triumph in France: the bloodied cloak of the fallen Scottish king.
Mother of the Tudor dynasty – sort of
Before Henry returned to England, Catherine wrote to him about yet another pregnancy. However, again tragedy struck; their son died only hours after birth. The following summer, she became pregnant again. This pregnancy went well, and at the turn of the year, Catherine withdrew from court for childbirth. News that her father had died was withheld from her to avoid jeopardizing the birth. On February 18, 1516, Catherine gave birth to a healthy child – but it was not the long-awaited male heir; it was a girl named Mary (later Queen Mary I).
Henry was disappointed but hoped that healthy sons would follow after this healthy daughter. However, in 1517 she suffered another miscarriage and then a stillbirth the following year. Catherine would never conceive again. After nearly a decade of pregnancies marked by miscarriages and infant deaths, these years had taken their toll on Catherine’s health and appearance.
Henry soon began to cast his eyes around court. He had at least two affairs with ladies-in-waiting: Elizabeth Blount and Mary Boleyn (the elder sister of Anne Boleyn). Catherine turned a blind eye as expected from a woman in her position. Her humiliation reached its peak when Elizabeth Blount bore Henry a son whom the king openly acknowledged and bestowed titles upon.
Catherine of Aragon now dedicated herself wholeheartedly to raising her only surviving child, Mary, as a future queen – even though no woman had ever ruled England before. Henry worried that if he left no male heir, England would descend into chaos like during the bloody Wars of the Roses. Eventually, he became aware of a biblical passage predicting that a man who married his brother’s widow would remain childless. Since a daughter didn’t count as an heir in Henry’s eyes, he became open to suggestions from his close advisor Thomas Wolsey. Wolsey sought an alliance with France and tried to persuade Henry to marry a French princess instead. But Henry had his own plans in the form of Anne Boleyn, who refused to become Henry’s mistress and insisted on being his wife.
The Accused
An investigation into the legality of the royal marriage was initiated – terrible news for Catherine. After all, this would imply that she had lived with Henry as his mistress for nearly 20 years and that their daughter Mary was illegitimate. Determined not to allow this, Catherine turned to Emperor Charles V, who was not only King of Spain but also her nephew. Charles pressured the Pope not to grant Henry the annulment he sought. The English people also loved their queen and hated Anne Boleyn as “the great whore.”
Papal envoy Campeggio was eventually sent to England and sought to resolve the matter at Catherine’s expense by persuading the deeply religious queen to enter a convent and release her husband from their marriage. Catherine refused.
This led to a trial in England where Catherine made her memorable plea: throwing herself at Henry’s feet and asking how she had offended him while begging him to spare her this trial. She then left the courtroom despite repeated calls and did not return.
The trial continued without her and became entangled in Wolsey’s efforts to secure the annulment Henry desired and Campeggio’s efforts to buy time. Ultimately Campeggio adjourned the trial and referred it back to Rome.
Henry—never one for being denied his way—was furious. Years had passed by now, and Anne Boleyn—the one meant to bear him an heir—was not getting any younger. In 1532 she finally gave in to Henry’s advances and shared his bed. She soon became pregnant. Now Henry had no time to waste; he needed this child born within marriage.
In January 1533, Henry and Anne secretly wed. Now effectively having two wives, Henry tasked Archbishop Thomas Cranmer—sympathetic to Lutheran ideas—with finalizing his divorce. Unsurprisingly, Cranmer declared Henry’s marriage to Catherine null and void in May 1533. Anne was crowned Queen of England just days later.
Neither the Pope nor Catherine recognized this decision’s validity. In response, Henry drove forward England’s break with Rome and established the Church of England under his leadership—a change that remains today.
Henry banished Catherine from court and officially downgraded her title from “Queen” to “Princess Dowager,” referring to her status as Arthur’s widow. But until her death, Catherine refused to be called anything other than Queen or Henry’s wife.
She was exiled to remote castles and separated from her beloved daughter Mary—declared illegitimate—even when Mary fell gravely ill. Henry hoped this would pressure Catherine into consenting to an annullment, but she never yielded.
In 1536—two years after rumors began circulating that things were already souring between Henry and Anne—Catherine died at Kimbolton Castle, likely from heart cancer. She never saw her daughter again; even Mary was barred from attending her funeral.
Mary herself never forgave her father’s treatment of her mother or Anne Boleyn—or Anne’s daughter Elizabeth. Forced during Henry’s third marriage to acknowledge her mother’s marriage as unlawful and herself as illegitimate, Mary became deeply embittered.
In 1553 she ascended the throne following her much younger brother Edward’s death but remained suspicious that her half-sister Elizabeth conspired against her reign.
Mary married a man who did not love her and became infamous for burning 300 Protestants at the stake during her five-year reign—earning her nickname “Bloody Mary.”
Catherine of Aragon: Heroine or Victim?
What can be said about Catherine? She grew up in a time when the Catholic Church was unchallenged and dominant in Europe.
As the daughter of monarchs who established the Spanish Inquisition and expelled Moorish rulers after centuries-long domination of the Iberian Peninsula, it should have surprised no one that she would not abandon Papal authority or accept being labeled an adulteress or her daughter being declared illegitimate.
Despite the degradation, estrangement, separation, and hardships she faced, Catherine remained unwavering and resolute in her convictions. She stood firm in what she believed to be right. Though one can ponder how English history might have been altered had her life taken a different path—if one of her sons had survived or if she had chosen the easier route by allowing Henry to annul their marriage—her sacrifices ensured that she left behind a legacy of strength, faith, and resilience. Catherine of Aragon remains remembered as a mother, queen, and pioneer who triumphed over adversity with dignity and determination.