Six wife's of Henry the eighth

Catherine of Aragon

Catherine of Aragon was the first wife of Henry the eighths 1st wife. Aragon was born on the 16th of December 1485 in Spain. She sadly died on the 7th of January 1536. She died from cancer at the age of 50.

Aragon was one of the two divorced wife's of Henry the eighth. She was the youngest child of the Spanish rulers.
The refusal of the pope to a-null Henry's marriage with Aragon triggered Henry's break from Rome.

Aragon reigned from 1509 to 1547 this means she reigned for 24 years. In 1501 Catherine of Aragon married Prince Arthur who was the oldest son of Henry the seventh however Prince Arthur died the year after they got married.
Shortly after Prince Arthur's death Aragon was betrothed (engaged) to Prince Henry the eighth who was the second son of Henry the seventh.
Due to this there was rivalry between England and Spain.

Ferdinand's refusal to pay the full dowry prevented the marriage until Henry took the throne in 1509.

Catherine of Aragon matched her husband's intellectual interests. Between 1510 and 1518 Aragon gave birth to six children including 2 sons however all of them other than Mary (who later became the queen of England 1553 to 1558) where all stillborn or died in early infancy. However Henry's desire for a legitimate male heir prompted him in 1527 to apell to Rome for an annulment on the grounds that the marriage had violated biblical prohibition against a union between a man and his brothers widow. Aragon a peeled to the pope condending that her marriage to Henry the eighth was valid because her previous marriage to Prince Arthur had never been consummated (to make marriage complete with sexual intercourse).

For seven years the pope avoided issuing the annulment because he could not alienate Aragons nephew, the holy Roman emperor, Charles the fifth.
Finally in July 1531 Henry and Catherine separated. On may 23rd 1533, five months after Henry married Anne Boleyn. He had his own Archbishop of Canterbury. Thomas Cranmer annul the marriage to Catherine of Aragon.

Parliament passed the act of supremacy repudiated all of papal jurisdiction in England making the king the head of the church.

Although Aragon was loved by the public Henry forced her to spend her last years isolated from all public life which also meant she wasn't allowed to see her daughter Mary 1st.

Catherine of Aragon had lost so many children due to fasting while she was pregnant.

No matter how much Aragons daughter Mary begged she was never allowed to allowed to see her mother though there may have been secret letters between the two of them.

Aragon named one of her sons Henry who died after 52 days unfortunately this was like most of her children who died in early infancy or died stillborn except for Mary.

Aragon lived in poverty. Henry cried at Aragons funeral. Aragon wore mostly dark colours like purple, rich brobracated fabrics and cloths of gold. Catherine was 30 when she gave birth to Mary.

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Hope you enjoy the next chapter will be on Anne Boleyn and yes these are all just facts. Btw there may be more chapters about Catherine of Aragon