Did Katharine of Aragon sacrifice her daughter for her own ends?
“In this world I will confess myself
to be the king’s true wife.
And in the next they will know,
how unreasonably I am afflicted.”
– Katharine of Aragon, 1532
For centuries, Katharine of Aragon has always been portrayed as the wronged first wife of Henry VIII.
Katharine was an intelligent, respected ruler.
She was devoted to her husband, extremely pious, and a loving mother.
For 24 years, she was a loyal wife, who always turned a blind eye to her husbands ‘indiscretions’
In the early days of their marriage, Katharine and Henry certainly acted like a loving and affectionate couple.
There were public displays of affection, declarations of love and respect, and for a long while she was also a close political adviser.
Life was like one long holiday, a time of banquets, dances, tournaments and hunting.
In 1513, Henry went to war in France.
He left Katharine as Regent, to deal with a threat from King James of Scotland.
Nature may have deprived her of her role as a royal mother, but Katharine could now show that she was a military champion!
She set about inspiring her troops, planning the overall campaign against the Scots, and attending to the necessary logistics.
The death of King James at the Battle of Flodden, was a victory for Katharine.
King James was also Katharine’s brother in law, married to Henry’s sister Margaret.
Rather than let Margaret bury her husband in peace, Katharine had other plans for his body.
Katharine originally wanted to send her husband the Scottish king’s body.
She then decided, “our Englishmen’s hearts would not suffer it”.
She sent him James’s blood stained coat instead.
Nice!
Still, Katharine was beloved by the people of England.
They admired her for her religious devotion and acts of charity.
Known as “The Queen of Hearts,” she frequently donated to charitable causes and the poor.
All great credentials for England’s ‘rightful” Tudor queen.
But was she really as perfect as she is portrayed?
Katharine was as stubborn as they come.
It seems as though she would have rather held on to the title of queen, than ensure a peaceful life for herself, but most importantly – her daughter Mary.
Katharine had options open to her, but she never yielded, not even for her daughter’s sake.
Her pride was just too enormous.
But as we all know, pride comes before a fall….
Katharine fought against all the odds to deny Henry an annulment.
But Henry was as firmly convinced of the righteousness of his cause, as Katharine was of hers.
When the Catholic church would not grant the annulment, he declared himself head of a new English church.
Still Katharine fought, but it would come at a huge cost to her daughter, Mary.
Katharine encouraged Mary to be obstinate in protecting her rights as a princess, and to recognise no other queen.
Poor Mary, desperate to please her mother, only succeeded in alienating her father.
She lost her father’s favour, and as punishment, was forbidden to visit her mother.
When Katharine was exiled from court, she was sent to a succession of damp and unpleasant castles.
She had a handful of servants, and refused to be called anything other than queen – she would never allow her dignity to be destroyed.
In the end, this stubborn spirit did both her and Mary far more harm than good.
Mary was suffering both physically and mentally during this time.
Although Mary was denied any communication or meetings with her mother, they were able to send secret messages to each other through the help of loyal servants.
Still Katharine stressed to Mary to uphold her faith, and be true to her mother as queen.
Mary, was now seventeen and should have been married, and on the brink of having her own family.
If she could have married when she was younger, things may have ended so differently for both Mary, and for England……
Mary was the true victim in all of this.
Used by her mother, she was unable to follow a path to true happiness.
Ostracized by her father for not acknowledging his second wife, Anne Boleyn.
If only Katharine had agreed to the annulment, her daughter might have had a chance for love.
By the time Mary thought she had eventually found happiness, it was too late.
Mary’s bitter five year reign would be filled with blood and tears……
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