Catherine of Aragon

Catherine of Aragon (December 16, 1485 – January 7, 1536; Spanish: Catalina de Aragón) was queen consort of England as Henry VIII of England's first wife. Henry annulled his twenty-four year marriage to her after only one of their six children, Mary I, survived infancy.

Historiography

For centuries, Catherine had been revered by many as a saint-like figure. She became a symbolic representation of the wronged woman and was presented in an extremely favourable light.

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This view was first challenged in 1860 by historian G. A. Bergenroth. He had seen the Spanish royal archives, and believed that the universal praise of Catherine of Aragon needed "to be more or less lowered." Bergenroth's research formed the basis of the work of modern British historian, Dr. David Starkey, whose recent book, Six Wives gives a full account of Catherine's talent for intrigue and less-than-perfect cultural awareness. Joanna Denny also takes a firmer line with Catherine than historians of previous generations, and criticised her savagely in her 2004 biography of Anne Boleyn. Catherine is described by Denny as "arrogant, stubborn, even bloody-minded". Nevertheless, Catherine still has her ardent admirers; chief amongst them is the historian Alison Weir, author of The Six Wives of Henry VIII and Henry VIII: King and Court. Weir makes no mention of Bergenroth's findings.

Related Topics:
G. A. Bergenroth - Joanna Denny - 2004 - Alison Weir

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These revisionists were greeted with derision from Catherine's admirers. Starkey insisted that he had meant no disrespect and he argued that Catherine would have been both naïve and foolish to try and survive in the 1500s without employing espionage and political subterfuge. He believed that these tactics, which he highlighted in his book Six Wives, are a tribute to Catherine's intelligence. Even so, those who insist upon seeing Catherine as a saint were outraged. The blame for Catherine's maltreatment has always been attributed to her successor, Anne Boleyn. Now a new generation of historians seem to be suggesting that neither Catherine nor Anne can be blamed; they both simply reacted to circumstances, and Catherine would have done the same to Anne if she had the opportunity. Another assessment, which was put forward by several authors, including the American feminist Karen Lindsey, is that neither woman should be blamed, and that instead the true culprit for Catherine's misery in her final years was her husband, Henry. It was convenient for his contemporaries to blame Catherine's exile upon Anne instead. Historians today are trying to construct a more balanced portrait of all six of Henry's queens, including Catherine. It is also interesting to note that, after Catherine, there was not a princess of Wales until the 18th century.

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Despite being the first in a series of six wives of Henry VIII, she was married to him the longest and reigned as queen consort the longest of all six, having been married to Henry and been Queen of England for 24 years until Henry married Anne Boleyn. She was also Queen for more years than all of Henry's other wives put together.

Related Topics:
Henry VIII - Queen consort

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