Catherine of Aragon dies in 1502

Catherine of Aragon, Princess of Wales, wife of the 15 year old Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, was with him at Ludlow Castle when the young prince mysteriously died. She also became ill at that same time, but recovered.

But what if she had not? In OTL, she went on to marry Arthur's brother, Henry, who became, of course, King Henry VIII of England. So if Catherine dies in 1502, who does Henry marry? What butterflies result?

robertp6165 said:

Catherine of Aragon, Princess of Wales, wife of the 15 year old Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, was with him at Ludlow Castle when the young prince mysteriously died. She also became ill at that same time, but recovered.

But what if she had not? In OTL, she went on to marry Arthur's brother, Henry, who became, of course, King Henry VIII of England. So if Catherine dies in 1502, who does Henry marry? What butterflies result?

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Henry VIII marries Eleanor of Austria.

kasumigenx said:

Henry VII marries Eleanor of Austria.

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You mean Henry VIII right? Well for starters no Anglican Church since the reason for Henry Tudor to break with the Catholic Church is gone. Second no Marriage with Catherine means no Queen Mary. Would Henry still marry Anne Boleyn though? Probably not but assuming he still marries her that would make Elizabeth the legitmate queen of England

alex costa said:

You mean Henry VIII right? Well for starters no Anglican Church since the reason for Henry Tudor to break with the Catholic Church is gone. Second no Marriage with Catherine means no Queen Mary. Would Henry still marry Anne Boleyn though? Probably not but assuming he still marries her that would make Elizabeth the legitmate queen of England

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Thanks for correcting my typo, I think it would be better if Eleanor married Henry VIII instead, I think Anne Boleyn would be a good replacement if Eleanor died early or a wife of their son.

I am not sure, but it seems to me that in another thread, we had talked about negotiations of Henry VII to have his second son marry Eleanor of Austria. If Catherine of Aragon dies, then maybe Henry VIII will marry Eleanor.

Regarding Anne Boleyn... All depends on wether or not Eleanor is able to give Henry the son he so much wanted OTL. If that happens, Anne Bolyen probably doesn't marry Henry VIII, unless Eleanor of Austria dies in childbirth: but even in that cases, her chances are very thin.

Eleanor would have been a great match for Henry. She was astute, competent and dependable.

Lord Grattan said:

Eleanor would have been a great match for Henry. She was astute, competent and dependable.

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Catherine of Aragon was all those things, and it didn't save her. All that will matter is...can she produce a healthy male heir? However, on the admittedly limited evidence (her three year marriage to Manuel I of Portugal), she appears to have been no better at producing healthy children than Catherine of Aragon...she produced one son who died as a child and a daughter who lived to adulthood. Her second husband, Francis I, seldom touched her, having been forced into the marriage with her while a captive in Spain, so we don't know if she was capable of more, unfortunately.

But assuming she was, alex costa is right about no English Reformation, or at the very least, a delayed Reformation which occurs after Henry's reign. There won't be a Queen Elizabeth I, or at least, not the same one.