An Imperial Match: Anne Boleyn marries Charles V
- Thread starter pandizzy
- Start date
"If you wanted to be really mean, you could have Mary blame her father for Katherine dying. "God took my sister away because you replaced my Mama."" - their words, not mine.
im honestly kinda disappointed in you guys. Where are those who say there weren't gay people in 16th century europe?
The closest I got for you is: maybe George would have tried a couple more subtle attempts first since the consequences can be so steep.
Poor Katherine, but it was a little expected. Hopefully it could somehow be a way for Isabella and Mary to bond, but still, it’s not nice when a young child dies
1st of January, 1524.
Richmond Palace, England. 1st of January, 1524.
Princess Katherine Tudor was buried next to her mother at St George’s Chapel in Windsor Castle. It was rumoured, until proven true, that the little caskets of her older siblings would be moved there, as both Dukes of Cornwall were buried in Westminster Abbey to be with their mother and sister until the day their father could join them. The chief mourner at Her Highness’ funeral was her aunt, the Dowager Queen of France, and Cardinal Wolsey led the service, praying for her soul, who was now with God in Heaven. Neither King Henry nor Queen Isabella was in attendance.
One could not risk letting the people associate the image of His Majesty with death, which kept him away, and Isabella, loyal as ever to her husband, stayed by his side. The King spent the entire first day of the new year on his wife’s bedchambers, head on her lap, laying down on the bed in silence.
Isabella caressed her husband’s red hair carefully, watching his expression for any sign of tears or distress. She thought he would cry, she was sure he would cry, and yet he did not. He was clearly distraught at the death of his poor little daughter, she had to admit, but there was a resoluteness to him. She knew then, as she looked at him, that he had already expected Katherine to die, much like everyone else of importance. The Princess was terribly weak and frail, a clear contrast to her hale older brother and sister. Not even the greatest doctor in the land could perform a miracle.
She twirled his red locks on her fingers, running her hands down his scalp. It was strange to think of the King as older than her, around twelve years, when he seemed so weak and distraught. So… broken. The death of his first wife and his little daughter had taken a hit in his confidence.
And she didn’t even know what to say. What do you say in a moment such as this? What do you tell a parent that has just lost a child? She thought of her own mother and father. Queen Maria had lost two children at birth, Infantes Maria and Antonio, but the rest of their children thrived. And Isabella never saw her parents in grief. They did not let their heirs see them without composure, without decorum. Even when her mother died, King Manuel remained a safe harbour for his children, a shoulder to cry on, never once letting on the pain that he must have felt after losing his consort of more than fifteen years.
So she stayed quiet. If Henry wanted to cry, she would let him cry. If he wanted to rage, she would let him rage. It was his daughter and no matter that she had become her mother upon her marriage, Katherine had not been born from her womb. She could not begin to understand the pain her husband was surely in. That is unless she too happened to lose a child in the future.
It was close to the afternoon when Henry croaked out, voice dry with disuse, “This is the sixth child I have buried.”
She nodded and licked her lips, trying to think of something to say. In the end, after the silence started to become awkward, she murmured, “His Majesty has suffered many losses in his life.” Isabella was not completely satisfied by her answer, but it was what she managed to say.
Henry nodded, turning slightly so she could see his bloodshot eyes.
“But why?” he asked. “What have I done to deserve this? Have I displeased God?”
She shook her head frantically. “Of course not,” she said. “This is not your fault, Henry.”
“Is it?” He sat up, putting his hands by his side, and turned to look at her. When he moved, the light from the hearth streaked over his face, and she saw that his cheeks were wet. “My father had three sons, and yet only I lived. All the sons I produced, all the little boys my wife gave me, all except John lie dead now. Surely, that means something, doesn’t it?”
“I’m afraid I don’t understand, Your Majesty,” she murmured.
“Maybe we are cursed,” he answered. “My father won his throne on the battlefield, by spilling blood. What if that angered God and he is punishing the Tudor dynasty by taking away our children? My mother had four daughters, though only Margaret and Mary lived long enough to have children of their own.”
“Are you saying you are not the rightful King of England?” His words confused her, but she tried to remain open to his ideas. He was a grieving father, her king and her husband. She had to listen to him.
Henry shook his head. “Of course I am the rightful King of England, but my father killed Richard Plantagenet to get the throne. What if God is angry with the House of Tudor because of that?”
“Richard Plantagenet was a usurper,” Isabella said, “He killed your uncles."
"I know he did," her husband bit out and she stiffened up, watching his face carefully. Henry was not looking at her, though, eyes turned up as if he could look into God's eyes. "But my father… His troops were not honourable towards Richard's body, everyone says so. They displayed him through the city, naked. Richard was God's child as much as I am and he was an anointed king. Perhaps…" He put out his tongue to wet his lips. "Perhaps God is punishing us for that. Had we been more gracious in our victory, maybe my brothers would have lived."
Isabella pressed her lips together, trying to think. It made some sense, she had to admit. She sighed and looked at her lord and husband.
"How does His Majesty hope to atone for that?" she asked and he smiled as if he had been waiting for her to ask.
"I will make a sizable donation to the Church of the Annunciation of Our Lady of the Newarke and erect a new chapel on Bosworth Field," he murmured. "After it is done, I will take a walk of penitence with Cardinal Wolsey. With this, I’m sure God will be satisfied and grant me forgiveness. Our children shall live.”
She nodded and her stomach tumbled as if agreeing. Isabella would not say anything to him until the mourning was over, but it was the happiest news. She only hoped his atonement would go well.
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Well I can’t imagine the hell henry is going through...hopefully isabella’s news will help him start to cheer up again!
Poor John too must be quite upset and confused by the sudden absence of his twin...
I can imagine John instead blaming Mary for causing his twin's death.i didnt even think about that
"If maybe you are well-behaved, God would not have taken my twin, elder sisssterrrr," he said with a snake-like hissing.
I mean in the future. For John, Isabella is the only mother he knows. I often see stepchildren siding with their stepparent when they are the only parent the kids now and they can be horribly unpleasant to their elder siblings who treat the stepparent as strangers.