The Marriage of Catherine of Aragon and Arthur I of England (1501-1538)
The marriage of Catherine of Aragon and Arthur Tudor almost ended as it started. During the early years of their marriage, the two lived happily in Ludlow Castle. But, after a sudden outbreak of plague in the beginnings of 1502, the young Prince caught the Sweat. Arthur’s life stood in the balance and the Princess of Wales was recorded as never leaving his side. Eventually, the fever broke and he began to recover.
After that near miss, Arthur returned to court to celebrate the most recent pregnancy of his mother. Queen Elizabeth promised to name her next child Catherine if it was a girl or Charles if it was a boy, after her daughter-in-law. However, after complications with the pregnancy, Elizabeth of York died.
The couple took comfort in each other during this time as they grieved the beloved Queen. The two returned to Ludlow shortly after the funeral. Their relationship, which had not been recorded as particularly affectionate nor antagonistic previously, was suddenly recorded with stories of the good relationship that the two had. The first recorded, actual quote from Arthur Tudor is recalled from this time, simply stating is a letter to his father:
“…she is beauty and goodness. If I did not have he, I would die…”
The couple would receive some extremely good news as 1504 began. Catherine of Aragon became pregnant. The good news helped lift the cloud of mourning that still loomed in the wake of the Queen’s death. However, with the youth of the bride and the smallness of her stature. The Princess of Wales wrote long letters during this time, many to her parents and sisters. She proclaimed her love of Arthur, the sweetness of the late Queen and the perfection of courtesy she had received thus far.
Pregnancy seemed to suit the 19 year old Princess, who bloomed into a more mature, composed woman. The change was evident enough to be noted by Margaret Beaufort, who dedicated a full page to the new princess’ attitude. Even the ever-polite Margaret Pole was said to have been surprised by the development of Catherine of Aragon.
Finally, on the 18th of July, 1504, Catherine of Aragon went into labour for the first time. It was a long three days, but Catherine managed to survive. Her child, however, was not as lucky. The babe was a boy, who was born dead. The young couple would be inconsolable for a very long time.
After the unfortunate events that had befallen them, Arthur and Catherine spent the years 1505 to 1508 hidden in Ludlow Castle, in an attempt to allow the Princess of Wales to recover. The Princess eventually found herself ready to try again. During this period of recovery, the Princess found herself becoming close to Anne Hastings, wife to the Earl of Shrewsbury and a woman of some skill in birth and pregnancy. She also found herself becoming close to the newly widowed Anne Stafford, a woman of royal blood.
The couple found themselves pregnant again in 1508, which they greeted with optimistic cautiousness. The Prince of Wales sent word only to his father and grandmother. They quietly let the right people know and let the young couple attempt to deal with this themselves. Of course, the Lady Margaret Beaufort also sends instructions to Mistress Pole so that Catherine and Arthur don’t hurt her precious heir, but the small details are left alone.
Finally, on the 19th of December, 1508, Prince Henry of Wales was born. A delicate, short boy with a film of blonde hair and eyes like his mother’s. The celebrations began at Ludlow and moved through England, Reaching London after three months of slow travel for both the infant and the mother.
Upon reaching the capital, the young babe was christened in style. His godfathers were Henry Tudor, Duke of York and Charles of Castile, the current betrothed of Mary Tudor. His godmothers were Anne Stafford and Claude of France, current heir to the Duchy of Brittany.
During the celebrations, one relationship flourished that was not expected. The 17 year old Duke of York and the widow Anne Stafford found each other very interesting, for different reasons. Duke Henry found her to be the epitome of an older, sophisticated woman who Henry felt could bring him fully into the world of adulthood. Lady Anne, meanwhile, saw a handsome, young, rich man of royal blood.
The two sought Henry VII’s blessing and Prince Arthur’s support to their marriage, which was then set for late 1509. Catherine became even more familiar with the Lady Anne, calling her ‘sister’ and gifting her jewellery and books. The royal family seemed to have settled into happiness not seen since prior to Elizabeth of York’s death.
However, all of the aforementioned peace ended abruptly after Henry VII died in mid-1509, due to a chest infection that had been left untreated. Arthur and Catherine returned to the capital immediately, bringing with them Henry of Wales. The country went into mourning almost immediately. The shock of losing her only child proved too much for her and Margaret Beaufort died only a month after her son.
The new King Arthur I of England announced that he would be joined with Catherine of Aragon in a joint coronation. There was some grumbling from conservatives that a foreign princess shouldn’t need/have a coronation with the King of England, but those people are merely a vocal minority. And so the coronation took place on the 10th of November, 1509.
In early January, 1510, the wedding of Anne Stafford and the Duke Henry took place. In attendance was the King, Queen and royal siblings, along with various other favourites. It was a mutedly joyous occasion.
The new Duke and Duchess take over the court as the fresh, openly affectionate couple with boundless energy. Catherine of Aragon is known to have been quite jealous of the attention the other couple, but is unable to compete socially due to the general lack of courtly interests of the King. Arthur was raised to rule and to be a good king, but his skills at dancing and jousting are not as at high a skill. Catherine is happy, however, when she announces that the Prince of Wales will be expecting a sibling early next year, only to be undercut when her friend and sister-in-law announces that he should expect a cousin as well.
The two couples wait during those nine months as the two female friends share the experience of pregnancy. During this time the Duke Henry takes the time to begin to show his brother the French War strategy that he’s had in the works for some time now. Al they need, he claims, is allies.
Finally, in February of 1511, two little girls are welcomed to the House of Tudor. Princess Mary Tudor is a small, delicate child but seems to be thriving, while her counterpoint is a larger, sturdy little girl named Elizabeth of York. The two infants are placed in the same household.
Shortly after the birth of the royal girls, warning comes from the North. Scotland is mobilizing and will attack within the next six months. Arthur I find this news unsettling and approves the Duke Henry’s plan of attack. He will go to the border with the army and protect England. If the Duke can prove himself able of command, then Arthur will have him lead the English to France soon after.
The war, as many predicted, goes well in the beginning. England protects her borders and it seems that Scotland has retreated. But, as the war seems to be ending in mid-December of 1511, James IV comes in with reinforcements and begins to again start more conflict.
The battles of 1512 are brutal and bloody. Massive casualties were wrought on both sides. But, eventually, at the Battle of Branxton on the 8th of July, 1512. Of the casualties, one was especially famous. James IV of Scotland, aged 39, left his newborn son as King James V of Scotland.
The peace talks between England and Scotland began a month later. Queen Dowager Margaret Tudor agreed to almost all terms, which left Scotland in a subservient position to the English throne. James V was betrothed to Princess Mary and had to spend 4 months a year in England. That aspect began immediately and Margaret Tudor travelled back to London, where she had once lived so happily.
The reunion of the Queen Dowager of Scotland and the King of England was affectionate and sweet. The two had been close as children and now found each other charming and mature. However, the Duke Henry took it upon himself to be disagreeable to his sister, continually referring to the defeat of Scotland in conversation. He did, however, introduce her to Charles Brandon.
Margaret felt lonely after her husband’s death and so nature took course and in January of 1514 she begged her brother to support her union to Charles Brandon, as she had fallen pregnant. The two were thus married and in June of 1514, Margaret gave birth to Catherine Brandon, her short lived daughter. To ensure his sister was well treated and sufficiently tittles, Charles Brandon was created Duke of Suffolk. One stipulation of the title, however, was that the title was only to be given to children of Margaret Tudor and himself, no one else.
Soon after the birth of Catherine Brandon, Princess Elizabeth Tudor was born. A more sturdy child than Mary, she was placed in the same household. Another child of the House of York was born a month later, a son entitled Henry Tudor, Earl of Pembroke. An heir to the Duke Henry, the Duke of York was said to have paid the man who brought him the news a bag of silver coins.
On the 5th of March, 1515, Mar Tudor the Elder was married by proxy to Charles of Castile. The royal princess left with half of her dowry and the promises to write. She also brought with her a pet monkey, named Ferdy Ferdy, who she taught to dance.
But after the departure of the Elder Mary, Catherine of Aragon gave birth to Edward, Duke of Gloucester. The Duke of Gloucester, however, soon became the Prince of Wales as Prince Henry took a cold that became a fever that eventually ended in the death of the young boy. Inconsolable, Queen Catherine took to wearing a cilice under her court dresses. She claimed that her pride had caused her son to die.
During this time, in early 1516, Henry Tudor, Duke of York, left to war in France. His wife found herself pregnant for a third time thus retreated to the York estates, where she would give birth to a sickly son, who died just after being named William. She later succumbed to a post-pregnancy infection an unfortunately died. He was quite quickly thrashed by the current French King, Francis I.
After that unfortunate defeat, the peace treaties were drawn up. Catherine vehemently opposed the betrothal of the Prince of Wales to Princess Louise of France. Catherine dreamt of marrying her son to a Hapsburg princess, though who she could choose was at a loss to her. Most Princesses were too old. The other, possible, choices were: Sybille, Anne and Amelia of Cleves, Isabella of Navarre or possibly Isabel of Braganza.
Throughout this period of history, Catherine of Aragon gave birth twice, once to the short-lived Princess Margaret in Late 1516 and once to the sickly Princess Joan. What killed Princess Joan, however, was the Sweat. It struck the country in late 1519 and the Princesses Mary and Joan were both buried in the summer months. To make the tragedy even more disastrous, Catherine suffered what would be her fourth miscarriage (others were in 1509, 1512 and 1518) and, due to the now extreme risk to her health, she was warned not to undergo another pregnancy.
King Arthur is said to have comforted her, but she knew that her husband was but a man. In a risky move, Catherine offered her husband an option. She would endorse a mistress for him if he promised not to allow her any power over him. He accepted, but also declared that no one could match his wife’s sweetness or beauty.
The woman she put forth was her goddaughter and attendant, Anne Talbot. This decision upset her close friend Anne Hastings, wife to the Earl of Shrewsbury, who left the court and refused contact with both her daughter and Queen for the rest of her life. Anne Talbot would give birth to two bastard daughters: Agnes Fitzroy (b.1524) and Eleanor Fitzroy (b.1529)
During this time, the Duke Henry lived quietly on his estates. Since the death of his wife, he had not been the social creature he once was and simply refused to meet with many people. The only thing left of his once exuberant personality was his jousting, which he practised daily.
In 1520 he married the Lady Mary Somerset in a match endorsed by his brother, which would last until her death in 1528. The new Duchess of York was as reclusive and studious as her husband and the two would have three children: Edmund of York (b.1523: d.1524), Jasper of York (b.1525: d.1525) and Mary of York (b.1527).
The life of Mary Tudor the Elder was not as exciting and happy as she had planned when she was the most beautiful Princess in Europe. Charles, now Holy Roman Emperor was a distant husband rarely would do more than look at her. Her children: Joanna of Austria (b.1517), Philip, Prince of Asturias (b.1518), Isabella of Austria (b.1521) and Ferdinand of Austria (b.1522).
Margaret Tudor, Duchess of Suffolk, spent her time fighting and making up with her husband. The two gave the young Catherine Brandon two siblings: Arthur Brandon (b.1517) and Dorothea Brandon (b.1521). Unfortunately, Dorothea would be short lived and died at age 9.
Catherine Brandon was known as “Scotland’s Joy”, as the only and favoured sister of the King of Scotland. Although she was born in England and would visit often, staying mostly at the Northern Estates of the Duke Henry with her cousins Henry and Elizabeth of York. For a time Margaret Tudor spoke of her hopes of marrying Catherine to the future second Duke of York. However, the Duke Henry would continually ignore her requests and eventually, in 1531 he had his son married to Lucy Pole. With her plan in tatters and her hopes of making her daughter a duchess, Margaret Tudor allowed her husband to quickly begin and finalise the betrothal of Catherine to Henry Grey, who had become the Marquess of Dorset in 1530 and was a favourite at court. Catherine would hive her husband 11 children between 1533 and 1552, of which 8 would survive early childhood: Eleanor Grey (b.1533), Anne Grey (b.1536), Margaret Grey (b.1537), Catherine Grey (b.1538), Nicolas Grey (b.1540), Beatrice Grey (b.1542), Penelope Grey (b.1548) and Mary Grey (b.1552). The three children who unfortunately did not survive early childhood were: Arthur Grey (b.1534: d.1535), John Grey (b.1544: d.1548), Janet Grey (b.1545: d.1548).
In 1531, the Duke of York would marry for a final time. The bride of choice was Martha Willoughby (b.1515), who would give birth to 6 children through the years 1532 to 1541. Of the six children, two lived long enough to be recorded: Anne of York (b.1537) and Lionel of York (b.1541).
Anne of York became a favoured paramour of Edward VI of England in 1553, becoming known as the York Whore (a name that was used almost exclusively by her elder sister and her cousin, Agnes Fitzroy, who became an abbess later in life due to her inability to find a husband, due to her various unattractive qualities). Anne, unfortunately, died in childbirth at the age of 18, in which she and the baby died. Her funeral was lavish and she was laid to rest at her father’s feet.
Lionel of York lived a life that would inspire multiple plays, books and biographies well after his death. Tall and handsome, he became a knight at the age of 17 under his cousin, the Duke of Suffolk Arthur Brandon. He proved an able commander in the Irish Rebellion of 1559, where he led the first victory for the English. Then, in 1560, he met Catherine Harding. Barely a year younger than him, Catherine Hastings was an Irish noblewoman whose father had been a mere merchant not 30 years prior (Lord Thomas Harding). The two became star crossed lovers and would marry in spite of the pre-contract between Catherine and Charles Howard, an English nobleman. Eventually the issue washed over when Catherine gave all of her rights to her father’s lands to her sister Jane and thus lost her appeal to Howard. So the happy couple entered court and enjoyed the happy atmosphere. Edward VI of England gifted them with money and Lionel became Master of the Horse in 1564. The happiness of the two was compounded by the announcement that they were expecting their first child. However, disaster struck when Catherine began bleeding heavily during the pregnancy and unfortunately died. Sir Lionel swore a vow of chastity in honour of her death and began raising his daughter, named Mary of York (b.1566). However, the two would never end their grieving when, early in the spring of 1569, the two were among the 134 court members brought down with food poisoning and among the 32 that died.
In 1520, after the death of her sister, Elizabeth Tudor was betrothed to James V of Scotland. The English Princess would feel the fact she was a replacement quite keenly all her life and would later write:
“If I were to be anything in the world, I would be a fondly remembered corpse and not an embarrassment of a queen…”
Her feelings of inadequacy were not unfounded. In 1540, when the Scottish monarchs visited for the wedding of Edward, Prince of Wales and Madeline of France, James V began to unfavourable compare his wife of 10 years to the new Princess of Wales. He called Elizabeth a “shrew, a harpy and a lousy pig”. This acted as the end to the unhappy relationship that had been in place at that point, with their three children (Prince James in 1532, Prince Henry in 1535 and Princess Mary in 1539) never gaining a sibling. Elizabeth would never share her husband’s bed again and took a lover, in the foreign secretary Mister Leopold von Wistrel, who claimed to be a former German monk, after his death in 1553.
Finally, in 1538, Catherine of Aragon died after being incapacitated due to heart problems and the loss of feeling in her left leg. The queen would leave most of her fortune to the church and to her various children and relatives. Her death was mourned by the nation and she was celebrated as a saint (though was never created one by the church).
The marriage of Catherine of Aragon and Arthur Tudor almost ended as it started. During the early years of their marriage, the two lived happily in Ludlow Castle. But, after a sudden outbreak of plague in the beginnings of 1502, the young Prince caught the Sweat. Arthur’s life stood in the balance and the Princess of Wales was recorded as never leaving his side. Eventually, the fever broke and he began to recover.
After that near miss, Arthur returned to court to celebrate the most recent pregnancy of his mother. Queen Elizabeth promised to name her next child Catherine if it was a girl or Charles if it was a boy, after her daughter-in-law. However, after complications with the pregnancy, Elizabeth of York died.
The couple took comfort in each other during this time as they grieved the beloved Queen. The two returned to Ludlow shortly after the funeral. Their relationship, which had not been recorded as particularly affectionate nor antagonistic previously, was suddenly recorded with stories of the good relationship that the two had. The first recorded, actual quote from Arthur Tudor is recalled from this time, simply stating is a letter to his father:
“…she is beauty and goodness. If I did not have he, I would die…”
The couple would receive some extremely good news as 1504 began. Catherine of Aragon became pregnant. The good news helped lift the cloud of mourning that still loomed in the wake of the Queen’s death. However, with the youth of the bride and the smallness of her stature. The Princess of Wales wrote long letters during this time, many to her parents and sisters. She proclaimed her love of Arthur, the sweetness of the late Queen and the perfection of courtesy she had received thus far.
Pregnancy seemed to suit the 19 year old Princess, who bloomed into a more mature, composed woman. The change was evident enough to be noted by Margaret Beaufort, who dedicated a full page to the new princess’ attitude. Even the ever-polite Margaret Pole was said to have been surprised by the development of Catherine of Aragon.
Finally, on the 18th of July, 1504, Catherine of Aragon went into labour for the first time. It was a long three days, but Catherine managed to survive. Her child, however, was not as lucky. The babe was a boy, who was born dead. The young couple would be inconsolable for a very long time.
After the unfortunate events that had befallen them, Arthur and Catherine spent the years 1505 to 1508 hidden in Ludlow Castle, in an attempt to allow the Princess of Wales to recover. The Princess eventually found herself ready to try again. During this period of recovery, the Princess found herself becoming close to Anne Hastings, wife to the Earl of Shrewsbury and a woman of some skill in birth and pregnancy. She also found herself becoming close to the newly widowed Anne Stafford, a woman of royal blood.
The couple found themselves pregnant again in 1508, which they greeted with optimistic cautiousness. The Prince of Wales sent word only to his father and grandmother. They quietly let the right people know and let the young couple attempt to deal with this themselves. Of course, the Lady Margaret Beaufort also sends instructions to Mistress Pole so that Catherine and Arthur don’t hurt her precious heir, but the small details are left alone.
Finally, on the 19th of December, 1508, Prince Henry of Wales was born. A delicate, short boy with a film of blonde hair and eyes like his mother’s. The celebrations began at Ludlow and moved through England, Reaching London after three months of slow travel for both the infant and the mother.
Upon reaching the capital, the young babe was christened in style. His godfathers were Henry Tudor, Duke of York and Charles of Castile, the current betrothed of Mary Tudor. His godmothers were Anne Stafford and Claude of France, current heir to the Duchy of Brittany.
During the celebrations, one relationship flourished that was not expected. The 17 year old Duke of York and the widow Anne Stafford found each other very interesting, for different reasons. Duke Henry found her to be the epitome of an older, sophisticated woman who Henry felt could bring him fully into the world of adulthood. Lady Anne, meanwhile, saw a handsome, young, rich man of royal blood.
The two sought Henry VII’s blessing and Prince Arthur’s support to their marriage, which was then set for late 1509. Catherine became even more familiar with the Lady Anne, calling her ‘sister’ and gifting her jewellery and books. The royal family seemed to have settled into happiness not seen since prior to Elizabeth of York’s death.
However, all of the aforementioned peace ended abruptly after Henry VII died in mid-1509, due to a chest infection that had been left untreated. Arthur and Catherine returned to the capital immediately, bringing with them Henry of Wales. The country went into mourning almost immediately. The shock of losing her only child proved too much for her and Margaret Beaufort died only a month after her son.
The new King Arthur I of England announced that he would be joined with Catherine of Aragon in a joint coronation. There was some grumbling from conservatives that a foreign princess shouldn’t need/have a coronation with the King of England, but those people are merely a vocal minority. And so the coronation took place on the 10th of November, 1509.
In early January, 1510, the wedding of Anne Stafford and the Duke Henry took place. In attendance was the King, Queen and royal siblings, along with various other favourites. It was a mutedly joyous occasion.
The new Duke and Duchess take over the court as the fresh, openly affectionate couple with boundless energy. Catherine of Aragon is known to have been quite jealous of the attention the other couple, but is unable to compete socially due to the general lack of courtly interests of the King. Arthur was raised to rule and to be a good king, but his skills at dancing and jousting are not as at high a skill. Catherine is happy, however, when she announces that the Prince of Wales will be expecting a sibling early next year, only to be undercut when her friend and sister-in-law announces that he should expect a cousin as well.
The two couples wait during those nine months as the two female friends share the experience of pregnancy. During this time the Duke Henry takes the time to begin to show his brother the French War strategy that he’s had in the works for some time now. Al they need, he claims, is allies.
Finally, in February of 1511, two little girls are welcomed to the House of Tudor. Princess Mary Tudor is a small, delicate child but seems to be thriving, while her counterpoint is a larger, sturdy little girl named Elizabeth of York. The two infants are placed in the same household.
Shortly after the birth of the royal girls, warning comes from the North. Scotland is mobilizing and will attack within the next six months. Arthur I find this news unsettling and approves the Duke Henry’s plan of attack. He will go to the border with the army and protect England. If the Duke can prove himself able of command, then Arthur will have him lead the English to France soon after.
The war, as many predicted, goes well in the beginning. England protects her borders and it seems that Scotland has retreated. But, as the war seems to be ending in mid-December of 1511, James IV comes in with reinforcements and begins to again start more conflict.
The battles of 1512 are brutal and bloody. Massive casualties were wrought on both sides. But, eventually, at the Battle of Branxton on the 8th of July, 1512. Of the casualties, one was especially famous. James IV of Scotland, aged 39, left his newborn son as King James V of Scotland.
The peace talks between England and Scotland began a month later. Queen Dowager Margaret Tudor agreed to almost all terms, which left Scotland in a subservient position to the English throne. James V was betrothed to Princess Mary and had to spend 4 months a year in England. That aspect began immediately and Margaret Tudor travelled back to London, where she had once lived so happily.
The reunion of the Queen Dowager of Scotland and the King of England was affectionate and sweet. The two had been close as children and now found each other charming and mature. However, the Duke Henry took it upon himself to be disagreeable to his sister, continually referring to the defeat of Scotland in conversation. He did, however, introduce her to Charles Brandon.
Margaret felt lonely after her husband’s death and so nature took course and in January of 1514 she begged her brother to support her union to Charles Brandon, as she had fallen pregnant. The two were thus married and in June of 1514, Margaret gave birth to Catherine Brandon, her short lived daughter. To ensure his sister was well treated and sufficiently tittles, Charles Brandon was created Duke of Suffolk. One stipulation of the title, however, was that the title was only to be given to children of Margaret Tudor and himself, no one else.
Soon after the birth of Catherine Brandon, Princess Elizabeth Tudor was born. A more sturdy child than Mary, she was placed in the same household. Another child of the House of York was born a month later, a son entitled Henry Tudor, Earl of Pembroke. An heir to the Duke Henry, the Duke of York was said to have paid the man who brought him the news a bag of silver coins.
On the 5th of March, 1515, Mar Tudor the Elder was married by proxy to Charles of Castile. The royal princess left with half of her dowry and the promises to write. She also brought with her a pet monkey, named Ferdy Ferdy, who she taught to dance.
But after the departure of the Elder Mary, Catherine of Aragon gave birth to Edward, Duke of Gloucester. The Duke of Gloucester, however, soon became the Prince of Wales as Prince Henry took a cold that became a fever that eventually ended in the death of the young boy. Inconsolable, Queen Catherine took to wearing a cilice under her court dresses. She claimed that her pride had caused her son to die.
During this time, in early 1516, Henry Tudor, Duke of York, left to war in France. His wife found herself pregnant for a third time thus retreated to the York estates, where she would give birth to a sickly son, who died just after being named William. She later succumbed to a post-pregnancy infection an unfortunately died. He was quite quickly thrashed by the current French King, Francis I.
After that unfortunate defeat, the peace treaties were drawn up. Catherine vehemently opposed the betrothal of the Prince of Wales to Princess Louise of France. Catherine dreamt of marrying her son to a Hapsburg princess, though who she could choose was at a loss to her. Most Princesses were too old. The other, possible, choices were: Sybille, Anne and Amelia of Cleves, Isabella of Navarre or possibly Isabel of Braganza.
Throughout this period of history, Catherine of Aragon gave birth twice, once to the short-lived Princess Margaret in Late 1516 and once to the sickly Princess Joan. What killed Princess Joan, however, was the Sweat. It struck the country in late 1519 and the Princesses Mary and Joan were both buried in the summer months. To make the tragedy even more disastrous, Catherine suffered what would be her fourth miscarriage (others were in 1509, 1512 and 1518) and, due to the now extreme risk to her health, she was warned not to undergo another pregnancy.
King Arthur is said to have comforted her, but she knew that her husband was but a man. In a risky move, Catherine offered her husband an option. She would endorse a mistress for him if he promised not to allow her any power over him. He accepted, but also declared that no one could match his wife’s sweetness or beauty.
The woman she put forth was her goddaughter and attendant, Anne Talbot. This decision upset her close friend Anne Hastings, wife to the Earl of Shrewsbury, who left the court and refused contact with both her daughter and Queen for the rest of her life. Anne Talbot would give birth to two bastard daughters: Agnes Fitzroy (b.1524) and Eleanor Fitzroy (b.1529)
During this time, the Duke Henry lived quietly on his estates. Since the death of his wife, he had not been the social creature he once was and simply refused to meet with many people. The only thing left of his once exuberant personality was his jousting, which he practised daily.
In 1520 he married the Lady Mary Somerset in a match endorsed by his brother, which would last until her death in 1528. The new Duchess of York was as reclusive and studious as her husband and the two would have three children: Edmund of York (b.1523: d.1524), Jasper of York (b.1525: d.1525) and Mary of York (b.1527).
The life of Mary Tudor the Elder was not as exciting and happy as she had planned when she was the most beautiful Princess in Europe. Charles, now Holy Roman Emperor was a distant husband rarely would do more than look at her. Her children: Joanna of Austria (b.1517), Philip, Prince of Asturias (b.1518), Isabella of Austria (b.1521) and Ferdinand of Austria (b.1522).
Margaret Tudor, Duchess of Suffolk, spent her time fighting and making up with her husband. The two gave the young Catherine Brandon two siblings: Arthur Brandon (b.1517) and Dorothea Brandon (b.1521). Unfortunately, Dorothea would be short lived and died at age 9.
Catherine Brandon was known as “Scotland’s Joy”, as the only and favoured sister of the King of Scotland. Although she was born in England and would visit often, staying mostly at the Northern Estates of the Duke Henry with her cousins Henry and Elizabeth of York. For a time Margaret Tudor spoke of her hopes of marrying Catherine to the future second Duke of York. However, the Duke Henry would continually ignore her requests and eventually, in 1531 he had his son married to Lucy Pole. With her plan in tatters and her hopes of making her daughter a duchess, Margaret Tudor allowed her husband to quickly begin and finalise the betrothal of Catherine to Henry Grey, who had become the Marquess of Dorset in 1530 and was a favourite at court. Catherine would hive her husband 11 children between 1533 and 1552, of which 8 would survive early childhood: Eleanor Grey (b.1533), Anne Grey (b.1536), Margaret Grey (b.1537), Catherine Grey (b.1538), Nicolas Grey (b.1540), Beatrice Grey (b.1542), Penelope Grey (b.1548) and Mary Grey (b.1552). The three children who unfortunately did not survive early childhood were: Arthur Grey (b.1534: d.1535), John Grey (b.1544: d.1548), Janet Grey (b.1545: d.1548).
In 1531, the Duke of York would marry for a final time. The bride of choice was Martha Willoughby (b.1515), who would give birth to 6 children through the years 1532 to 1541. Of the six children, two lived long enough to be recorded: Anne of York (b.1537) and Lionel of York (b.1541).
Anne of York became a favoured paramour of Edward VI of England in 1553, becoming known as the York Whore (a name that was used almost exclusively by her elder sister and her cousin, Agnes Fitzroy, who became an abbess later in life due to her inability to find a husband, due to her various unattractive qualities). Anne, unfortunately, died in childbirth at the age of 18, in which she and the baby died. Her funeral was lavish and she was laid to rest at her father’s feet.
Lionel of York lived a life that would inspire multiple plays, books and biographies well after his death. Tall and handsome, he became a knight at the age of 17 under his cousin, the Duke of Suffolk Arthur Brandon. He proved an able commander in the Irish Rebellion of 1559, where he led the first victory for the English. Then, in 1560, he met Catherine Harding. Barely a year younger than him, Catherine Hastings was an Irish noblewoman whose father had been a mere merchant not 30 years prior (Lord Thomas Harding). The two became star crossed lovers and would marry in spite of the pre-contract between Catherine and Charles Howard, an English nobleman. Eventually the issue washed over when Catherine gave all of her rights to her father’s lands to her sister Jane and thus lost her appeal to Howard. So the happy couple entered court and enjoyed the happy atmosphere. Edward VI of England gifted them with money and Lionel became Master of the Horse in 1564. The happiness of the two was compounded by the announcement that they were expecting their first child. However, disaster struck when Catherine began bleeding heavily during the pregnancy and unfortunately died. Sir Lionel swore a vow of chastity in honour of her death and began raising his daughter, named Mary of York (b.1566). However, the two would never end their grieving when, early in the spring of 1569, the two were among the 134 court members brought down with food poisoning and among the 32 that died.
In 1520, after the death of her sister, Elizabeth Tudor was betrothed to James V of Scotland. The English Princess would feel the fact she was a replacement quite keenly all her life and would later write:
“If I were to be anything in the world, I would be a fondly remembered corpse and not an embarrassment of a queen…”
Her feelings of inadequacy were not unfounded. In 1540, when the Scottish monarchs visited for the wedding of Edward, Prince of Wales and Madeline of France, James V began to unfavourable compare his wife of 10 years to the new Princess of Wales. He called Elizabeth a “shrew, a harpy and a lousy pig”. This acted as the end to the unhappy relationship that had been in place at that point, with their three children (Prince James in 1532, Prince Henry in 1535 and Princess Mary in 1539) never gaining a sibling. Elizabeth would never share her husband’s bed again and took a lover, in the foreign secretary Mister Leopold von Wistrel, who claimed to be a former German monk, after his death in 1553.
Finally, in 1538, Catherine of Aragon died after being incapacitated due to heart problems and the loss of feeling in her left leg. The queen would leave most of her fortune to the church and to her various children and relatives. Her death was mourned by the nation and she was celebrated as a saint (though was never created one by the church).