The Queen is Dead!: Katherine of Aragon dies in 1518
- Thread starter FalconHonour
- Start date
Oh he's still capable of being horrendously insensitive, but yes, the chapter isn't the lightest going...
When I first read Tess that was also how I pictured it. The church's behaviour does make sense - I guess - to everyone except the parents who have lost that child. To try and explain to them why their baby son/daughter can't have a funeral is pretty challenging. They say they understand, and then in the next breath ask "but why" again. It's a completely different ballgame to parents who lose a child who has been baptized, because they can't find the closure that comes with a funeral (since I agree with the statement that a funeral isn't for the dead, but for those left behind). Instead, they're expected to go on with life as if nothing has happened, to go home to a house that was probably already done-up for the baby's arrival, and be confronted by people who are like "but you didn't even know this baby, how could it affect you like this".
I agree. Which I think is why some chaplains will break the rules and baptise a stillborn... Peace, closure, all those sorts of things.
And then in the DRC you have a lovely little pain-in-the-ass called a Kuratorium that can suspend a minister for breaking the rules like that. But I do agree that there'd be ministers who would do that. I know of a minister who have held a funeral service for a dog.
As to Mary being sent away to Eltham, I'm not entirely sure. She'd have been sent away once the main things were done, but she would've still had to receive the condolences from the court alongside her father. When Henriette Anne, duchesse d'Orléans died, her youngest daughter, Anne Marie, was bundled up in purple velvet and held by a governess alongside her older sister (Louison), the future Queen Anne of England, and father, Monsieur. The king (or future king) may not be in the presence of death (i.e. may not attend the funeral or be in the room when the person dies), but Mary (despite her age) would've still had a role to play in court mourning, so would likely be removed to Eltham and trotted out to whichever palace to take part in the ceremonies, and then popped back in her box at Eltham when it was done.
That was certainly the case in 1950s Dublin, according to my mother, who was a midwife at the time. The child had to be living at the moment of baptism, but did not have to be completely born, and any part of its anatomy would do. I suspect most people didn’t worry about the finer points of theology, but considered it a humanitarian act, so that the child could have a proper burial.
She told the story of one case where she and the doctor (both Protestants) were assisted by a Catholic handywoman. When the child was finally born dead this woman said, 'And even I never thought to baptise it! Never mind, I'll tell the mother it was baptised. The doctor baptised it with his sweat.'
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Well, as will be shown in the next few sections, Henry is not thinking straight. Hopefully, his sister Mary will manage to set things straight... Eventually?
III:13th November 1518
“We’ll lay the Queen in state at Baynard’s Castle,[1] then process her to Worcester Cathedral on the first of next month, if that suits Your Highness,” Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk and Earl Marshal of England,[2] glanced up at the young Queen Dowager of France. [3]
She nodded, “Of course.”
“Your Highness is sure that this is what His Majesty would want? For Her Majesty to be interred with His Highness, Prince Arthur?”
“His Majesty is too prostrate with grief to be able to worry himself over the details of the funeral, my Lord Norfolk. He has left such matters to me and I can think of nothing more fitting than laying the Queen to rest beside the husband of her youth. In any case, if my brother the King so chooses, he too can be interred at Worcester when the time comes.”
The young woman spoke with a determination that could not be gainsaid. The Earl Marshal bowed his head.
“As you wish, My Lady. I assume Your Highness will be Chief Mourner?”
“Aye, Thomas, I will. It is my duty, both as Katherine’s sister and as Her Majesty’s loyal subject to see her interred as befits a Queen. Lady Willoughby shall carry my train. And the Princess Mary shall follow behind us.”
“Is that wise, Your Highness? Forgive me, but the Princess Mary is so young. Will Her Highness truly handle the rigours of the service? I thought the King had given orders for her to go to Eltham? As for Lady Willoughby carrying your train, she is a Spaniard born. There are many English ladies of noble birth who would relish the opportunity to do their Queen this final service.”
Mary blinked.
“Have I not just told you, Lord Norfolk, that my brother the King is prostrate with grief? His Majesty is not thinking clearly. Her Highness the Princess Mary needs to be at the service. The people need to see us united in this time of grief. Besides, my niece deserves to say goodbye to her mother, no matter how young she is. I will write and inform her household that she is to meet us at Worcester for her mother’s interment on St Lucy’s Day immediately.[4] As for the matter of who carries my train, well, I believe you forget, Your Grace, that just as Lady Willoughby is a Spaniard born, so too was our noble Queen. Lady Willoughby was both a loyal servant and a trusted friend to Her Majesty from the earliest days of their youth. I can think of no one more fitting to fulfil the office than Lady Willoughby.”
With that, Mary rose to her feet.
“T think that is all, My Lord. I will leave the further details to you. After all, you have my mother’s funeral before you as a precedent, so I do not see how you can go wrong.”
“Madam,” Thomas Howard bowed his head and Mary swept from the chamber.
“Your Grace.”
The courteous whispers of acknowledgement were muted. Everywhere she looked, there was black. Black and grey and ashen, sleepless faces. It was clear the courtiers were reeling. Their Queen had gone and she’d taken their sense of security with her.
Not for the first time, Mary wished her brother were here; that he hadn’t withdrawn into his chambers. He was needed here. Not for his gaiety, but for his ability to lead. If he’d been here, he could have stabilised the Court; let them share in his grief at the same time as he shared in theirs. But he wasn’t here and so, as his sister and their Princess; as the premier noblewoman at the Court of England, now that Katherine was dead and little Mary had been taken to Eltham, it was up to her.
Mary forced a look of calm to her face and clenched her hands inside her sleeves to keep them from trembling as she addressed the crowd. “My Lords, My Ladies. Your concern for us in this time of distress is commendable and I thank you for it. Rest assured, you will all get your chance to say farewell to the Queen. Her Majesty will be lying in state at Baynard’s Castle from tomorrow, now that the embalmers and the waxwork makers have finished their work.”
Taking a deep breath, she glanced around the group of people gathered before her. There was not a dry eye in sight. Choking back her own tears, she continued, “Your obvious grief for the Queen is a balm to my wounded soul. It gladdens my heart to know that the woman I loved as my older sister was so dearly loved and will be sorely missed by all of you. Were His Majesty here to see it, I know it would gladden him too.”
Seeing her husband at the other end of the Hall, she inclined her head slightly and then started towards him. The crowd parted to let her through and, within moments, she was at his side.
“Charles,” She clasped his arm, drawing strength from the warmth of his skin. He lowered his head to kiss her briefly.
“Mary. You have the details sorted?”
“Yes. Katherine’s body will begin lying in state tomorrow.”
“Where?”
“Baynard’s Castle. She’ll be buried at Worcester, next to my brother Arthur.”
“Next to Arthur? Does Henry know? Are you sure he’d approve?”
“No. But since he won’t see me and would never talk about death even if he would, I’m doing the best I can. What’s good enough to be the resting place of the future King of England strikes me as fitting for the final resting place of the Queen Consort who came to England to be his bride first.”
“Very well. You’re the Princess. You were trained in ritual and statecraft. I was not,” Charles bent and kissed Mary again, before saying “I went to your brother’s rooms again.”
“Did he see you??”
“What do you think?”
Mary sighed. “I wish he wouldn’t do this. I wish he wouldn’t lock himself away like this.”
She swung her husband around so that he could see the courtiers for himself.
“They need him, Charles. They’re reeling and they need their King.”
“We all do, Mary. We all do,” Charles sighed regretfully, “And we shall have him. Sooner or later, we shall have him. Sooner or later, he’ll pull himself around. I promise. But in the meantime, we shall simply have to make do with Her Grace Mary, the Dowager Queen of France and Duchess of Suffolk.”
Mary managed a wan smile at his flattery.
“Stop it, Charles!” she chided, batting his shoulder playfully as they rounded the corner. Even as she did so, however, she was grateful for the brief moment of levity. As much as she grieved for Katherine, she needed to have something to distract her from her next duty. The duty of acting as Chief Mourner at her Queen’s funeral.
[1] Katherine’s former London residence before she married Henry VIII OTL. It made sense to have her lying in state there.
[2] Yes. That Thomas Howard.
[3] Henry’s younger sister Mary, so titled after her first marriage to King Louis XII of France in 1515. She is also Duchess of Suffolk by virtue of her marriage to Brandon. I will probably use the titles interchangeably, for ease of reference.
[4] 13th December.
She nodded, “Of course.”
“Your Highness is sure that this is what His Majesty would want? For Her Majesty to be interred with His Highness, Prince Arthur?”
“His Majesty is too prostrate with grief to be able to worry himself over the details of the funeral, my Lord Norfolk. He has left such matters to me and I can think of nothing more fitting than laying the Queen to rest beside the husband of her youth. In any case, if my brother the King so chooses, he too can be interred at Worcester when the time comes.”
The young woman spoke with a determination that could not be gainsaid. The Earl Marshal bowed his head.
“As you wish, My Lady. I assume Your Highness will be Chief Mourner?”
“Aye, Thomas, I will. It is my duty, both as Katherine’s sister and as Her Majesty’s loyal subject to see her interred as befits a Queen. Lady Willoughby shall carry my train. And the Princess Mary shall follow behind us.”
“Is that wise, Your Highness? Forgive me, but the Princess Mary is so young. Will Her Highness truly handle the rigours of the service? I thought the King had given orders for her to go to Eltham? As for Lady Willoughby carrying your train, she is a Spaniard born. There are many English ladies of noble birth who would relish the opportunity to do their Queen this final service.”
Mary blinked.
“Have I not just told you, Lord Norfolk, that my brother the King is prostrate with grief? His Majesty is not thinking clearly. Her Highness the Princess Mary needs to be at the service. The people need to see us united in this time of grief. Besides, my niece deserves to say goodbye to her mother, no matter how young she is. I will write and inform her household that she is to meet us at Worcester for her mother’s interment on St Lucy’s Day immediately.[4] As for the matter of who carries my train, well, I believe you forget, Your Grace, that just as Lady Willoughby is a Spaniard born, so too was our noble Queen. Lady Willoughby was both a loyal servant and a trusted friend to Her Majesty from the earliest days of their youth. I can think of no one more fitting to fulfil the office than Lady Willoughby.”
With that, Mary rose to her feet.
“T think that is all, My Lord. I will leave the further details to you. After all, you have my mother’s funeral before you as a precedent, so I do not see how you can go wrong.”
“Madam,” Thomas Howard bowed his head and Mary swept from the chamber.
“Your Grace.”
The courteous whispers of acknowledgement were muted. Everywhere she looked, there was black. Black and grey and ashen, sleepless faces. It was clear the courtiers were reeling. Their Queen had gone and she’d taken their sense of security with her.
Not for the first time, Mary wished her brother were here; that he hadn’t withdrawn into his chambers. He was needed here. Not for his gaiety, but for his ability to lead. If he’d been here, he could have stabilised the Court; let them share in his grief at the same time as he shared in theirs. But he wasn’t here and so, as his sister and their Princess; as the premier noblewoman at the Court of England, now that Katherine was dead and little Mary had been taken to Eltham, it was up to her.
Mary forced a look of calm to her face and clenched her hands inside her sleeves to keep them from trembling as she addressed the crowd. “My Lords, My Ladies. Your concern for us in this time of distress is commendable and I thank you for it. Rest assured, you will all get your chance to say farewell to the Queen. Her Majesty will be lying in state at Baynard’s Castle from tomorrow, now that the embalmers and the waxwork makers have finished their work.”
Taking a deep breath, she glanced around the group of people gathered before her. There was not a dry eye in sight. Choking back her own tears, she continued, “Your obvious grief for the Queen is a balm to my wounded soul. It gladdens my heart to know that the woman I loved as my older sister was so dearly loved and will be sorely missed by all of you. Were His Majesty here to see it, I know it would gladden him too.”
Seeing her husband at the other end of the Hall, she inclined her head slightly and then started towards him. The crowd parted to let her through and, within moments, she was at his side.
“Charles,” She clasped his arm, drawing strength from the warmth of his skin. He lowered his head to kiss her briefly.
“Mary. You have the details sorted?”
“Yes. Katherine’s body will begin lying in state tomorrow.”
“Where?”
“Baynard’s Castle. She’ll be buried at Worcester, next to my brother Arthur.”
“Next to Arthur? Does Henry know? Are you sure he’d approve?”
“No. But since he won’t see me and would never talk about death even if he would, I’m doing the best I can. What’s good enough to be the resting place of the future King of England strikes me as fitting for the final resting place of the Queen Consort who came to England to be his bride first.”
“Very well. You’re the Princess. You were trained in ritual and statecraft. I was not,” Charles bent and kissed Mary again, before saying “I went to your brother’s rooms again.”
“Did he see you??”
“What do you think?”
Mary sighed. “I wish he wouldn’t do this. I wish he wouldn’t lock himself away like this.”
She swung her husband around so that he could see the courtiers for himself.
“They need him, Charles. They’re reeling and they need their King.”
“We all do, Mary. We all do,” Charles sighed regretfully, “And we shall have him. Sooner or later, we shall have him. Sooner or later, he’ll pull himself around. I promise. But in the meantime, we shall simply have to make do with Her Grace Mary, the Dowager Queen of France and Duchess of Suffolk.”
Mary managed a wan smile at his flattery.
“Stop it, Charles!” she chided, batting his shoulder playfully as they rounded the corner. Even as she did so, however, she was grateful for the brief moment of levity. As much as she grieved for Katherine, she needed to have something to distract her from her next duty. The duty of acting as Chief Mourner at her Queen’s funeral.
[1] Katherine’s former London residence before she married Henry VIII OTL. It made sense to have her lying in state there.
[2] Yes. That Thomas Howard.
[3] Henry’s younger sister Mary, so titled after her first marriage to King Louis XII of France in 1515. She is also Duchess of Suffolk by virtue of her marriage to Brandon. I will probably use the titles interchangeably, for ease of reference.
[4] 13th December.
This is a beautifully planned funeral, even better than our own time lines version where Catherine was buried in Peterborough Cathedral, alone with the ceremony fit for a Dowager Princess of Wales, rather than a queen of England. Henry did not attend the funeral and forbade Mary to attend.
The only nit-pick I would have is that I doubt she would say embalmers and waxworkers as this is too symbolic of their queen deteriorating. Many would imagine that the woman chosen by God to be the wife of Arthur, then as Queen of England to Henry and mother of Princess Mary, would stay angelic and pure in death as in life.
During this period, a midwife would perform some of the duties now done by funeral directors, which included washing the body and wrapping it in a plain sheet, especially being their during the death.
The only nit-pick I would have is that I doubt she would say embalmers and waxworkers as this is too symbolic of their queen deteriorating. Many would imagine that the woman chosen by God to be the wife of Arthur, then as Queen of England to Henry and mother of Princess Mary, would stay angelic and pure in death as in life.
During this period, a midwife would perform some of the duties now done by funeral directors, which included washing the body and wrapping it in a plain sheet, especially being their during the death.
Nothing major just my opinion on the situation and time.Fair enough. Thanks for catching that. I'll go back and edit that bit.
I really enjoyed this as a historic drama. I could imagine watching this on bbc.
Well funny enough, that's what this TL started life as. A fanfiction for the show The Tudors. That's how I already have the whole thing written out (at least for the next few years!).
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I can imagine Sophie Turner, the English actress who played Sansa Stark as Mary, Duchess of Suffolk as both 22 at this point in time.
That's not a bad casting call, actually. And perhaps Richard Madden as Charles Brandon?
I think Mary is being a bit fishy...*gives sideglance*
Now the big question is, who is the next wife *cough victim cough* of Henry VIII?
Now the big question is, who is the next wife *cough victim cough* of Henry VIII?
Yes, well. She's doing her best. Given the circumstances...
As for wife No.2, You'll simply have to wait and see
My money's on Isabel of Portugal (OTL Holy Roman Empress) if England's on a Habsburg slant or Dorothea of Denmark (OTL duchess of Prussia) if she's on a French one (they proposed Dottie for Richard de la Pole, last duke of Suffolk, OTL. But then Dickie got killed at Pavia)
I agree with all of this, but remember it's Henry. He's only going to marry the girl he wants to marry...