The Winter Princess

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The Birth of the Princess (circa 1505), done in the wake of the birth of the Princess Katherine Tudor, the painting in question was ordered as a representation of the Queen as the Madonna. It has been suggested that this was in fact meant to represent the Queen at the birth of her second son, Henry VIII of England, in an attempt to remind the court that there was a viable heir, but it is generally agreed that it was in fact for the semi-miraculous healthy birth of the Princess, that the royal family celebrated heavily in the wake of the death of the Prince of Wales. It is believed the two figures behind the Queen are painted from life of the 2nd Prince of Wales and the Princess Mary, who were 14 and at the time of the painting's completion. Recent scans of the painting reveal that, initially, four more figures stood in the background, most likely representing the King and Queen's elder daughter and the three of their children who did not survive them.

The birth of Katherine Tudor, youngest child of King Henry VII of England and his Queen, Elizabeth of York, was almost born 10 days early. While staying in the Tower and preparing to leave for Richmond Palace, the Queen unfortunately began feeling pains in her stomach and it was feared she was going into labour early. However, it seems that the pains were more based around indigestion and the Queen would instead stay in the Tower, for fears that she was delicate. Thus, 10 days later, on February 12th, 1503, the Queen deliver a healthy daughter, named Katherine after the King's paternal grandmother, Catherine of France, Queen Consort of England. The Princess royal couple's final child, they would agree to doctor's advice that the Queen should not undergo any other pregnancies, due to complications with her previous one and the difficulties with the birth of the Princess.

At age 37, many had feared the Queen would be too old to deliver a healthy child, particularly after the semi-disastrous pregnancy she had undergone with the since-late Edmund Tudor, Duke of Somerset. However, despite an ague that continued to recur for 2 months after the birth of her daughter, Elizabeth of York seemed healthy once fully back at court and even went as far as to go hunting with her husband in August, despite fears that style of arduous task might prove unsafe. It seems the birth of her youngest daughter had reinvigorated the Queen, along with her husband. Many reported that, with their infant Princess, the royal couple seemed happier than they had been since the death of their eldest son a year previously and, in many reports, happier than they had been since the death of the Princess Elizabeth almost a decade previously.

Their daughter would initially live in an appendage nursery household with the court, moving from place to place until after the Christmas and New Years celebrations. In March of 1504 it was recorded the Princess had been moved into her own household "in the country", although the name of the establishment was unrecorded at the time. It is known that in October of that year she briefly resided with her sister Mary, then in November of 1504 was moved into what would become a more permanent residence at Woking Manor House, which had since May of that year been refurbished and somewhat repaired, although work would not be complete until March of 1507. Thus, away from the main bustle of the court and most of her family, the Princess would grow strong and healthy.

Her parents, meanwhile, spent much time on the issue of their widowed, supposedly virginal daughter-in-law. The King wished to keep the dowry and alliance between England and the Spanish royal family, but the Queen was publicly uncomfortable with the idea of her younger son marrying the Dowager Princess of Wales. The Queen was even to have argued publicly with her husband in June of 1504, citing Leviticus to argue that what the King suggested was not holy. Despite her complaints, there was much riding on the match being performed. The dowry itself, although not fully paid, was huge and beneficial to England and the King's personal safety. However, his Queen's increasingly strong advice against the match was, along with his own fears of the age difference, enough for the King to send the Infanta back to Spain, where she was greeted with a dying mother and increasingly uneasy father. She returned with some of her plate, although she had sold much of it as a way to support herself during the interim between her husband's death and her return to Spain.

Having agreed with his Queen on this matter, the King also followed suit in her mission to make a match for their son. Brought to court, the young Prince of Wales found himself stifled by his father's increasingly strong grip, although he was allowed some freedom and in April of 1505 would even leave the court for 2 months with his mother to make a Pilgrimage to a shrine, possibly to pray for his infant sister, who in March is recorded as having been sick, although it seems that she easily pulled through it. However, despite short excursions, the Prince was never granted even half the level of freedom his brother had enjoyed.

His mother would present his father with a list of candidates for the role of Princess of Wales. She strongly favoured a match with the Austrian/Burgundy monarchy, particularly with either Eleanor or Isabella of Austria. However, she did also suggest a Frenchwoman in the form of Marguerite d'Angouleme, the only surviving daughter of the since-dead Charles de Valois, Count of Angouleme. This was in contrast to the Princess Mary's current possible betrothal to the new Count of Angouleme, Francis de Valois. However, it seems that match might be pushed in favour of a marriage between the Count and the King of France's eldest daughter, Claude of France. However, the girl was sickly and Henry places hopes in a match that could, theoretically, place his daughter on the French Throne, as his eldest daughter sat on the Scottish Throne.

The King's Mother agreed with her daughter-in-law, drawing on the conclusion that if they wished to replicate the Spanish match, a daughter of the heiress to the Thrones of Aragon and Castile would be a good choice. However, the King seemed to favour a French match at the time, as an offset of the previous Spanish match. Thus, in May of 1506, the Prince of Wales was formally betrothed to Claude of France. This was in contrast to her two other betrothed men, Charles von Hapsburg, the son of the Duke of Burgundy, and Francis de Valois, Count of Angouleme. However, for the time being the sickly child was named Princess of Wales in the presence of the English Ambassadors.

Unimpressed by reports of his future Queen, the Prince of Wales would, in June of 1507, attempt to marry himself to a lady of the court. Her name had been lost to history, but the general consensus is that this woman was most likely a woman repeatedly sent money by the Queen from late 1507 onward by the name of Lady Agnes. A lower born girl of the gentry, many have speculated that she might have been the daughter of Henry Stickler, a man granted land and minor honours after 1485, when he was on the right side of the Battle of Bosworth. What is known of the incident is that the Lady was sent away from the Prince and he was to have been punished by losing many privileges, particularly that of being able to ride and join small tournaments. Thus, the Prince of Wales found his attempt to find freedom backfired completely, and even granted him the pain of displeasing his mother.

The Princess Katherine was, in 1508, betrothed to the second son of the since-dead Duke of Burgundy. However, due to the lack of a son for the French King, it was agreed that if Charles had not married by the time that Katherine had matured, the young Duke of Burgundy would marry the Tudor Princess. However, in 1509 a match was suggested with Portugal, in the form of a marriage between Katherine and Prince John, currently betrothed to Eleanor of Austria (loosely). There was even talk, briefly, of the Princess marrying the short-lived son of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Germaine de Foix, Juan, Prince of Girona, who died young and left the King with only his German grandson as his heir.

The agreement of marriage between the Prince of Wales and Claude of France fell through in 1509, shortly after the King's illness began to look to be terminal that year. Thus, at the death of the King in October, shortly after his mother's death, his son rose to the title and role of King of England and Henry VIII of England. Initially, this was a time of great sorrow for the Queen, however it soon became obvious the 43 year old Queen Dowager of England was now to head the regency. Hoping to ease the transition to her son's rule, the Queen cautioned him that having his father's advisers executed was not a good move and instead managed to lessen the blow to having them relieved of their positions at court. She fell into a role of her son's main adviser and in 1510 saw her previous dream realized when her son was married, by proxy, to the Princess of Burgundy, Eleanor von Hapsburg. She sent, in a move uncharacteristic of herself, a letter to her previous daughter-in-law explaining the news to her. The letter has gone down as one that was unnecessarily gleeful, however many have noted that they two kept up correspondence before and after this particular piece of writing and the Infant had been happily married for 3 years to the Duke of Savoy at this point, and had given birth to a son that very year.

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This portrait of Eleanor of Austria, Queen Consort of England, was painted in England in 1515 and is one of the few contemporary images of the Queen of England that have survived.

The new Queen of England would arrive in 1512, aged 14. However, the Queen agreed that the Princess, while beautiful, was physically immature and her son would wait until 1514 to begin sexual relations with her, although he did ensure the first night was consummated. The Queen of England would, throughout most of this time, spend her says with her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law, particularly the Princess Mary, who took a liking to the similarly beautiful young woman. They would, however, not enjoy the company for a long time, due to Princess Mary's marriage in 1516 to John, Prince of Portugal. A good match, the Princess had to fight off advances from her father-in-law upon arriving and in 1517 was safely married to the heir to the Throne.

The person of Katherine Tudor, meanwhile, went unmarried for the entirety of the 1510's. While her brother welcomed a healthy son in 1518 and a stillborn daughter the year after, Katherine found herself unwed and unbetrothed. However, this changed in 1522 when, as part of an alliance between the English and the Austrians, she became the Holy Roman Empress. This grand match, to Charles von Hapsburg, was seen as many as a triumph for her brother's reign and for her mother's diplomacy.

Her mother, meanwhile, would fade from the court around this time, dying in 1524 due to breast cancer. The Queen Mother, fiercely loved by her son and one of his key advisers during this time, was buried with her husband in a tomb monument he had built in 1508. Elizabeth of York would leave most of her world possessions to her son, however one key thing of note is the endowment of a medium sized property to the aforementioned Agnes and her children. It seems the Lady in question had married Anthony Howard, a bastard cousin of the Duke of Norfolk. Landless, the couple would benefit greatly from the gift.


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This painting, done in 1527, shows the Holy Roman Empress with either her eldest or second son. It is generally believed to be the eldest, Carlos, although the timing suggests that it could have been the Infante Juan, born 6 months prior to this painting's completion. It is possible that the Infante Juan was used as a model for his elder brother, or that the child in the photo was meant to be the literal infant Jesus. However, it is generally entitled "The Empress Katarina and her son, Carlos".

The Princess Katherine, meanwhile, celebrated the birth of her eldest child in 1525, in the form of the Infante Carlos von Hapsburg, Prince of Asturias and Girona. With this child, she had secured the Hapsburg dynasty in Spain, although it would be further cemented by the birth of her second son in 1527. In between, a daughter was miscarried and the couple would go on to have another 7 pregnancies, of which 3 more children would survive. These children, all daughters, were: Maria von Hapsburg, Infanta of Spain (b.1530), Isabella von Hapsburg, Infanta of Spain (b.1533) and Eleanora von Hapsburg, Infanta of Spain (b.1538).

However, childbearing was not the only aspect of the Holy Roman Empress' life as the consort of, arguably, the most powerful man in Europe. A peacemaker at heart, she was the one to reunite her husband and his brother, the King of Hungary and Croatia, in 1528, after an argument had led to estrangement between the two. She also chose, in 1534, to shelter her sister Mary in Toledo after she ran away from the Portuguese Court after rumours her husband was to have her killed began to circulate. Despite orders from her husband to release the Queen of Portugal into his custody, the Queen of Portugal would remain in her sister's care until 1537, when she returned to Portugal only to die 3 years later under suspicious circumstances. Furious at this development, the Holy Roman Empress would declare the King of Portugal a murderer and, during negotiations for her son to marry his eldest daughter, Katherine would turn her back to the ambassador.

Her relationship with her husband continued to deteriorate throughout this time, even as her last pregnancy ended in 1541. She would celebrate with him when their son was made the Duke of Burgundy, however she also found his style of ruling unappealing and frequently made pilgrimages to escape him. In 1545 she actually left the court and joined her son in Brussels, where he had begun his court (with a council of advisers). Despite having no say in her elder son's marriage, she was highly active in her second son's and say him married in 1547 to the Princess Margaret of France, the sister to the King. A good match, the two seemed to actually become quite fond of each other and would welcome 5 surviving children over the course of their marriage.

Her death in 1548 was sudden and unexpected. Seemingly healthy, it seems a sudden heart attack was the cause, although many have claimed that it is obvious her husband had her murdered in order to marry a mistress that he never did. Whatever killed her, the death was mourned by her children (particularly John II, Duke of Burgundy) and was buried with great estate in Madrid, where her husband would join her years later.

Henry VII of England (b.1457: d.1509) m. Elizabeth of York (b.1466: d.1524) (a)

1a) Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales (b.1486: d.1502) m. Catherine of Aragon (b.1485: d.1538)

2a) Margaret Tudor (b.1489: d.1541) m. James IV of Scotland (b.1473: d.1521) (a)

1a) James Stewart, Duke of Rothesay (b.1507: d.1508)

2a) Stillborn Daughter (c.1508)

3a) Arthur Stewart, Duke of Rothesay (b.1509: d.1510)

4a) James V of Scotland (b.1512: d.1542)

5a) Stillborn Daughter (c.1512)

6a) Alexander Stewart, Duke of Ross (1514: d.1515)

7a) Stillborn Daughter (c.1517)

8a) Alexander Stewart, Duke of Ross (b.1520: d.1521)​

3a) Henry VIII of England (b.1491: d.1547) m. Eleanor of Austria (b.1498: d.1558) (a)

1a) Henry IX of England (b.1518)

2a) Miscarriage (c.1519)

3a) Stillborn Daughter (c.1521)

4a) Edward Tudor, Duke of York (b.1523)

5a) Stillborn Son (c.1526)

6a) Mary Tudor (b.1528)

7a) Stillborn Daughter (c.1530)

8a) Stillborn Daughter (c.1533)​

4a) Elizabeth Tudor (b.1492: d.1495)

5a) Mary Tudor (b.1496: d.1540) m. John III of Portugal (b.1502: d.1557) (a)

1a) John of Portugal (b.1519: d.1527)

2a) Maria I of Portugal (b.1521)

3a) Isabella of Portugal (b.1523)

4a) Eleanor of Portugal (b.1526)

5a) Beatrice of Portugal (b.1528)​

6a) Edmund Tudor, Duke of Somerset (b.1499: d.1500)

7a) Katherine Tudor (b.1503: d.1548) m. Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (b.1500: d.1558) (a)

1a) Carlos II of Spain (b.1525)

2a) Miscarriage (c.1526)

3a) John II, Duke of Burgundy (b.1527)

4a) Stillborn Daughter (c.1528)

5a) Maria of Spain (b.1530)

6a) Stillborn Daughter (c.1532)

7a) Isabella of Spain (b.1533)

8a) Stillborn Son (c.1535)

9a) Eleanora of Spain (b.1538)

10a) Stillborn Son (c.1541)​
 
"The morning of November 7th, 1510, was the beginning of what was meant to be a grand era in English history. The young king, 19 at the time, stood at the alter with his 11 year old cousin, Margaret Courtney, standing in for his bride, the 12 year old Eleanor von Hapsburg. His mother watched proudly from the side, standing with her two younger daughters. Among the courtiers stood the King's great friend, Charles Brandon, later Earl of Suffolk, and the Lady Margaret Pole, his royal cousin and the soon Countess of Salisbury. Not in the crowd was the King's former lover and the woman he had attempted to marry, Agnes (sometimes referred to as Agnes Stickler before her own marriage) Howard, wife of Anthony Howard, a cousin of the Earl of Surrey.

It would be a further year and a half before Eleanor would land in England and another 4 before the Princess, aged 20, would give birth to the royal heir. Such a late pregnancy had not been expected when the royals had begun regular consummation of the marriage in 1516, however it seems the young woman matured less quickly than expected and thus tensions that would plague the royal couple began. Mediated by the Queen Mother, who was known for her even temper and kindness, the King and Queen would, for most of the early years of their marriage, maintain a somewhat happy relationship. However, there were always obstacles to overcome.

The King would be known as a man with a strong sexual appetite and while his Queen was beautiful, he seems to have been unsatisfied with her and took to having mistresses. One woman in particular, the beautiful Elizabeth Blount, took his fancy in the last 1510s and in 1519 the King would acknowledge a bastard son, named Owen Tudor. He had, by this time, welcomed a legitimate son in the form of the Prince of Wales, also named Henry Tudor after his father and grandfather. However, despite 2 further pregnancies, it would not be until 5 years had passed that he would have another viable child in the form of the Duke of York, Edward Tudor. And another 5 years would pass until the final surviving child of the royal couple, the Princess Mary, was born. With his three children and two sons, the royal line looked secure and in 1526, in an effort to bring peace between England and France, the King would betroth his son to the Princess Madeline of France, eldest surviving daughter of Francis I of France.

His younger son would, in 1535, be betrothed to "an Hungarian Princess". However, the actual identity of his future bride was left in the heir due to the sheer amount of Austrian Princesses of that time. It is known that he was was not betrothed to the eldest daughter of the King of Hungary and Croatia, Elisabeth of Austria, but records conflict as to if the Duke of York was betrothed to Anna or Maria of Austria, and one report has him set to marry the Princess Magdalena of Austria. However, in 1537, after his brother was married to the Princess Madeline, the Duke of York's betrothal was broken so that he could potentially marry the Princess of Portugal, Maria Aviz.

Eldest daughter of the King of Portugal and the King of England's sister, Mary Tudor (often in text referred to as Maria Tudor, however this was in fact a translation used by the Portuguese Court and she herself signed Mary R.), the Infanta Maria was the heiress to the throne, due to her only brother's death a decade prior. While at this time betrothed to Carlos de Spain, Prince of Asturias and Girona, the English King offered to ensure Portuguese independence via a marriage to the second son of England. He vied for this against his new ally, the French, who offered the Duke of Angouleme as the potential Duke of Portugal. The Pope even offered, in 1540, to allow the King of Portugal to marry his daughter to his brother, thus keeping the Avix line on the throne. The Princess Maria would, in 1544, marry the Duke of Angouleme who was rushed away from the ongoing war efforts between the French and Hapsburgs in Italy and sent to Portugal, where he met his bride.

In England, the King was furious at this double betrayal and in 1545, at his daughter-in-law's death due to complications in childbirth (her 2nd child), he refused to consider the Infanta Maria of Spain for his son and instead began negotiations with the German Duchy of Cleves for a match between his son and the 28 year old Amalia of Cleves, youngest sister of the Duke. He saw his son married and expecting a child in 1546, then died in 1547, having seen his grandson born. This was also the year his son would marry, to Eleanor Hastings, granddaughter of the Countess of Salisbury and a court beauty. Henry IX of England would have 2 children, a son and a daughter. Eleanor Hastings, meanwhile, would give her husband a daughter and a son before his death in 1550, due to tuberculosis. Their sister, meanwhile, died unmarried in 1553, due to breast cancer. The Princess, once considered a beauty, was only 25 and already referred to as an old woman, due to her quick deterioration."

Henry VIII of England (b.1491: d.1547) m. Eleanor of Austria (b.1498: d.1558) (a)

1a) Henry IX of England (b.1518) m. Madeline of France (b.1520: d.1545) (a), Amalia of Cleves (b.1517) (b)

1a) Elizabeth Tudor (b.1541)

2a) Mary Tudor (b.1545)

3b) Henry X of England (b.1547)

4b) Margaret Tudor (b.1549)

5b) Edward Tudor, Duke of Bedford (b.1552)​
2a) Miscarriage (c.1519)

3a) Stillborn Daughter (c.1521)

4a) Edward Tudor, Duke of York (b.1523: d.1550) m. Eleanor Hastings (b.1532) (a)

1a) Arthur Tudor, 2nd Duke of York (b.1548)

2a) Anne Tudor of York (b.1550)​
5a) Stillborn Son (c.1526)

6a) Mary Tudor (b.1528: d.1553)

7a) Stillborn Daughter (c.1530)

8a) Stillborn Daughter (c.1533)
 
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