Henry VIII's Marriages: Wife No. 1

Catherine of Aragon, princess of Spain, arrived in England in 1501, with the hope to wed her betrothed- Arthur, Prince of Wales. The wedding went along as planned, the bride and groom were happy and everything was well. But, after less than five months of marriage, Prince Arthur was dead; probably due to the sweating sickness or typhoid or consumption. Now a widow aged just fifteen years old, Catherine was left to live on barely anything until her former father- in- law, King Henry VII, promised her hand in marriage to his youngest son-  Prince Henry.

Shortly after his succession to the to the throne of England, Prince Henry, now King Henry VIII, made it one of his first acts to marry Princess Catherine of Aragon. Even before the union, the couple had known each other for nearly a decade! Henry claimed that it was his father's dying wish for him and Catherine to wed. 

Although she did not possess any of the typical Spanish looks of dark hair and olive skin, Catherine was very beautiful. Judging by the many portraits that remain of Henry VIII's fine first wife, we can tell that she had long auburn or even strawberry- blonde hair, with matching blue eyes and fair skin. These were unusual for a Spaniard to own but they may have been inherited from her English descendants. She was also a devout Catholic and extremely popular with the English subjects! Like her new husband, Catherine enjoyed entertainment and learning. 

Catherine of Aragon's emblem

Poor Catherine experienced six pregnancies, of which only one did not end in a miscarriage, stillbirth or cot death. The child was a daughter named Mary who later became the notorious Mary Tudor, also known as bloody Mary. Henry doted his little daughter and Catherine took charge of the princess' education, helping her with work. Catherine was faithful to her marriage, unlike her husband who had several recorded affairs during his marriage to Catherine. The royal mistresses included Elizabeth 'Bessie' Blunt (with whom he fathered one illegitimate son called Henry Fitzroy) and Mary Boleyn (might have fathered her children). 

Henry also had complete trust in his heroic wife. When he was at war with France in 1513, he left her anchorage of the country. Meanwhile, Scotland declared war with England. Because the king was not in the country, Catherine fought the Scots and beat them! 

The grave of Catherine of Aragon

Unfortunately, after 24 years of mostly happy marriage, Henry realised that his wife was not going to produce anymore offspring as she was forty (Catherine was six years older than Henry). A certain Anne Boleyn caught his eye and he was prepared to go to great lengths with his new lover. After the Catholic church failed to grant him a divorce, Henry started up his own church and granted himself one! Catherine passed away in January of 1536, and she is buried in Peterborough Cathedral. People still remember the first queen of King Henry VIII and they leave pomegranates on her grave. This is because her emblem included a pomegranate and people do it to show respect. 

1. Henry VIII's Marriages: Wife No 1
2. Henry VIII's Marriages: Wife No 2
3. Henry VIII's Marriages: Wife No 3
4. Henry VIII's Marriages: Wife No 4
5. Henry VIII's Marriages: Wife No 5
6. Henry VIII's Marriages: Wife No 6