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Katherine of Aragon

Picture of Katharine of Aragon

Picture of Katharine of Aragon

Short Biography and facts about the life of Katherine of Aragon - First Wife of King Henry VIII
The following short biography information provides basic facts and information about the life Katherine of Aragon:

  • Nationality: Spanish
  • First Wife of King Henry VIII

  • Lifespan: 1485 - 1536
  • Born: 15 December 1485
  • Married: 11 June 1509
  • Divorced / Annulled: 1533
  • Died: 7 January 1536
  • Family connections: Daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. Wife of King Henry VIII of England. Mother of Mary Tudor
  • Religion: Catholic 
  • Character of Katherine of Aragon : Katharine of Aragon was a princess of royal blood and had a noble and gracious bearing. Katharine of Aragon was pious, loyal, humble, stubborn and sedate.

Information, Facts & History about the life of Katherine of Aragon
The following are additional facts about the life and history of Katherine of Aragon - First Wife of King Henry VIII:

  • Katharine of Aragon was a Catholic Spanish Princess - she was the daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain
  • Katharine of Aragon was first married to Arthur, Henry's elder brother but he died less than six months after the marriage. The marriage was said to have never been consummated and a dispensation was therefore given by the Pope allowing Katharine to become engaged to the brother of her dead husband 
  • Katharine of Aragon was then betrothed to Henry - Katherine was 17 and Henry was 12
  • Henry became King when he was 18 and married 23 year old Katharine
  • Katharine of Aragon had repeated miscarriages, two still births and bore and christened a prince who only survived 52 days
  • Only one child survived, a daughter Mary Tudor
  • Henry was unhappy with the marriage which had failed to produce a male heir
  • Henry VIII became obsessed with the text in Leviticus 'If a man shall take his brother's wife it is an unclean thing... they shall be childless.' (Leviticus, XX, 21)
  • And had fallen in love with Anne Boleyn...
  • The marriage between Katharine of Aragon and Henry VIII ended in a bitter annulment / divorce
  • So ended the marriage of King Henry VIII and his first wife

Katherine of Aragon Timeline
The Katharine of Aragon timeline details the key dates and events in her life story.

1485 December 15 - Katharine of Aragon was born in Alcala de Henares, Madrid, Spain
1497 August 10, 1497 - Arthur, Prince of Wales is betrothed to Katherine of Aragon
1499 May 19, 1499 - Katherine and Arthur married by Proxy
1501 November 14, 1501 - Katherine of Aragon and Arthur, Prince of Wales marry
1502 April 2, 1502 - Death of Prince Arthur A papal dispensation was obtained to enable his second son Henry to marry the wife (Katherine of Aragon) of his first son Arthur who had died
1503 June 25, 1503 - Katherine betrothed to Prince Henry
1509 June 11 - King Henry VIII marries Katherine of Aragon
1509 June 24 - Accession of King Henry VIII
1513 Katharine of Aragon ruled as regent while Henry was campaigning in France
1516 - Queen Mary I "Bloody Mary" (1516 - 1558) born in Greenwich
1518 King Henry started his affair with Elizabeth Blount ( 1500-1539) known as Bessie Blount
1519 - June 1519 - "Bessie" Blount gives birth to Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond the illegitimate son of King Henry VIII
1520 - Field of Cloth of Gold - King Francois I of France meets King Henry VIII but fails to gain his support against Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V
1521 - Henry VIII receives the title "Defender of the Faith" from Pope Leo X for his opposition to Luther
1525 King Henry VIII has a brief affair with Mary Boleyn
1526 March 4 Mary Boleyn gave birth to a son, called Henry - he was widely assumed to be the son of King Henry VIII although not acknowledged as such
1526 King Henry VIII becomes totally obsessed with Katharine's lady-in-waiting Anne Boleyn with whom he falls madly in love. He finds a flaw in his marriage to Katharine of Aragon based on the text in Leviticus 'If a man shall take his brother's wife it is an unclean thing... they shall be childless.' (Leviticus, XX, 21)
1529 - Henry VIII dismisses Lord Chancellor Thomas Wolsey for failing to obtain the Pope's consent to his divorce from Katherine of Aragon
1532 Anne Boleyn becomes pregnant
1533 Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury grants the annulment of the marriage between Katharine of Aragon and Henry VIII
1533 January 25th - King Henry married Anne Boleyn and is excommunicated by Pope Clement VII
1533 Katherine is given the title of the Princess Dowager of Wales (which she refused to acknowledge to the end of her life). She was moved around different castles in England and separated from her daughter Mary, due to her obstinate refusal to accept the annulment of her marriage
1533 September 7 - Elizabeth , the daughter of King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn, is born 7 September 1533
1534 - Act of Supremacy: Henry VIII declared supreme head of the Church of England
1536 January 7 - Katharine dies at Kimbolton Castle 

Influence of Katherine of Aragon on the life of Queen Elizabeth I
What influence did Katherine of Aragon have on the life of Queen Elizabeth I? Katherine of Aragon was the mother of Mary Tudor, the Catholic half-sister of Elizabeth. Elizabeth never knew Katharine of Aragon, who died when Elizabeth was very young. But Katharine of Aragon had a huge effect on the life of Elizabeth through Katharine's influence on her daughter Mary. The Catholic religion of Mary. And Mary blamed Anne Boleyn for the demise and death of her mother - which was never forgiven or forgotten.

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