Catherine of Aragon Part III

Catherine’s marriage to Henry had been by Royal standards a love match.  He had cared for her, as a young man and admired her abilities, making her Regent when he was away.  They had disputes at times over political issues… and he had not been entirely faithful but overall, by royal standards he had not had many mistresses. She had always tried to please him, and had been loyal to him. (Later Henry would tell Anne Boleyn to “shut her eyes” to his infidelities, as Catherine had done…)

However as she got older and the chances of their having a son diminished, the 6 year age gap began to matter more.  Henry was devout but Catherine was more so.  He was still eager for adventure, whereas she was now more inclined to lead a quiet life, planning the education of her daughter and at her devotions.

Henry worried about the fact that he had no son. His dynasty was a new one and was considered dubious by many.  His father had not been a popular monarch and had only left one living son.  Now Henry VIII faced the fear that he would not ever have a male heir and that Mary would be queen.  There had only been one queen regnant in England, so he was conscious that a female heir might not be accepted.  If Mary was married to a foreign prince, that prince would acquire sovereignty over England and the people would be hostile to the idea.  If she married an English noble, it would lead to jealousy and faction fighting among the nobility.

Henry considered marrying his daughter to the Emperor Charles, her cousin and Catherine’s nephew.  However the problem was still there and seemed insoluble.

Then in 1525 Henry met Anne Boleyn, the younger sister of his mistress Mary, and the niece of the Duke of Norfolk.  She was considered attractive, and an intriguing personality, but not a great beauty.  Neither was she very young- being around 25.   Henry became obsessed by her, and she refused to become his mistress, so he decided to marry her.  He clearly believed that he would have a good case for the annulment of his marriage to Catherine... and that marriage to another younger wife would also solve the problem of his not having a male heir.

However Catherine saw things differently.  She believed that she was truly and legally Henry’s wife, and that there was no case for annulling the marriage.  She pointed out that the dispensation granted by the Pope was valid and that she had never consummated the marriage to Arthur.  Henry was equally determined to end his marriage.  He convinced himself that the reason they had no male heir was because he had defied the bible text against taking his brother’s wife…