Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536)

London, February 4^th, 2018

Had to avoid breakfast so I wouldn’t get coach sick but by the time I got to London I was starving so I grabbed a couple of earth-caches and popped into a friendly looking pub for a full English – which btw is bloody lush! I’m supposed to be starting my travelogue but that’s pretty much it: 5.45 start, 6.15 out of the door, lovely walk through Taunton with no-one around. Nearly strangled by my seat-belt and my cunning plan to only bring my tablet for books fell foul at the first hurdle when the coach Wi-Fi wasn’t working, but I listened to music and did some puzzles and the 4 hours wasn’t too painful.

In between cache #1 and #2 I helped a German man who was trying to navigate London roads by following a tube map. He went off in the right direction at least.

Peterborough, later…

Both under- and overwhelmed. I have yet to see Peterborough by the light of a normal working day so I’m reserving judgement but I played it safe and came to a Wetherspoons 5 minutes from the hotel as I seem to be in the ‘Station Road/Sidwell Street’ part of town. I may be doing it a massive disservice. The cathedral on the other hand is a stunner and I fear that even the big camera may not do it justice. Slow down, go back. After my big brekkie I got two more caches around Victoria, including a surprise bronze statue of Victoria hidden away down a side street that I can save for later. Back on the coach, still no wi-fi but I actually found watching the scenery entertainment enough. I haven’t really explored north London, and the coach went through Golder’s Green and Hendon which was both familiar and new to me. Later I tried to discern if the landscape was different compared to Somerset but if was did it passed me by. All I saw was that the grass looked yellower.

Played the usual trick on myself of walking out of the bus station by the wrong entrance and circling the whole city but I would have missed the cathedral if I hadn’t. I’d seen pictures then completely forgot and got whammied. It’s like one of those soapstone elephants that have been hollowed out and have a carved ball inside. As though they built the cathedral then dropped a carved shell over the top of it. A couple asked me to take their photo so I stood back to get the cathedral in the background: they didn’t like that one so I took one slightly closer at which the guy said something I didn’t understand but probably translated ‘just fuck off now please’.

I just tried to a get a night-time shot but I don’t know the camera well enough yet: I’ll practice tomorrow and try again tomorrow night. Did the usual, got my boots off for a precious hour while I re-joined the human race with my pre-paid wi-fi. Peterborough has a Bills, so I might treat myself tomorrow night.

Peterborough, February 5^th 2018

Ok, I’ve calmed down enough to sit quietly. I’m sat on a pillar next to her tomb. A young woman came to take a photo and I asked if she had a particular interest, so we swapped research interests. It’s a different experience than Eleanor, there are very few people around and also, I know she’s down there. This little slab of engraved stone is sitting on top of her body, the actual human body of Catherine of Aragon, wife of Henry VIII and 22^nd Queen of England. People walk past without acknowledging her and I feel aggrieved on her behalf. Her tomb is a lovely mess of offerings, wreaths presumably from last week’s festival, children’s art and a lot of pomegranates, including a couple in origami! I’m surprised Mary didn’t make more if it during her reign, or maybe what’s here is bigger than what was. It’s a very elegant tomb.

I lit a candle, and I’m thinking back, recalling the woman I’m honouring. Raised as a princess at a relatively progressive court, traded to England, widowed within a month of her first marriage then almost held hostage while England and Spain wrangled over the politics. Repudiated then acknowledged again, married, became a mother, became regent, delivered probably the most decisive military victory of her husband’s reign, then after a long happy marriage to be humiliated, repudiated, tried as a criminal and banished, not only from her husband but her daughter and all her friends, died in a castle surrounded by a fetid swamp and Henry’s spies. This was a strong, proud, intelligent and devout woman, but even had she been none of those things, she didn’t deserve the treatment she got. She was a canny politician and trod the line between her father’s country and the one that had adopted her. She acted as ambassador to the Spanish, but also advocated for the English people, arguing for the release of 400 rioters, rioting against foreigners in London no less.

Eavesdropping on the tour guide, and there was a large Latin monument but the soldiers during the civil war destroyed it. I’m looking at the votive stand and while my candle is still burning, the original one has gone out. Is that a fitting metaphor for my research project?

I listened to the spiel the tour guide gave, and I am cross again. His whole story was about Henry VIII, and not even totally accurate (he didn’t divorce any of his wives, he annulled them). You have a queen of England in your church, why would you only talk about her husband? She’s the one buried here, talk about her.

Later…

I’m in Beckett’s Tea Room in the cathedral grounds having potato and leek soup and considering the morning. I bought myself a fridge magnet, a pin for my lanyard and a postcard of the tomb without all the stuff on it, then I stopped for a chat with the greeters. I asked if there were other representations of Catherine anywhere else in the cathedral – there aren’t – then I told them what I’d overheard. It was a bit bizarre, they both immediately called the guide a chauvinist and were as surprised as I was. One of the greeters is from Grenada so knows her history. They were very understanding and said they’d raise it with the volunteer team leader. I came out feeling like I’d done something heroic yet somehow shameful – I hope the information they give out changes, but I don’t want to get anyone into trouble – they’re volunteers and no-one else is going to run those tours. I had intended to go on tomorrow morning’s tour but I’m not sure I trust it to be as informative as I need it to be. Its half one, and I can stretch out lunch a bit before I explore daylight, non-rapey Peterborough, maybe go to the museum later. It’s funny to me how quickly these things are over give the amount of money and planning that goes into them. I know I said that last time too. It was worse then, it took a couple of hundred quid, this one’s probably around £100 excluding meals and I could have stayed just the one night and gone home today. I like that I have the luxury of time. Also, that she’s right there, she isn’t a massive journey from where I’m staying. So, last time I learned I need to plan other activities around the gathering. This time I learned that I need to stay close by. The next one I’ll learn, I don’t know, to bring some incense and hooded guy to create the right atmosphere.

Peterborough, February 6, 2018

Every diary entry is written when I stop for food! I’m having breakfast in SB considering what I can squeeze in before the trip home. There’s a multi-cache that requires me to visit and walk around the museum of Victorian surgery which could be fun, or there’s the Peterborough museum. My coach isn’t until 2pm, and I thought I’d counteract all the sitting by walking to Paddington from Victoria. Couple of caches along the way maybe. I got a new ‘furthest north’ yesterday- I tried for a string of them but my phone crapped out. I didn’t do much in the afternoon, explored the town but there’s really not much besides the cathedral. I got a couple of tarts from Patisseries Valerie and relaxed in my room, then about 7.30 went out to get some proper photographs of the cathedral at night. Now I’ve found the night setting they didn’t come out half bad. As I walked up to the front the bells started ringing which made me nearly piss myself, but I had the whole green to myself and it was lit up beautifully. I spent the evening educating myself on bad tv and had a not great night’s sleep – even with the radiator off the room was baking – can’t wait to get into my cold bed tonight!

Bristol, February 28 2018

I never really finished off Peterborough. Not much happened, the museum was not good, went for a walk along the river to find a multi and failed but did get a pic of a stork sat on a log. Long journey back. Decided to walk from Victoria to Paddington, ended up going through Hyde Park which was lovely at sunset. I didn’t realise it had been left as a proper common. I’ll write it up better for my scrapbook.

[Much later: I did not.]

The Life of Catherine of Aragon (or what we know of it)

1485

16 December: Catherine of Aragon is born at Alcala de Henares to Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon

1497

1 January: Catherine of Aragon signs her own marriage agreement alongside her parents Ferdinand of Castille and Isabella of Aragon
1 August: The formal betrothal takes place at Woodstock Palace between Arthur Tudor and Catherine of Aragon. with ambassador De Puebla standing as proxy for Catherine

1499

19 May: Marriage by proxy takes place at Tickenhill Manor between Arthur Tudor and Catherine of Aragon, with ambassador De Puebla standing as proxy for Catherine

1501

1 May: Catherine of Aragon leave Alhambra on her voyage to England
5 July: Catherine of Aragon arrives at Guadalupe
27 September: Catherine of Aragon’s fleet sets sail from Laredo
2 October: Catherine of Aragon’s fleet arrives at Plymouth
6 November: Catherine of Aragon meets Henry VII and Arthur Tudor for the first time at Dogmersfield House
12 November: Catherine of Aragon’s party arrives at Lambeth palace, and Catherine processes into London attended by pageants
14 November: Catherine of Aragon marries Arthur Tudor at St. Paul’s Cathedral
16 December: Catherine of Aragon’s 16th birthday

1502

1 January: Catherine of Aragon and Arthur Tudor arrive at Ludlow Castle
2 April: Catherine of Aragon’s husband Arthur Tudor dies of the sweating sickness
26 April: Arthur Tudor is buried at Worcester Cathedral. Catherine of Aragon is too sick to attend, possibly from the same illness that claimed Arthur

1503

11 February: Catherine of Aragon’s mother-in-law Queen Elizabeth of York dies
23 June: A new treaty is signed for the marriage of Catherine of Aragon and Arthur Tudor’s younger brother Henry Tudor
25 June: Catherine of Aragon and Henry Tudor attend a formal betrothal ceremony and Salisbury House

1504

26 November: Catherine of Aragon’s mother, Isabella of Castille, dies

1505

27 June: Henry Tudor unexpectedly repudiates the marriage treaty with Catherine of Aragon, likely after pressure from Henry VII

1506

18 March: Catherine of Aragon’s father Ferdinand of Castille remarries to Germaine de Foix
16 December: Catherine of Aragon’s 21st birthday

1509

21 April: Catherine of Aragon’s father-in-law King Henry VII dies
11 June: Catherine of Aragon and Henry Tudor are married at Greenwich Palace
24 June: Henry VIII is crowned King of England. Catherine of Aragon crowned queen on the same day.
1 November: Catherine of Aragon’s first pregnancy is announced at court
31 December: Catherine of Aragon suffers her first miscarriage

1511

1 January: Catherine of Aragon’s first child, a son named Henry, is born at Richmond Palace
5 January: Catherine of Aragon’s son Henry is christened at Church of the Observant Friars
2 February: Catherine of Aragon undergoes the ceremony of purification and churching after her labour
22 February: Catherine of Aragon’s son Henry dies

1513

11 June: Catherine of Aragon is appointed regent while Henry VIII is in France
15 June: Catherine of Aragon leaves Greenwich to travel to Dover with Henry VIII
9 September: Catherine of Aragon’s forces repel the Scots at Branxton, Northumberland, and James IV of Scotland is killed
23 September: Catherine of Aragon arrives at Walsingham to give thanks for the victory
8 October: Birth of a child to Catherine of Aragon is reported

1514

6 January: Catherine of Aragon emerges from her lying-in after miscarrying

1515

16 December: Catherine of Aragon’s 30th birthday

1516

23 January: Catherine of Aragon’s father, Ferdinand of Aragon dies
18 February: Catherine of Aragon’s second child, a daughter named Mary Tudor, is born at Greenwich
21 February: Catherine of Aragon’s daughter Mary Tudor is christened at the Church of the Observant Friars at Greenwich

1517

14 May: Catherine of Aragon intercedes and advocates for the release of 400 people tried for rioting against foreigners

1518

9 November: Catherine of Aragon miscarries

1525

16 December: Catherine of Aragon’s 40th birthday

1527

17 May: A secret council is convened to establish the validity of Henry VIII’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon
22 June: 1st reported conversation between Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon regarding the annulment of their marriage
7 November: Catherine of Aragon swears an oath she was a virgin at the time of her marriage to Henry VIII

1529

1 June: Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon are summoned before a legatine court at Blackfriars Priory to hear the charges on the validity of their marriage
14 June: Catherine of Aragon gives Cardinal Campeggio permission to make public what she has revealed during confession
16 June: Catherine of Aragon calls a meeting of her advisors at Baynard’s Castle
20 June: Catherine of Aragon is summoned again to hear the charges of the court: Catherine objects to Cardinals Wolsey and Campeggio because of their close relationship with Henry VIII
21 June: Catherine of Aragon makes her plea and leaves the court for good
22 June: Catherine of Aragon is represented in court by John Fisher, Bishop of Rochester and John Clerk, Bishop of Bath & Wells
25 June: 12 articles against Catherine of Aragon’s marriage are put forward by Henry VIII’s defence
28 June: Catherine of Aragon refuses a summons to the court. Two weeks later the court is suspended by Pope Clement
31 July: Cardinal Campeggio prorogues the court until October 31
18 September: Catherine of Aragon has her first meeting with the Holy Roman Emperor’s Ambassador Chapuys
30 November: Henry VIII declares he will denounce the pope and annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon himself if the trial does not find in his favour

1531

15 June: Henry VIII is summoned to a Spanish court on the subject of the validity of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon

1533

2 April: Catherine of Aragon’s marriage to Henry is ruled invalid and an annulment is granted
9 April: Catherine of Aragon is informed that Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn have already married
1 June: Anne Boleyn is crowned Queen of England. Catherine of Aragon will henceforth be known as the Dowager Princess of Wales.
16 July: Catherine of Aragon is resident at Buckden place, Cambridgeshire

1534

23 March: Pope Clement rules Catherine of Aragon’s marriage to Henry VIII was valid
22 November: Catherine of Aragon gives her last will and testament to Ambassador Chapuys, afraid she is near death

1535

16 December: Catherine of Aragon’s 50th birthday

1536

2 January: Ambassador Chapuys finally visits Catherine of Aragon at Kimbolton Castle
6 January: Catherine of Aragon receives the Last Rites
7 January: Catherine of Aragon dies at Kimbolton Castle, most likely from cancer
29 January: Catherine of Aragon’s funeral and interment take place at Peterborough Cathedral. She is buried as the Princess of Wales.

References

Catherine of Aragon: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Aragon
Licence, Amy (2016) Catherine of Aragon: an intimate life of Henry VIII’s true wife. Stroud, Amberley Publishing