On June 3, 1533 Henry VIII’s council wrote to William
Blount, Catherine of Aragon’s personal chamberlain instructing him to tell
Catherine that she was not longer to refer to herself as Queen, instead she
should be addressed by her rightful title of Princess Dowager. This title
recognized only Catherine’s short marriage to Arthur, Henry’s older
brother. Despite the annulment of their
marriage and the recognition by Parliament of Anne Boleyn’s new queenly status,
Catherine persisted in calling herself Queen and Henry’s true wedded wife. The
instructions to Blount were as follows:
“As the King cannot have two wives he cannot permit the
Dowager to persist in calling herself by the name of the Queen, especially
considering how benignantly and honorable she has been treated in the realm.
She is to satisfy herself with the name of Dowager, as prescribes by the Act of
Parliament, and must beware of the danger if she attempts to contravene it,
which will only irritate the feelings of the people against her. If she be not
persuaded by these arguments to avoid the King’s indignation and relent from
her vehement arrogancy, the King will be compelled to punish her servants, and
withdraw her affection from his daughter. Finally, that as the marriage is
irrevocable, and has passed the consent of Parliament, nothing she can do will
annul is, and she will only incur the displeasure of Almighty God and of the
King.” *
Despite the thinly veiled threats in the instructions
Catherine rebelled, refusing to acknowledge the end of her marriage, Anne as
Queen or even the authority of any person in England to decide her case,
arguing that only the Pope had that right. She refused to abandon her title and
the legitimacy of her daughter until the Pope made his decision. In fact Catherine
asked for her own copy of the instructions which would be translated and sent
to Rome. The daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand was showing her courage and
defiance once again!
*Excerpt from the Six Wives: The Queen of Henry VIII by David
Starkey
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