On this day in history 1501 Arthur, elder brother of Henry VII, Prince of Wales married Katherine of Aragon, Infanta of Spain in a lavish ceremony at Saint Paul's Cathedral in London. The bride and groom were clothed in white satin and the Archbishop of Canterbury presided. Their reception, which took place at Baynard's castle, included feasting, a fountain which distributed wine and many, many sweets. Following the ceremony the only public bedding in 16th century England took place. Katherine's bed was sprinkled with holy water and prayed over by Catholic priests. Katherine was undressed by her ladies in waiting, veiled and reverently laid in bed; Arthur entered the room to the sounds of musicians playing and together they prayed with the Bishop of London for their marriage to be fruitful. Unfortunately for them, the marriage was very short, less than six months. Arthur would die of either tuberculosis or influenza and Katherine would enter a tumultuous widowhood lasting seven years before she would remarry and become the first of wife of Henry VIII.
Maybe it's just in the movies I've seen but I thought Katherine claimed to be a virgin when she remarried.
ReplyDeleteShe did. Katherine would later claim that she and Arthur had never consummated their marriage. That claim, and its legitimacy, became the basis for Henry's case against her for divorce. I think it is safe to say that had there been problems with Katherine and Arthur's sexual relationship, it would have been recorded or remarked upon as he was the heir to the throne and their offspring would have ensured the continuation of the Tudor dynasty.
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