KATHERINE OF ARAGON, FIRST OF THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY VIII.PREGNANCIES AND BIRTH OF QUEEN MARY I OF ENGLAND.Katherine of Aragon achieved pregnancy six times between 31st January 1510 and 10th November 1518, with three girls and three boys. Five of these were either stillborn or died shortly after birth. Only one girl survived pregnancy. She was the future Queen Mary I of England Born at Greenwich Palace on 18th February 1516, Mary was a healthy child, and with great festivities, she was Christened three days later at the Church of Observant Friars, adjacent to Greenwich Palace. Whilst Henry was away on a military campaign in France in 1513 and Katherine was pregnant with one of the boys, the Scots invaded England. Henry had appointed her to act as Regent in his absence,and in this capacity she rode north in full armour with the troops. After addressing the troops prior to battle, she was there to witness the defeat of the Scottish invaders at the Battle of Flodden. Along with the blood soaked coat of James IV, the King of Scotland, who had died in the battle, she sent a letter to Henry informing him of the victory. No doubt there was a subtle meaning attached to this message of victory.
ABOVE: GREENWICH PALACE VIEWED FROM THE RIVER THAMES. On Henry's return from France Katherine had lost the child. Another son, it is uncertain if he was stillborn or if he had died shortly after birth. In November 1514, she had another stillborn son. Although it appears that their marriage had been a happy one, Henry was still desperate for a male heir to succeed him. A long Civil War lasting nearly twenty years had been fought, when the daughter of Henry I (Empress Matilda 1135-1154) had succeeded to the throne. It had always been uppermost in everyone's mind, that a woman was unsuited to ruling a country. King Henry VIII's own father, Henry VII, had brought to an end another long and bitter Civil War, fought between cousins over which line of the family had the right of succession to the English throne. (The Wars of the Roses, 1455-1485). The war had devastated the whole country for thirty years, literally tearing the Kingdom apart. It was for this reason that King Henry VIII found it essential that there should be a male heir to bring stability and to ensure the continuity of the Tudor line of succession.
KATHERINE OF ARAGON WATCHING HER HUSBAND KING HENRY VIII JOUSTING IN CELEBRATION OF THE BIRTH OF THEIR SON. However, by the year 1525, Katherine of Aragon had passed child bearing age. Her looks also had by now been affected. Due to many years of childbearing she was no longer "the most beautiful creature in the world." With her not having been able to present Henry with a son, he began to think his marriage to Katherine was cursed and referred to a controversial biblical passage from Leviticus to substantiate his claim. This he interpreted as meaning that if a man married his brother's wife, the marriage would be cursed and the couple would remain childless.
ABOVE: KATHERINE OF ARAGON IN LATER YEARS. It was also about this time that Henry became attracted to one of Katherine's maids-of-honour, Anne Boleyn, who was ten to fifteen years his junior. This attraction grew and grew until it became an obssession with the King. At every opportune moment, he would quote that controversial biblical passage from Leviticus, which he interpreted as meaning that if a man married his brother's wife the marriage would be cursed and the couple would remain childless.
ABOVE: THE FUTURE QUEEN MARY I OF ENGLAND NEVER ACCEPTED ANNE BOLEYN AS QUEEN Return from Katherine of Aragon To A -London-Tourist-Guide Home Page.
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