Today is the wedding anniversary of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon, in 1509. It was a private ceremony in the church of the Observant Friars outside Greenwich Palace. She was 23 years old, and he was just short of his 18th birthday.
The marriage required papal dispensation, since according to canon law it was illegal for a man to take his deceased brother’s wife, as it would be considered a sin. However, Katherine testified that her marriage to Arthur had never been consummated, and therefore was not a true marriage. Because of this, the Pope gave his permission for Henry to take her as his bride, and on 11 June 1509 (just after Henry VIII took the throne), the two were married in an intimate ceremony at Greenwich Palace.
According to the Calendar of State Papers of Spain, the marriage vows at this wedding went something like this:
“Most illustrious Prince, is it your will to fulfil the treaty of marriage concluded by your father, the late King of England, and the parents of the Princess of Wales, the King and Queen of Spain ; and, as the Pope has dispensed with this marriage, to take the Princess who is here present for your lawful wife?
The King answered : I will.
Most illustrious Princess, (etc.) – The Princess answered : I will.”
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com.
Suggested links:
Episode 47: Tudor Times talks about Katherine of Aragon
Episode 69: Supplemental – Chat with James Boulton on Katherine of Aragon
From my shop:
Catherine of Aragon Andalucian Princess Bell Sleeve Dress
Ps. All products are made on-demand and can take a few weeks to ship.
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Heather Teysko is the creator, writer, and producer of The Renaissance English History Podcast, one of the longest running indie history podcasts, going since 2009. She's been writing about history online for over 25 years, since her first site on Colonial American history became number one in history on Yahoo in 1998. She writes books, created the original Tudor Planner (a yearly diary filled with Tudor history) and in 2019 created the world's first Tudorcon (you can "attend" online this year!). She has been passionate about Tudor England since she first read Alison Weir's The Six Wives of Henry VIII 20 years ago, and subsequently moved to London after college to spend her time immersed in Tudor history.