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"CATHERINE OF ARAGON." (GARRETT MATTINGLY).
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Review of book on Henry VIII's Spanish wife. Their divorce. Her impact on history.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Review of book on Henry VIII's Spanish wife. Their divorce. Her impact on history.

Paper Introduction:
Garrett Mattingly, in Catherine of Aragon, aims to create a more complex and significant portrait of Catherine and her life than previously drawn by others: [I]t was borne in upon me that the Queen Catherine . . . was a different person, more cultured and thoughtful, more forceful and decisive, than the one I had read about elsewhere. . . . (i). Catherine has been portrayed as a woman whose significance was measured almost entirely by her relationship with men, with Henry, with the Pope, with the need of others for her to bear a son, or as a rival to Ann Boleyn for Henry's affections. She is often seen as a person who had little to contribute aside from child-bearing, aside from her marriage, aside from her role as symbolic leader.

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Mattingly presents a convincing case that Catherine was indeed anactive participant in her own life and in the political activities of hertime in England, instead of merely a passive female manipulated by men. Catherine of Aragon. At the age of three,she was matched as future wife with the two-year-old Arthur, the son of theking of England, Henry VII. Henry VII changed his mind about marrying hissecond son to Catherine and the close tie to Spain such a marriage wouldbring. The book is organized in three sections: the first is the period fromher birth in 1485 to 15 9, which the author calls "A Spanish Princess." Thesecond section is "England's Queen," from 15 9-1527. However, as Catherinematured, she began to resist (as with the divorce) and to act effectivelyin a number of fields, from charity to foreign policy to education. This summary demonstrates how abused Catherine was by those aroundher who treated her not as an individual human being but as an entity to bemarried off, to be impregnated, to serve men, to be manipulated bypolitical and religious powers for their own ends. Although Catherine wasforced to give up the title of Queen, she refused to refer to herself asthe Princess Dowager of Wales, the title supplied by Henry. The only surviving child was a female, whichled her husband to have their marriage annulled so that he could marry hislover Anne Boleyn, although this legal, political and personal battlebetween Catherine and Henry lasted six years, demonstrating the power shehad gathered as she matured. He declared her to be "Governor of the Realm andcaptain-general of the forces for home defense" and "she felt proud to havebeen trusted with unprecedented powers in her regency" (155). At this point in herlife, it could be argued that she was too young to assert herself indefiance of the powerful heads of state around her who sought to use herfor their own purposes. . In general, hetrusts that the drama and conflict in Catherine's life are enough tointerest and involve the reader, without using an intrusive style. With respect to her "peaceful years as Queen," the author says thatCatherine's "most important service" was "her encouragement of the newlearning, and fostering care for the classical Renaissance in England"(181). Catherine has been portrayed as a woman whose significance wasmeasured almost entirely by her relationship with men, with Henry, with thePope, with the need of others for her to bear a son, or as a rival to AnnBoleyn for Henry's affections. . . Garrett Mattingly, in Catherine of Aragon, aims to create a morecomplex and significant portrait of Catherine and her life than previouslydrawn by others: [I]t was borne in upon me that the Queen Catherine . She was doomed to defeat and death in a sort of exile,but she never surrendered her will to them: "The whole nature of theproceedings marked the case as prejudiced and the court as hostile. The bookincludes 8 illustrations. She wasnot the sort of woman to live in indolent luxury as Queen. Anne's pregnancy forcedHenry to bypass the Pope in the conflict and accept the power of theArchbishop of Canterbury, who ended the marriage. She is often seen as a person who had littleto contribute aside from child-bearing, aside from her marriage, aside fromher role as symbolic leader. However, despite the major role in these and other areas of his rulewhich Catherine played, Henry symbolically stabbed her in the back with hissecret efforts to have the marriage annulled. Not only would the Kingdivorce her, he would have the marriage erased as a fact, and would leaveMary as the bastard daughter of Catherine. She metthe emergency as boldly as she had always met personal attacks" (248). . . . However, Catherine refused to bend to the will of Henry and the menwho ruled England. As a result, she was Queen of England.Whatever his feelings for her, he wanted a son as heir. The last is "TheDivorce of Henry VIII," from 1527 to her death in 1536. Those around her would benefit both financiallyand politically by arranging the second marriage. Even for those who have underestimated the significance ofCatherine's impact on history, her life remains fascinating from beginningto end. Herstruggle against the injustices of her husband and other men did not saveher marriage or her power as Queen, nor the presence of her daughter, butshe did live the remainder of her life out with the dignity of theunvanquished. Despite her strengths as a woman and a leader, then, Catherine wasfinally at the mercy of powerful men who turned on her when she was unableto supply the raw material (a male child) which the patriarchy demanded. was a different person, more cultured and thoughtful, more forceful and decisive, than the one I had read about elsewhere. However, when his father Henry VII died in 15 9, the new young king--Henry VIII--married Catherine. At the age of 16, Catherine traveled to Englandto marry Arthur. Work CitedMattingly, Garrett. As a result, Catherine's life was thrown into limbo for severalyears. . Mattingly seeks to correct what he sees as these misconceptions aboutCatherine: [A]s I followed the history of the Spanish embassy in England, I began to realize that the key to its activities, and to much of what went on in England for a third of a century, lay in the personality and the decisions of this queen. . . Catherine was born a princess, the child of Ferdinand and Isabella,king and queen of Spain, the supporters of Columbus. She was fighting not only for her own rightsand future but for those of her daughter as well. Surely, Catherine's decisions influenced English history--and therefore the history of the whole world--as vitally, and as unexpectedly, as the decisions of her husband, Henry VIII (i). Not that Henry did not trust her and place official power in herhimself, for he did. For five years after her marriage Catherine continued to be the real ambassador of Spain in England, the real agent on the ground of Spanish policy, and all that time the government of Henry VIII followed with almost comical precision the steps laid down for it in Spain (137). She was then betrothed to her dead husband's brother, theyounger son of Henry VII. Boston: Little, Brown, 1941.----------------------- 7 Mattingly emphasizes the role she played in foreign policy,particularly between England and Spain, and the "unobtrusive tact" she usedin subtly serving the needs and leader (that is, her father) of Spain: When Catherine married Henry she was her father's accredited ambassador at the English court, as much trusted as Ferdinand ever trusted anyone. (i). She was betrayed not only byHenry but by all those men, all those political and religious leaders whohadpreviously supported her when she had been the Queen with the powers givenher by Henry. She lived the last years of her life in less than noblesurroundings, responded by becoming more religious, and died in 1536. . Theauthor's style is simple and straightforward, but muscular. The next few yearssaw Catherine pregnant a number of times, suffering stillbirths andchildren who died very young. Nevertheless,Henry separated Catherine from her daughter and she was forced to leavecourt. This fact is ironic, for Ferdinand's daughter exercises great poweras England's unofficial ambassador to Spain (and vice-versa) while Henry isdisappointed that she is unable to supply him with a son. However, Arthur died shortly thereafter, making her ateenaged widow. . The book proper isfollowed by almost 4 pages of notes and a thorough index. The bare details of Catherine's life reveal how amazing her life was,but barely begin to show how she came to play such an important role in theaffairs of her era.

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