Final Thesis for Committee
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
KATHARINE OF ARAGON: INFLUENCE AND LEGACY OF A FOREIGN QUEEN OF ENGLAND IN THE EARLY SIXTEENTH CENTURY A Thesis by JILL PERILLI MOBLEY Submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies of Texas A&M University-Commerce in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF SCIENCE August 2015 KATHARINE OF ARAGON: INFLUENCE AND LEGACY OF A FOREIGN QUEEN OF ENGLAND IN THE EARLY SIXTEENTH CENTURY A Thesis by JILL PERILLI MOBLEY Approved by: Advisor: Judy Ford Committee: William Kuracina Sharon Kowalsky Head of Department: Judy Ford Dean of the College: Salvatore Attardo Dean of Graduate Studies: Arlene Horne iii Copyright © 2015 Jill Perilli Mobley iv ABSTRACT KATHARINE OF ARAGON: INFLUENCE AND LEGACY OF A FOREIGN QUEEN OF ENGLAND IN THE EARLY SIXTEENTH CENTURY Jill Perilli Mobley, MS Texas A&M University-Commerce, 2015 Advisor: Judy Ford, PhD The popular rhyme, “divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived,” accurately depicts the common cursory knowledge of England’s King Henry VIII and his famous wives. However, this sentiment only serves to show the queens as temporary figures in Henry’s life without consideration of their education, power, influence, patronage, or management of their own lives as individuals. The historiography of England’s queen consorts overwhelmingly recognizes their historical importance only in relation to the politics surrounding their marriage arrangements. Through a study of Henry’s longest reigning wife, Katharine of Aragon, this project intends to show the wider historical, political, and cultural significance of queen consorts.1 The roles she played as Spanish princess, ambassador, queen consort, regent, and finally Dowager Princess of England illustrate her capabilities as an individual female ruler as opposed to simply the wife of a king. 1 For the purposes of this work, I have chosen the spelling of “Katharine” as it corresponds to the spelling of her name in the Letters and Papers, Foreign and Domestic, of Henry VIII as well as many documents signed by her. Throughout the sources of this paper, however, authors choose to refer to her as Catherine, Catharine, Katherine, Catalina, and my adoption of Katharine. v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I wish to thank Doctors Judy Ford, Sharon Kowalsky, and William Kuracina, my thesis committee, for all the time and effort they dedicated to me to help me complete this work. Their continual notes, candor, and advice made this project possible. I would also like to thank my incredibly supportive family – my husband, Scott, and parents, Bob and Diane – for their continued encouragement and understanding when this project had to take precedence over the recreational aspects of life. My thanks would not be complete without recognizing three specific friends who helped me through all of my trials and complete emotional meltdowns. Thank you to Ben Williams, Manny Grajales, and Allison Faber for picking me up off the floor when I needed it and providing me with a standard of excellence. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER 1. INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 1 2. DAWN OF A NEW DYNASTY .............................................................................. 17 3. EXERCISING QUEENSHIP ..................................................................................... 42 Blending English and Spanish Traditions .......................................................... 43 Expanding Influence Through Family ............................................................... 52 Dressing the Part: How Beauty and Wardrobe Affect Power ............................ 62 4. A QUEEN’S ROLE IN POLITICS .......................................................................... 71 Centralizing the Tudor Monarchy ...................................................................... 72 Women’s Involvement in England’s Political Culture ...................................... 77 Foreign Connections and Dynastic Legacy ....................................................... 81 From Ambassador to Queen .............................................................................. 90 5. ONE WOMAN’S AGENCY .................................................................................. 101 Pre-Reformation England ................................................................................ 102 Katharine and Henry’s Divorce: Spiritual or Temporal Jurisdiction? ............. 110 Effects of Divorce and Schism ........................................................................ 129 6. AN EMPIRE ENTIRE OF ITSELF ........................................................................ 134 7. CONCLUSION ....................................................................................................... 158 REFERENCES References .................................................................................................................... 168 Calendars and Published Document Collections ............................................. 168 Contemporary Printed Works .......................................................................... 168 vii REFERENCES cont’d Online Resources ............................................................................................. 168 Theses and Dissertations .................................................................................. 169 Journal Articles ................................................................................................ 169 Books ............................................................................................................... 172 APPENDICES ......................................................................................................................... 186 Appendix A. GENEAOLOGY CHARTS ............................................................................ 187 War of the Roses: Lancastrian Line ......................................................... 188 War of the Roses: York Line .................................................................... 189 Dawn of a New Dynasty: Tudor Line ...................................................... 190 Kingdoms of Portugal, Aragon, and Castile ............................................. 191 Spanish Succession from the Catholic Kings ........................................... 192 B. STYLES OF THE MONARCHS OF ENGLAND ......................................... 193 Styles of the English Monarchs, 1154-1603 ............................................ 194 Styles of the English and Scottish Monarchs, 1603-1707 ........................ 195 Styles of the British Monarchs, 1707-present .......................................... 195 VITA ........................................................................................................................................ 197 1 Chapter 1 INTRODUCTION Katharine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s first wife, has been discussed by historians for centuries. Her life bridged two centuries, two countries, two religions, and two historical periods, the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Over time, historians have interpreted the same historical evidence myriad ways resulting in Katharine’s varied portrayal, from a three-page reference in a Henry VIII monograph, a mere side-note to a bygone era, to a heroic martyr worthy of sainthood. Debates about the queen, her marriages, and her influence still occur, but over time historians have changed their interpretations of her individual role as their own values have changed. Considering her life as a whole, beyond the narrow confines of her marriage to Henry, allows historians to understand the queen in her own merits and in the context of her contributions to the court environment. The intent of this project is to show that Katharine of Aragon was influential culturally and politically, both in England and on the world stage. It illustrates how Katharine’s upbringing and experiences allowed her to shape the concept of queenship and helped launch England on its path to empire. This project is designed not to discover new sources of information about Katharine of Aragon, but rather to shape a better understanding of her within the social and political contexts of early English sovereignty through an analysis of her life. This work is designed to examine what influence this Spanish princess from Catholic, politically centralized, colonizing Spain had on England’s cultural, religious, and governmental changes in the early sixteenth century. The end of the fifteenth century saw the height of the Renaissance in Europe. The great Italian artists Raphael, Botticelli, Michelangelo and Leonard da Vinci were all alive, 2 commissioned by various patrons to produce beautiful paintings and sculptures. Machiavelli and Copernicus were diligently writing, their humanist influences spreading across Europe reaching Spain and its rulers, King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella, and influencing English politicians like Thomas Cromwell. 1 At the same time, the world was getting bigger. The Portuguese garnered a new trade route to India when Bartholomew Diaz returned from sailing around the Cape of Good Hope and Christopher Columbus appealed to Ferdinand and Isabella to fund a journey attempting to find a route to China and Japan. Not to be outdone, the newest monarch in Europe, King Henry VII of England, sent his own explorer, John Cabot, out to claim new lands for the Tudor dynasty. Katharine of Aragon was born to Ferdinand and Isabella in 1485, and Arthur, Prince of Wales, was born to Henry VII and