On This Day: January 7

Queen Catherine

 
     In 1536, Catherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII of England, died at at Kimbolton Castle in Cambridgeshire.

     Catherine was originally the wife of Henry's older brother - Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales, who died in 1502, possibly from sweating sickness. Seven years later, she married Henry to become his Queen consort, and this marriage produced one healthy child who would live to maturity named Mary (who would eventually reign as Queen of England and Ireland). Yet Henry wanted a male heir, and with Catherine being five years older than Henry, it became increasingly difficult for her to become pregnant and produce the male heir that Henry desired. 

     He eventually decided to divorce Catherine and have their marriage annulled on the basis that it was illegal from the start because she had been his brother's widow. Ironically, a papal dispensation was needed to make the marriage lawful and now Henry wanted the church to believe that it had committed an error in 1509. The church refused to do so (in part because Rome was then controlled by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, Catherine's nephew), and this resulted in Henry's infamous break from the Catholic Church and the proclamation of himself as head of the Church of England. In this role, he had his marriage to Catherine declared null and void, which paved the way for him to marry his mistress, Anne Boleyn. 

     Catherine refused to recognize the marriage and was banished from court life. She was also forbidden from having contact with her daughter Mary and was officially only known as the Dowager Princess of Wales (not Queen) in recognition of her being the widow of Henry's brother.

On This Day: January 6

King Harold placing the Crown of England on himself

     On the same day that Edward the Confessor was buried at Westminster Abbey, the Witenagemont – the council of Anglo-Saxon nobles – selected Harold, Earl of Wessex as the next King of England and he was probably crowned in the Abbey.

     Harold would not last long as king. Upon his accession, he was soon faced with hostile movements from overseas. The King of Norway declared that he was the rightful successor, and was aided by Harold’s brother Tostig, who had been exiled in the previous year following a revolt in his earldom of Northumbria. Meanwhile in Normandy, Duke William began preparations for invasion. He had been previously promised the English throne in 1051 by his cousin, King Edward, but Edward had apparently changed his mind on his deathbed to make Harold his successor. However William believed that the promise to him by Edward was irrevocable, and that the crown was rightfully his for the taking.

     The new king prepared defense forces on the Isle of Wight, but William’s invasion was delayed for several months due to unfavorable weather, and these forces were disbanded. But on September 8, an army led by Tostig and King Harald of Norway landed on the northeast coast of England, near the River Tyne. Harold had to reorganize his forces and march up to Yorkshire, where he decisively defeated his brother at the Battle of Stamford Bridge on September 25^th.

     Yet Harold could not celebrate this triumph because Duke William’s fleet finally sailed for England on September 27, arriving the next day in East Sussex. Having taken his watch off against the Norman duke, King Harold had to rush his exhausted soldiers 241 miles South to intercept William his army. On October 14^th, they clashed at the Battle of Hastings, which lasted for over nine hours and resulted in the death of Harold (who was shot in the eye) and the defeat of the English army. Within months, William would be accepted as King of England, beginning a new and defining chapter in England’s – as well Britain’s – history.

Richard II

     In 1367, Richard II of England was born in Bordeaux, France, where his grandfather Edward III was Duke of Aquitaine.

     Richard was a son of Edward, Prince of Wales (the Black Prince) and Joan of Kent. He became King of England at the age of ten upon the deaths of his father, then his grandfather within a year of each other.

     As a young king of 14 years old, Richard played a role in successfully diffusing the Peasant’s Revolt of 1381 and preventing a larger crisis. But the political elite disliked being how the King relied heavily on his narrow group of personal courtiers, as opposed to taking the counsel of the wider establishment. A group called the Lord’s Appellant took control of the government, leaving Richard as a king in name only, as well as exercising power in his name and removing many of his favorites from the royal court.

     In two years, Richard regained power from the Lord’s Appellant, and peacefully coexisted with them. There was no immediate retribution, but Richard continued to see these men as threats, probably wanted to wait until he felt he was strong enough to exact revenge on his former opponents. He also probably viewed revenge as a dish best served cold, and it was not until 1397 that he began going after the men – three in all, two of whom were condemned to death and the other given a life sentence.

     This was the start of what would be called Richard’s tyranny, which included the exiling of two dukes, including his cousin, Henry Bolingbroke. The dukes were supposed to settle an argument through battling each other, but Richard exiled one for life and Henry for ten years. However, when Henry’s father, the Duke of Lancaster died in 1399, Richard disinherited Henry of his lands and extended his exile to life – thereby removing another threat to the childless Richard, since Henry and his family were of royal blood and also strong candidates to take over if Richard died without an heir.

     This approach to rid of crown claimants backfired, for Henry eventually mounted an invasion and gathered supporters in England. His stated aim was to reclaim only his ancestral lands and titles, but his real goal attain the crown for himself. Under pressure from the political establishment, Richard was forced to abdicate, and his cousin had himself crowned Henry IV with little opposition.

     Following what was basically a deposition, Richard was eventually starved to death at Pontefract Castle in February 1400. He was buried first at Kings Langley Church, and then at Westminster Abbey under Henry V, who wished to atone for his father Henry IV’s deeds and to prove that Richard had indeed died.

     Richard's lasting legacy was the 1391 completion of the of renovation's at Westminster Hall, which had been started under Henry III in 1245 but had laid dormant until Richard took up the project. Under architect Henry Yevele, the renowned hammer-beam roof was constructed, which removed the need for support columns and provided an entirely open space with no obstructions. Fifteen life-sized statue's of kings were also places with niches in the walls, and a dais was placed at the end for the King to sit above all others.

 

Anne, Queen consort of England

     In 1540, Henry VIII married his fourth wife, Anne of Cleaves at the Palace of Placentia in Greenwich, London.

     The marriage did not last long, for Henry had already been displeased with Anne’s lack of education and sophistication, as well as for not being as beautiful as had been portrayed in the paintings her that he viewed. He tried to get out of it, but could not do so without possibly endangering his alliances with Germans who were is dispute with Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor and an adversary of Henry.

     Following the marriage, their first night as a married couple was unsuccessful, and Henry confided to a friend that he liked Anne less so now than before. On July 6^th, Anne was informed that the King was reconsidering the marriage, and witnesses statements from courtiers and physicians testified to his disappointment with Anne’s appearance. Eventually, Anne agreed to an annulment, which became effective on July 9^th on the grounds of non-consummation.

     Anne received a generous settlement from Henry, including two residences – Richmond Palace and Hever Castle. They became good friends, and she was referred to as the King’s Beloved Sister – becoming an honorary member of his family. She was invited to court functions and even took precedence over all women in England, except for the King’s wife and daughters. She outlived all of Henry’s other wives and would live to witness the coronation of her step-daughter, Queen Mary I.