Catherine of Aragon€¦ · Catherine of Aragon Catherine of Aragon was Queen of England and the...

Catherine of AragonCatherine of Aragon was Queen of England and the first wife of

Henry VIII. She is remembered as a popular, strong-willed, religious woman.

Early Life

Catherine was born in Castile, Spain on 16th December 1485. She had a good education, studying lots of subjects and had a strong religious Catholic upbringing. She could read and write in both Spanish and Latin and was able to speak French and Greek.

Life in England

Catherine travelled to London at 15 years of age and married Prince Arthur, heir to the English throne. Sadly, Arthur died of the sweating sickness on 2nd April 1502,

leaving Catherine a widow at 16 years old.

After the English King Henry VII died, his younger son was crowned King Henry VIII. Henry decided to marry Catherine himself and they were married on 11th June 1509. Catherine was crowned Queen of England a couple of weeks later and was greeted by a delighted crowd.

Queen of England

Catherine was a popular queen. She was seen as kind and generous as well as strong. In a time when men held all the power, Catherine was able to express her views and impressed even her enemies with her intelligence.

Catherine fell pregnant seven times during her marriage to Henry. Sadly, only one child survived past infancy; a daughter, Mary. Henry was desperate for a son to carry on his legacy and grew impatient with Catherine not fulfilling this desire.

The Reformation

In 1525, Henry met and fell in love with Anne Boleyn, one of Catherine’s ladies-in-waiting. Catherine was now believed to be too old to have any more children so Henry decided that he would divorce Catherine and make Anne

Did You Know…?Catherine was baptised

‘Catalina’ but was known as ‘Catherine’ in England.

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Catherine of Aragon

his new queen. The Catholic Church did not allow divorce so Henry had to ask the Pope for permission to annul the marriage. The Pope refused, supporting Catherine as Henry’s rightful wife.

Having been refused his divorce, Henry decided to break away from the Catholic Church in Rome and create the Church of England, of which he would be the head. Therefore, he could get his divorce without needing permission from the Pope and could marry Anne. This was known as the Reformation. Catherine was told to use the title ‘Dowager Princess of Wales’ but as she refused to accept the divorce, she continued to call herself Queen of England for the rest of her life.

Later Life and Death

In 1531, Catherine had to move away to a new home for refusing to accept the divorce. She spent the rest of her life keeping to only one room except to pray, having only a few visitors and was not allowed to see or write to her daughter.

On 7th January 1536, Catherine died aged 50. News of Catherine’s death sent widespread mourning across England and Europe as, despite the divorce, she had remained a popular figure with the people.

Catherine was buried in Peterborough Cathedral and had a ceremony appropriate for her position as Dowager Princess of Wales.

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Catherine of Aragon Questions 1. When was Catherine born?

2. Which word best describes Catherine’s upbringing? Tick one.

difficult Religious carefree fun

3. How old was Catherine when she married Prince Arthur?

4. Look at the paragraph called Queen of England. Write two adjectives used to describe Catherine.

•

•

5. What was the name of Catherine and Henry’s surviving daughter? Tick one.

Elizabeth Catherine Mary Isabella

6. Why did Henry decide to divorce Catherine?

Catherine of Aragon

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7. Why do you think Catherine refused to accept the divorce?

8. At the start of the text, it says that Catherine is remembered as being ‘strong-willed’. What evidence in the text is there to support this fact?

Catherine of Aragon



Catherine of Aragon Answers 1. When was Catherine born?

16th December 1485

2. Which word best describes Catherine’s upbringing? Tick one.

difficult religious carefree fun

3. How old was Catherine when she married Prince Arthur?

15 years old

4. Look at the paragraph called Queen of England. Write two adjectives used to describe Catherine.

Accept any two of the following; kind, generous, strong.

5. What was the name of Catherine and Henry’s surviving daughter? Tick one

Elizabeth Catherine Mary Isabella

6. Why did Henry decide to divorce Catherine?

Pupil’s own response, such as: Henry decided to divorce Catherine because he was

desperate for a son and she was believed to be too old to have any more children. He had

also fallen in love with Anne Boleyn and wanted to make her his new queen.

Catherine of Aragon



Catherine of Aragon

7. Why do you think Catherine refused to accept the divorce? Pupil’s own response, such as: I think Catherine refused to accept the divorce because she was Catholic and the Pope, head of the Catholic Church, had refused to grant the divorce and supported her as Henry’s rightful wife.

8. At the start of the text, it says that Catherine is remembered as being ‘strong-willed’. What evidence in the text is there to support this fact? Pupil’s own response, such as: Catherine showed that she was strong-willed when she refused to give in to Henry’s demands for a divorce. She also refused to stop calling herself queen when she was told to. It also says that Catherine was able to express her views at a time when men held all the power.



Catherine of AragonCatherine of Aragon was Queen of England and the first wife of Henry VIII. She is remembered as a strong-willed, religious woman who was very popular with the people.

Early Life

Catherine was born in Castile, Spain on 16th December 1485. She was the daughter of Isabela I, Queen of Castile, and Ferdinand II, King of Aragon. She was given a good education and had a strong religious upbringing. She could read and write in both Spanish and Latin and was able to speak French and Greek.

Life in England

Catherine travelled to London at 15 years of age and met her future husband, Prince Arthur - heir to the

English throne, on 4th November 1501. They married ten days later. Sadly, Arthur died of the sweating sickness on 2nd April 1502, leaving Catherine a widow at 16 years old.

After the English King Henry VII died, his younger son was crowned King Henry VIII. Henry decided to marry Catherine himself and they were married on 11th June 1509. Catherine was crowned Queen of England a couple of weeks later and was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd.

Queen of England

Catherine was a popular queen. She was seen to be kind and generous as well as strong-willed. In an era where men held all the power, Catherine was able to express her views and be heard amongst them. She impressed even her enemies with her intelligence.

Catherine fell pregnant seven times during her marriage to Henry. Sadly, only one child survived past infancy: a daughter, Mary. Henry was desperate for a son to carry on his legacy and grew impatient with Catherine not fulfilling this desire.


‘Catalina’ but was known as ‘Catherine’ in England. Her

name is sometimes also spelled ‘Katherine’ or ‘Katharine’.




Catherine of Aragon

The Reformation

In 1525, Henry met and fell in love with Anne Boleyn, one of Catherine’s ladies-in-waiting. Catherine was now believed to be too old to have any more children so Henry decided that he would divorce Catherine and make Anne his new queen. The Catholic Church did not allow divorce so Henry had to ask the Pope to annul the marriage. The Pope refused, supporting Catherine as Henry’s rightful wife.

Henry, having been refused his divorce, decided to break away from the Catholic Church in Rome and create the Church of England, of which he would be the head. Therefore, he could get his divorce without needing permission from the Pope and could marry Anne. This was known as the Reformation.

Catherine was ordered to stop calling herself queen and instead use the title ‘Dowager Princess of Wales’. Catherine refused to accept the divorce as it had not been granted by the Pope and continued to call herself Queen of England for the rest of her life.


In the winter of 1531, Catherine was ordered by Henry to move away to a new home. She spent the rest of her life keeping to only one room except to pray - receiving few visitors and being forbidden from seeing or writing to her daughter.

In December 1535, Catherine fell ill and she wrote to Henry asking for him to be a good father to their daughter. On 7th January 1536, Catherine died aged 50, of what is now believed to have been cancer. News of Catherine’s death sent widespread mourning across England and Europe as, despite the divorce, she had remained a popular figure with the people.

Catherine was buried in Peterborough Cathedral and had an elaborate ceremony appropriate for her position as Dowager Princess of Wales.




Catherine of Aragon Questions 1. What was the title of Catherine’s mother? Tick one.

Queen of England Queen of Spain Queen of Aragon Queen of Castile

2. Fill in the missing words.

She could read and write in both and and was able to speak

and .

3. What illness did Prince Arthur die from?

4. What name was Catherine baptised with?

5. Number these events in Catherine’s life in the order in which they happened. One has been done for you.

Catherine marries King Henry VIII Catherine moved away from Henry to a new home. Catherine travels to London. Catherine had a daughter, Mary.

1 Catherine was born in Castile, Spain.

6. In your own words, explain what the Reformation was.

Catherine of Aragon




7. Do you think Catherine had a happy life? Why do you think this?

8. If Catherine had given Henry the son he desired, how do you think that would have changed events? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

9. At the start of the text, it says that Catherine is remembered as being ‘strong-willed’. What evidence in the text is there to support this fact?

Catherine of Aragon




Catherine of Aragon Answers 1. What was the title of Catherine’s mother? Tick one.

Queen of England Queen of Spain Queen of Aragon Queen of Castile

2. Fill in the missing words.

She could read and write in both Spanish and Latin and was able to speak

French and Greek.

3. What illness did Prince Arthur die from?

Sweating sickness

4. What name was Catherine baptised with?

Catalina

5. Number these events in Catherine’s life in the order in which they happened. One has been done for you.

3 Catherine marries King Henry VIII5 Catherine moved away from Henry to a new home.2 Catherine travels to London.4 Catherine had a daughter, Mary.1 Catherine was born in Castile, Spain.

6. In your own words, explain what the Reformation was.

Pupil’s own response, such as: The Reformation was when Henry VIII broke away from

the Catholic Church and created the Church of England so he could divorce Catherine. It

meant that Henry did not have to do as the Pope told him and stay with Catherine as he

was head of the church.

Catherine of Aragon





Pupil’s own response, such as: I don’t think Catherine had a happy life as she faced a

lot of difficult times. She had to move to another country at a young age and her first

husband died after only a few months. She also had only one child live past infancy and

ended up having to move away, mainly staying in one room and not being allowed to

see or write to her daughter.

8. If Catherine had given Henry the son he desired, how do you think that would have changed events? Use evidence from the text to support your answer. Pupil’s own response, such as: If Catherine had given Henry the son he always wanted then the Church of England may not have been created, breaking England away from the Catholic Church in Rome. Henry may have also not divorced Catherine and married Anne Boleyn.

9. At the start of the text, it says that Catherine is remembered as being ‘strong-willed’. What evidence in the text is there to support this fact? Pupil’s own response, such as: Catherine showed that she was strong-willed when she refused to give in to Henry’s demands for a divorce. She also refused to stop calling herself queen when she was told to. It also says that Catherine was able to express her views at a time when men held all the power.

Catherine of Aragon




Catherine of AragonCatherine of Aragon was Queen of England and the first wife of Henry VIII. She is remembered as one of the key figures of the English reformation and as a strong-willed, religious woman.

Early Life

Catherine was born in Castile, Spain on 16th December 1485. She was the daughter of Isabela I, Queen of Castile, and Ferdinand II, King of Aragon. She was given a good education: studying a range of subjects including arithmetic, law and history, and had a strong religious upbringing. She could read and write in both Spanish and Latin and was able to

speak French and Greek.

Life in England

From childhood, Catherine was intended to marry into another European royal family. She travelled to London at 15 years of age and met her future husband, Prince Arthur, heir to the English throne, on 4th November 1501 and they married ten days later. Sadly, Arthur died of the sweating sickness on 2nd April 1502, leaving Catherine a widow at 16 years old.

After the English King Henry VII died, his younger son was crowned King Henry VIII. Henry decided to marry Catherine himself and, after receiving permission from the Pope to marry his brother’s wife, they were married on 11th June 1509. Catherine was crowned Queen of England a couple of weeks later and was greeted by an enthusiastic crowd.

Queen of England

Catherine was a popular queen. She was seen to be kind and generous as well as strong and virtuous. In an era where men held all the power, Catherine was able to express her views and be heard amongst them, impressing even her enemies with her intelligence and dedication.

Catherine fell pregnant seven times during her marriage to Henry. Sadly, only one child survived past infancy: a daughter, Mary. Henry was desperate for a son to carry on his legacy and grew impatient with Catherine not fulfilling this desire.


‘Catalina’ but was known as ‘Catherine’ in England. Her

name is sometimes also spelled ‘Katherine’ or ‘Katharine’.




Catherine of Aragon

The Reformation

In 1525, Henry met and fell in love with Anne Boleyn, one of Catherine’s ladies-in-waiting. Catherine was now believed to be too old to have any more children so Henry decided that he would divorce Catherine and make Anne his new queen. The Catholic Church did not allow divorce so Henry had to ask the Pope to annul the marriage. The Pope refused, supporting Catherine as Henry’s rightful wife. This led to a chain of events that would change the face of religion in England from that point onwards known as the Reformation.

Henry, having been refused his divorce, decided to break away from the Catholic Church in Rome and create the Church of England, of which he would be the head. Therefore, he could get his divorce without needing permission from the Pope and could marry Anne.

Catherine was ordered to renounce the title of queen and instead have the title ‘Dowager Princess of Wales’ due to her being the widow of Henry’s brother Arthur. Catherine refused to accept the divorce as it had not been granted by the Pope and continued to call herself Queen of England.


In the winter of 1531, Catherine was ordered by Henry to move away to a new home for refusing to accept the divorce. She spent the rest of her life there, keeping to only one room except to pray - receiving few visitors and being forbidden from seeing her daughter. Catherine was offered the chance to see Mary if she accepted Anne as the new queen but she refused.

In December 1535, Catherine’s health started to fail and she wrote to Henry one final time asking for him to be a good father to their daughter. On 7th January 1536, Catherine died aged 50 of what is now believed to have been cancer of the heart. It was reported that doctors found a black growth on her heart after she died, leading many at the time to think she had been poisoned. News of Catherine’s death sent widespread mourning across England and Europe as, despite the divorce, she was still a popular figure with the people.

Catherine was buried in Peterborough Cathedral and had an elaborate ceremony appropriate for her position as Dowager Princess of Wales.




Catherine of Aragon Questions 1. What name was Catherine baptised with? Tick one.

Catherine Catalina Catarina Katherine

2. Name two subjects Catherine was educated in.

•

•

3. What name is given to the break from the Catholic Church and the creation of the Church of England?

4. Look at the paragraph called Queen of England. Find and copy two adjectives used to describe Catherine.

•

•

5. ‘Catherine was ordered to renounce the title of queen…’ Which of these is closest to the meaning of renounce?

use accept give up keep


Catherine of Aragon




7. ‘This led to a chain of events that would change the face of religion…’ How did the Reformation change religion in England? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

8. Today, it is believed that Catherine died of cancer rather than having been poisoned, which she was rumoured to have been at the time. Why do you think they thought she had been poisoned?

9. If Catherine had given Henry the son he desired, how do you think that would have changed events? Use evidence from the text to support your answer.

10. What evidence does the text give to support its claims that Catherine was ‘strong-willed’?

Catherine of Aragon




Catherine of Aragon Answers 1. What name was Catherine baptised with? Tick one.

Catherine Catalina Catarina Katherine

2. Name two subjects Catherine was educated in. Accept any two from: arithmetic, law and history. Also accept reading and writing Spanish and Latin and speaking French and Greek.

3. What name is given to the break from the Catholic Church and the creation of the Church of England? The Reformation

4. Look at the paragraph called Queen of England. Find and copy two adjectives used to describe Catherine.

Accept any two from: kind, generous, strong, virtuous.

5. ‘Catherine was ordered to renounce the title of queen…’ Which of these is closest to the meaning of renounce?

use accept give up keep

6. Do you think Catherine had a happy life? Why do you think this? Pupil’s own response, such as: I don’t think Catherine had a happy life as she faced a lot of difficult times. She had to move to another country at a young age and her first husband died after only a few months. She also had only one child live past infancy and ended up having to move away, mainly staying in one room and not being allowed to see or write to her daughter.

Catherine of Aragon




7. ‘This led to a chain of events that would change the face of religion…’ How did the Reformation change religion in England? Use evidence from the text to support your answer. Pupil’s own response, such as: The Reformation meant England broke away from the

Catholic Church in Rome. Before this happened, all decisions on religious matters had

to be made by the Pope, the head of the Catholic Church. After the Reformation, such

matters could be decided in England instead as the monarch was head of the church.

8. Today, it is believed that Catherine died of cancer rather than having been poisoned, which she was rumoured to have been at the time. Why do you think they thought she had been poisoned? Pupil’s own response, such as: I think they may have thought she was poisoned as at that time they would not have known what the growth was and did not know about cancer. As Catherine had enemies, her being poisoned was fairly easy to believe.

9. If Catherine had given Henry the son he desired, how do you think that would have changed events? Use evidence from the text to support your answer. Pupil’s own response, such as: If Catherine had given Henry the son he always wanted

then the Church of England may not have been created, breaking England away from

the Catholic Church in Rome. Henry may have also not divorced Catherine and married

Anne Boleyn.

10. What evidence does the text give to support its claims that Catherine was ‘strong-willed’?

Pupil’s own response, such as: Catherine showed that she was strong-willed when she

refused to give in to Henry’s demands for a divorce. She also refused to stop calling

herself queen when she was told to. It also says that Catherine was able to express her

views at a time when men held all the power.

Catherine of Aragon




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