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Catherine of Aragon marriage plea letter to go under the hammer
Last updated at 16:37pm on 24.10.06
The letter, written in Spanish, by Catherine of Aragon.
A document that records one of the defining moments behind England's split from the Roman Catholic Church will go under the hammer next month.
The letter was penned by Catherine of Aragon in 1534 as she desperately tried to cling on to her marriage to King Henry VIII.
In it the estranged noblewoman begs her nephew Roman Emperor Charles V to ask Pope Clement VII to uphold her marriage to the King.
The Pope obliged and the course of English religious history was changed forever when Henry VIII responded by turning his back on the Vatican.
He declared himself the head of the new Church of England and ordered the then Archbishop of Canterbury to grant him a divorce from Catherine.
The King could then marry Anne Boleyn, with whom he had fallen in love with several years earlier and hoped could provide him with a male heir.
The letter is expected to attract a price tag of up to $150,000 (£80,200) when it is auctioned at Sotheby's New York on December 11.
It is one of some 31 important manuscripts to be sold, including rarities written by Beethoven, Chopin, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Napoleon and Stalin.
The extraordinary three-page letter, written in Catherine's mother tongue of Spanish, is signed Katherina, the Queen of England.
She was desperate to not only to retain her position, but that of her the royal couple's only surviving child, Princess Mary.
Henry VIII was frustrated by his lack of a son and had begun a relationship with Anne Boleyn, triggering a religious and legal debate.
In the letter she refers to the "great scandal of all Christendom" and how the King is living in sin that "brings about other sins every hour".
Ultimately, her bid failed and the marriage declared unlawful and Mary illegitimate.
However she avoided the nasty fate of two of her successors, including Anne Boleyn who was beheaded for witchery, and died of natural disease in 1536.
Reader views (5)
Should we condemn the lady then because she would not say she was NOT married when she was. Katherine was the victim of a selfish tyrant who would have his way whatever the cost. But of all his wives Katherine had the best years of him and still loved him at the end.
- Paul., Colchester UK
The picture is of Katherine as a young woman. Her betrothal to Arthur was finalized when she was 4 years old, and was not the result of a flattering painting, but a calculated effort on the part of her parents and Henry VII to cement a desired political alliance.
- Cecilia, Seattle, USA
One can hardly blame Catherine for Henry's cruelty and selfish misdeeds. Catherine was a princess, then Queen, of course she fought for her marriage and her social place. A nunnery is hardly a place for a wife to be disposed of! What Henry did was unforgiveable and he deserves all the shame for it. Catherine was brave and strong but political power and male privilege was stronger.
By the way, the picture shown is of Catherine shortly after her first husband, Arthur died. She was already well-loved and chosen by Arthur and Henry's mother, Elizabeth of York.
- Lorian Gray, Oregon City, OR USA
I'm not one to argue that history has been unkind to Henry VIII, because I agree that his behaviour to Catherine of Aragon and others was brutal. But I would point out that she was given options that while perhaps not optimal for herself would certainly have benefited her daughter Mary and saved the established Catholic Church in England. Early on, Henry offered her the option of retiring from worldly life to a nunnery (where she would have enjoyed a comfortable existence) with her dignity intact. This was not an unusual practice in the Middle Ages. It would have freed Henry to remarry with the blessing of the Catholic Church - and produce another heir - something Catherine knew was of vital importance to the new Tudor monarchy. This solution would have also preserved princess Mary's position and her claim to the throne. The subsequent question mark over her legitimacy effectively ruined her chances for making a desirable marriage. As a result she was left to negotiate a marriage in middle age when she inherited the throne. When offered this option Catherine rejected it out of hand, saying that she did not have 'the calling'. Her stubborn refusal to compromise on a settlement played as large a part in how the situation unfolded as Henry's stubborn insistence on being freed from the marriage. This simple point is frequently given little attention, which is strange considering what happened.
- Pelly, London, England
Too bad the picture accompanying the letter shows Katherine as she looked before she was married to Henry VIII. I have read that this portrait was most probably the portrait Henry VII was shown when considering the marriage of his eldest son, Arthur, to a Spanish princess.
- Jennifer Hodson, United States
