Chapter 35 - England from 1507 to 1514
Chapter 35 – England from 1507 to 1514
London in April of 1507 was marked by brisk gales, star-dotted skies and the birth of not one royal child, but two. Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England had spent several hours labouring in the Sheen palace since the night. This would be her third pregnancy and the one that seemed the hardest to bear. The size of Catherine’s “large and godly belly” indicated that she might be carrying twins this time, both a blessing, but also something that put her life at risk even more then the previous pregnancies. King Richard has ensured that his beloved wife has everything she would require in ways of food and drinks, especially as she had developed a craving for green apples, oranges and quails. The chamber where Catherine rested until her child arrived was warm and cosy, hung with rich arras cloth and carpeted with softness. Rich purple and crimson tissue had been used as counterpanes for the huge royal bed in the room, where she and her attendants could rest in comfort. Catherine wore petticoats and smocks of fine holland cloth with decorated collars of silk and gold, and a crimson mantle of velvet with ermine to ward of the chill.
Right now, on the 22th of April, Catherine clutched the hands of her ladies as another push of pain came upon her. Her labour pains were sharper this time then previous, but so far, she had been spared horrible bleedings and the urges to push came faster and faster. The midwife urged her to push hard now that the first lights of dawn came peeking out and so she did just that.
By morning the bells of London rang out the blessed news. Queen Catherine had been safely delivered of twin sons, named George and John, named for two of the most important saints in Christendom, as the boys had been born on Saint George’s feast day. John was also named in honour of his uncle, the king of Spain. After the twins’ births, Catherine would not conceive again until 1510, as she was exhausted for a long while afterwards.
George or John of York as a baby
One of the many tired thoughts running around in her head after the churching was whether her son’s nursemaid made sour milk. Despite all the love she felt as a mother towards her baby boys, Catherine could not help but to realise John was the single most scowling infant she has ever laid her eyes on. Most of the time his little face glared at whomever held him and his chubby fists flailed in annoyance, accompanied by shrieking, if he stayed to long in someone’s arms. He seemed the most content in the cradle, being rocked while his nurse read stories about king Arthur hunting the beast glatisant, unicorns and maidens, Sigurd Dragonbane out loud. John’s grouchiness and unwillingness to be held came as a blessing. Slowly Catherine began to spend an hour each day in the nursery in Windsor Castle reading to him. It felt easier to love her little boy while reading the freshly printed copy of Amadis de Gaula sent over from her brother Juan, as his nephew’s little face cooing at her while her dramatic storytelling of Amadis being persecuted by the evil wizard Arcaláus rolled on. Catherine was rather certain that he had sent her the book due to England being connected to the story.
It had never been hard for Catherine to bond with her children. Richard had been an affectionate baby, an intimate atmosphere easily created while safely ensconced in Ludlow castle. George seemed to be almost as easy to handle and Elizabeth had easily become her pride and joy, excelling in both manners and learning. Catherine was determined to make sure her only daughter would make the most splendid of royal matches and thus ensure that her upbringing reflected that hope.
John had fallen asleep when Amadis entered the arch of faithful lovers and Catherine silently closed the book. These hours made her feel like less of a failed mother, like not being able to hold her son for more then ten minutes without handing him to someone else stained her. Sewing smocks and bonnets, getting report from Elizabeth Poyntz and Elizabeth Denton, embroidering bedlinens for the cradle had become a replacement.
Catherine must have been watching the fireplace longer than she thought, because when she blinked back to the room, her husband entered the room.
“Your ladies said you often spent the evenings in here. I thought you could use some company, especially as you haven’t felt well for a while.”
For a long moment Catherine could not look at Richard, the silence lying thick on her tongue. During these past weeks she had not seen her husband frequently, often using tiredness as an excuse. The truth was that she felt like a failure with John and had not wanted Richard to see her like this. Catherine knew deep inside her that Richard would not fault her for not bonding with the baby as easily as her other children, but it still felt like a point of pride as a mother. And now it did not work.
“My mother told me Thomas was rather like this too as an infant. Grouchy and solemn to people. Perhaps John and George are like me and my brother. Richard leaned down and stroked the baby’s ear, the baby twitching in his swaddling, but not waking up. He’s a strong baby, he will thrive and grow out of this fretting stage. Don’t worry about it, my love. We have four strong and healthy children in seven years of marriage. And more will come in time.
I need at least a year before we try for a fifth child”, Catherine said firmly. My body is exhausted, and it needs to rest.” Richard nodded simply, and Catherine sent a silent prayer for her husbands’ sensibility.
“Thomas has sent a letter from Boulogne.” Richard said. Anne is growing up well. She will spend the summer in Flanders, with the ducal court.”
“Good, the grand duchess will make sure she becomes a worthy queen of England when she arrives here.” Catherine replied and closed her eyes as the fireplace continued to cackle and the occasional snuffles of baby John was the only sound in the room after that.
The birth of John and George was celebrated with a great joust and a large pageantry in the shape of a small forest with rocks and hills, dotted with sundry trees, ferns and flowers. A golden castle rose from the centre, surrounded by white roses and ivy. Four knights emerged from the pageantry with spears and helms decorated with feathers. Richard lead the knights himself and then the joust was on.
The king took extra care to make this celebration as grand as possible to console his wife, as their oldest son would leave court in early summer for Wales. Both Ludlow castle and Caernarfon Castle would be the two places where he would govern Wales, with a supportive council as Dickon was just four years old. The court of the prince of Wales had been expanded and Caernarfon had been added for the more regal size. Both parents accompanied Dickon as far as to Gloucester, before departing for a tour further up north. The royal company stopped at Nottingham castle for several weeks before setting of towards York, where the Duke of York had his primary residence. Richard travelled regularly around England, to make sure that his influence was spread evenly in his kingdom. Unlike his uncle Edward IV whom primarily had stayed in the London area and his northern-bound father, Richard were determined to be a king the whole of England knew. Catherine usually travelled with her husband, but the birth of her children in her first six years in England kept her from going farther up then Leicester. Her arrival in York was greeted by immense cheers from everyone in the region and Catherine received many gifts from the city elders and northern lords.
The king and queen was warmly greeted by the Duke and Duchess of York. From their marriage in 1501, neither had spent much time in court. Instead, they stayed up north or travelled to Ursula’s properties that she had inherited from her mother, Cecily Bonville. Despite being the second lady in England, Ursula seemed to prefer to keep away from the court and Edmund was rather like his father, being the dominant magnate in the north. The duke and duchess had not been as blessed as Richard and Catherine regarding children. Ursula had three miscarriages since her marriage and it would not be until 1510 that she was able to have a living child, a daughter. The girl was christened for Saint Helena, as she had been born on the feast day of the 18th of August and the connection to York, where Helena’s son Constantine the Great had been proclaimed Emperor, would have been on her parent’s mind at the times. Ursula and Edmund were delighted with their daughter and her christening was a splendid affair attended by northern lords and aldermen. Helena would be sent to court at the age of seven to be educated as a great lady, where she certainly made an impression with her regal manners and long tresses of golden hair.
Catherine of Aragon, Queen Consort of England around 1520
Catherine held a strong influence in her husband’s reign right from the start, as the birth of Dickon had secured her standing in England and it grew even stronger as the years passed. Unlike her mother-in law, who had mostly preferred to distance herself from politics, Catherine became more of a co-ruler to Richard, who sought his wife’s counsel in many matters, especially regarding the marriages of their children. Upon the birth of her great-nephew in Spain in 1509, Catherine became determined that her daughter would become a serious contender for his marriage. While Elizabeth was four years older than Juan, she did not see it as a disadvantage in particular and made certain her education would include Spanish languages and customs. As for the twins, they got them their own household in Eltham Palace when they became three years old. Catherine had already picked out a bride for one of the boys: her ward, Elizabeth Grey, a very rich heiress. Elizabeth was born in 1505 and thus only two years older than the twins.
In November of 1510, Catherine gave birth to her second daughter, named Beatrice for her grandmother. The celebrations for her were smaller than her brothers, but the Christmas court gleamed with holly, and as the queen returned from her churching, there was a surprise masquerade awaiting her. Dressed in blue velvet, the king lead the musicians and seven masked lords and ladies towards her chamber, whereupon they danced several times, torchlights gleaming on their silver cloaks and jewellery. The masked lords fought a mock battle against “wild men covered in moss and vines, carrying primitive weapons, whose faces was covered by distorted masks” Musicians played string violins, reeded shawms and trombone-like sackbuts and the lords and ladies danced before the king and queen.
Richard’s gift to Catherine after the birth of Beatrice was jewellery as always. Upon the birth of Dickon, the prince had commissioned a magnificent necklace of white roses and pearls and when Elizabeth had arrived, Catherine had been gifted a pearl-encrusted brooch. For John and George, a twin gift of ruby earrings and an gold bracelet had been presented to her after the churching and in 1510, the present would be a rope of pearls.
Beatrice would be brought up with her cousin, Helena of York and the two were practically inseparable from 1517 and onwards. The sight of the dark haired Beatrice and Helena with her golden hair made a lovely contrast in court.
Catherine would have four more pregnancies after 1510, a miscarriage in 1512, Katherine in 1514, Mary in 1516 and Edward in 1518. Catherine would lose only one of her children to infancy. Her youngest daughter Mary, would die at the age of seven months old in Greenwich castle.
Lady Beatrice of York in 1513
The english plans to acquire the County of Boulogne by marrying the Prince of Wales to Anne of Boulogne would have been accomplished in 1517 when Dickon came of marrying age. Unfortunately, those plans were derailed in 1514 when Anne decided to take her fate in her own hands. The headstrong and fiery 16-year-old countess had no intention to let her inheritance be submerged by the english and in the summer she broke the betrothal in order to wed elsewhere for Boulogne’s independence as well as her own. This would come as a earthquake for the english and for Richard, who now realised that his ambition to hold land in France had just slipped away without him knowing it. Worse was to come, evidently a member of the royal family had a hand in the scheme and that person would be the king’s sister-in-law, the Duchess of Bedford herself.
Author's Note: I thought this chapter would be a spanish one, but I must have looked at the wrong number. Here are some nice and peaceful years in the Yorkist court before the storm arrives. Catherine is just having babies all over the place and nothing is hurting.
London in April of 1507 was marked by brisk gales, star-dotted skies and the birth of not one royal child, but two. Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England had spent several hours labouring in the Sheen palace since the night. This would be her third pregnancy and the one that seemed the hardest to bear. The size of Catherine’s “large and godly belly” indicated that she might be carrying twins this time, both a blessing, but also something that put her life at risk even more then the previous pregnancies. King Richard has ensured that his beloved wife has everything she would require in ways of food and drinks, especially as she had developed a craving for green apples, oranges and quails. The chamber where Catherine rested until her child arrived was warm and cosy, hung with rich arras cloth and carpeted with softness. Rich purple and crimson tissue had been used as counterpanes for the huge royal bed in the room, where she and her attendants could rest in comfort. Catherine wore petticoats and smocks of fine holland cloth with decorated collars of silk and gold, and a crimson mantle of velvet with ermine to ward of the chill.
Right now, on the 22th of April, Catherine clutched the hands of her ladies as another push of pain came upon her. Her labour pains were sharper this time then previous, but so far, she had been spared horrible bleedings and the urges to push came faster and faster. The midwife urged her to push hard now that the first lights of dawn came peeking out and so she did just that.
By morning the bells of London rang out the blessed news. Queen Catherine had been safely delivered of twin sons, named George and John, named for two of the most important saints in Christendom, as the boys had been born on Saint George’s feast day. John was also named in honour of his uncle, the king of Spain. After the twins’ births, Catherine would not conceive again until 1510, as she was exhausted for a long while afterwards.
George or John of York as a baby
One of the many tired thoughts running around in her head after the churching was whether her son’s nursemaid made sour milk. Despite all the love she felt as a mother towards her baby boys, Catherine could not help but to realise John was the single most scowling infant she has ever laid her eyes on. Most of the time his little face glared at whomever held him and his chubby fists flailed in annoyance, accompanied by shrieking, if he stayed to long in someone’s arms. He seemed the most content in the cradle, being rocked while his nurse read stories about king Arthur hunting the beast glatisant, unicorns and maidens, Sigurd Dragonbane out loud. John’s grouchiness and unwillingness to be held came as a blessing. Slowly Catherine began to spend an hour each day in the nursery in Windsor Castle reading to him. It felt easier to love her little boy while reading the freshly printed copy of Amadis de Gaula sent over from her brother Juan, as his nephew’s little face cooing at her while her dramatic storytelling of Amadis being persecuted by the evil wizard Arcaláus rolled on. Catherine was rather certain that he had sent her the book due to England being connected to the story.
It had never been hard for Catherine to bond with her children. Richard had been an affectionate baby, an intimate atmosphere easily created while safely ensconced in Ludlow castle. George seemed to be almost as easy to handle and Elizabeth had easily become her pride and joy, excelling in both manners and learning. Catherine was determined to make sure her only daughter would make the most splendid of royal matches and thus ensure that her upbringing reflected that hope.
John had fallen asleep when Amadis entered the arch of faithful lovers and Catherine silently closed the book. These hours made her feel like less of a failed mother, like not being able to hold her son for more then ten minutes without handing him to someone else stained her. Sewing smocks and bonnets, getting report from Elizabeth Poyntz and Elizabeth Denton, embroidering bedlinens for the cradle had become a replacement.
Catherine must have been watching the fireplace longer than she thought, because when she blinked back to the room, her husband entered the room.
“Your ladies said you often spent the evenings in here. I thought you could use some company, especially as you haven’t felt well for a while.”
For a long moment Catherine could not look at Richard, the silence lying thick on her tongue. During these past weeks she had not seen her husband frequently, often using tiredness as an excuse. The truth was that she felt like a failure with John and had not wanted Richard to see her like this. Catherine knew deep inside her that Richard would not fault her for not bonding with the baby as easily as her other children, but it still felt like a point of pride as a mother. And now it did not work.
“My mother told me Thomas was rather like this too as an infant. Grouchy and solemn to people. Perhaps John and George are like me and my brother. Richard leaned down and stroked the baby’s ear, the baby twitching in his swaddling, but not waking up. He’s a strong baby, he will thrive and grow out of this fretting stage. Don’t worry about it, my love. We have four strong and healthy children in seven years of marriage. And more will come in time.
I need at least a year before we try for a fifth child”, Catherine said firmly. My body is exhausted, and it needs to rest.” Richard nodded simply, and Catherine sent a silent prayer for her husbands’ sensibility.
“Thomas has sent a letter from Boulogne.” Richard said. Anne is growing up well. She will spend the summer in Flanders, with the ducal court.”
“Good, the grand duchess will make sure she becomes a worthy queen of England when she arrives here.” Catherine replied and closed her eyes as the fireplace continued to cackle and the occasional snuffles of baby John was the only sound in the room after that.
The birth of John and George was celebrated with a great joust and a large pageantry in the shape of a small forest with rocks and hills, dotted with sundry trees, ferns and flowers. A golden castle rose from the centre, surrounded by white roses and ivy. Four knights emerged from the pageantry with spears and helms decorated with feathers. Richard lead the knights himself and then the joust was on.
The king took extra care to make this celebration as grand as possible to console his wife, as their oldest son would leave court in early summer for Wales. Both Ludlow castle and Caernarfon Castle would be the two places where he would govern Wales, with a supportive council as Dickon was just four years old. The court of the prince of Wales had been expanded and Caernarfon had been added for the more regal size. Both parents accompanied Dickon as far as to Gloucester, before departing for a tour further up north. The royal company stopped at Nottingham castle for several weeks before setting of towards York, where the Duke of York had his primary residence. Richard travelled regularly around England, to make sure that his influence was spread evenly in his kingdom. Unlike his uncle Edward IV whom primarily had stayed in the London area and his northern-bound father, Richard were determined to be a king the whole of England knew. Catherine usually travelled with her husband, but the birth of her children in her first six years in England kept her from going farther up then Leicester. Her arrival in York was greeted by immense cheers from everyone in the region and Catherine received many gifts from the city elders and northern lords.
The king and queen was warmly greeted by the Duke and Duchess of York. From their marriage in 1501, neither had spent much time in court. Instead, they stayed up north or travelled to Ursula’s properties that she had inherited from her mother, Cecily Bonville. Despite being the second lady in England, Ursula seemed to prefer to keep away from the court and Edmund was rather like his father, being the dominant magnate in the north. The duke and duchess had not been as blessed as Richard and Catherine regarding children. Ursula had three miscarriages since her marriage and it would not be until 1510 that she was able to have a living child, a daughter. The girl was christened for Saint Helena, as she had been born on the feast day of the 18th of August and the connection to York, where Helena’s son Constantine the Great had been proclaimed Emperor, would have been on her parent’s mind at the times. Ursula and Edmund were delighted with their daughter and her christening was a splendid affair attended by northern lords and aldermen. Helena would be sent to court at the age of seven to be educated as a great lady, where she certainly made an impression with her regal manners and long tresses of golden hair.
Catherine of Aragon, Queen Consort of England around 1520
Catherine held a strong influence in her husband’s reign right from the start, as the birth of Dickon had secured her standing in England and it grew even stronger as the years passed. Unlike her mother-in law, who had mostly preferred to distance herself from politics, Catherine became more of a co-ruler to Richard, who sought his wife’s counsel in many matters, especially regarding the marriages of their children. Upon the birth of her great-nephew in Spain in 1509, Catherine became determined that her daughter would become a serious contender for his marriage. While Elizabeth was four years older than Juan, she did not see it as a disadvantage in particular and made certain her education would include Spanish languages and customs. As for the twins, they got them their own household in Eltham Palace when they became three years old. Catherine had already picked out a bride for one of the boys: her ward, Elizabeth Grey, a very rich heiress. Elizabeth was born in 1505 and thus only two years older than the twins.
In November of 1510, Catherine gave birth to her second daughter, named Beatrice for her grandmother. The celebrations for her were smaller than her brothers, but the Christmas court gleamed with holly, and as the queen returned from her churching, there was a surprise masquerade awaiting her. Dressed in blue velvet, the king lead the musicians and seven masked lords and ladies towards her chamber, whereupon they danced several times, torchlights gleaming on their silver cloaks and jewellery. The masked lords fought a mock battle against “wild men covered in moss and vines, carrying primitive weapons, whose faces was covered by distorted masks” Musicians played string violins, reeded shawms and trombone-like sackbuts and the lords and ladies danced before the king and queen.
Richard’s gift to Catherine after the birth of Beatrice was jewellery as always. Upon the birth of Dickon, the prince had commissioned a magnificent necklace of white roses and pearls and when Elizabeth had arrived, Catherine had been gifted a pearl-encrusted brooch. For John and George, a twin gift of ruby earrings and an gold bracelet had been presented to her after the churching and in 1510, the present would be a rope of pearls.
Beatrice would be brought up with her cousin, Helena of York and the two were practically inseparable from 1517 and onwards. The sight of the dark haired Beatrice and Helena with her golden hair made a lovely contrast in court.
Catherine would have four more pregnancies after 1510, a miscarriage in 1512, Katherine in 1514, Mary in 1516 and Edward in 1518. Catherine would lose only one of her children to infancy. Her youngest daughter Mary, would die at the age of seven months old in Greenwich castle.
Lady Beatrice of York in 1513
The english plans to acquire the County of Boulogne by marrying the Prince of Wales to Anne of Boulogne would have been accomplished in 1517 when Dickon came of marrying age. Unfortunately, those plans were derailed in 1514 when Anne decided to take her fate in her own hands. The headstrong and fiery 16-year-old countess had no intention to let her inheritance be submerged by the english and in the summer she broke the betrothal in order to wed elsewhere for Boulogne’s independence as well as her own. This would come as a earthquake for the english and for Richard, who now realised that his ambition to hold land in France had just slipped away without him knowing it. Worse was to come, evidently a member of the royal family had a hand in the scheme and that person would be the king’s sister-in-law, the Duchess of Bedford herself.
Author's Note: I thought this chapter would be a spanish one, but I must have looked at the wrong number. Here are some nice and peaceful years in the Yorkist court before the storm arrives. Catherine is just having babies all over the place and nothing is hurting.
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