Catherine of Aragon’s Funeral – 29 January 1536
Posted By Claire on January 29, 2012
Photo by Clare Hancock
On the 29th January 1536, Catherine of Aragon was buried in Peterborough Abbey, now known as Peterborough Cathedral. In her last days she had requested to be buried in a Chapel of her beloved order, The Observant Friars, but the recent dissolution of the monasteries meant that there were none left.
This strong woman who had refused to recognise the annulment of her marriage to Henry VIII and who still saw herself as Queen of England was buried at Peterborough as Princess Dowager, referring to her marriage to Prince Arthur, the Prince of Wales, and the Bishop of Rochester even said in his sermon at her funeral that “in the hour of death she acknowledged she had not been Queen of England”! Henry VIII was using his first wife’s funeral as propaganda and I don’t blame the imperial ambassador, Eustace Chapuys, who comforted Catherine in her last days, for not attending and choosing to remember her in his own way.
Catherine of Aragon’s tomb can still be visited today and Peterborough Cathedral have marked her tomb with the words “Katharine Queen of England”. The Cathedral also commemorate her life and death by holding a special programme of events every year at the end of January – The Katharine of Aragon Festival – and I think it is a fitting tribute to this wonderful woman. RIP Queen Catherine of Aragon.
You can read more about Catherine of Aragon’s last days and death in my article “The Death of Catherine of Aragon”
I attended the church service on Friday morning and it was both enjoyable and moving. Three groups of school children sang Tudor songs, a lady in Tudor dress read out Catherine’s last letter to Henry and someone read out a passage from the bible praising good wives in Spanish. Afterwards I visited the tomb were two beautiful wreaths and several pomegrantes had been laid out. Flanking the grave two tall white candles with a Pomegrante design on burned. The whole thing was done in a simple elegant way which was appropriate for such a pious yet elegant Queen. The clergman reading the service said how pleased Catherine would have been to see so many people come to remember her and pay their respects and I think that just sums it up. Rest in Peace Catherine.
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Claire Reply:
January 29th, 2012 at 6:42 am
Emma, how wonderful that you were able to go, I really want to make it one year. I admire Catherine of Aragon so much, she was such a strong and dignified lady and I would love to go and pay my respects. I always think about her over the winter/Christmas period when pomegranates are in season here in Spain. I think she would feel very humbled to know that she is still remembered by people all over the world today.
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Eliza Reply:
January 30th, 2012 at 6:18 am
I am so happy that people remember her and that this service took place to honour her memory. RIP Katherine.
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The lady may not have got the support, respect and reverence she deserved in life, but she certainly does now, and quite rightly too, I hope she is at peace.
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I don’t want to feel like a traitor to Anne as the other message stated, in that I have always felt that Katharine was telling the truth that she was a virgin when she married Henry, and that she was done very badly by him. On the other hand, England would have eventually left Rome anyhow with all the German States turning Lutheran, and Scotland being overrun by John Knox and Calvinism and Presbyterianism during the reign of Mary Queen of Scots. Elizabeth would most likely would have named James VI of Scotland as her successor as well. Now where would England have gone without Elizabeth? Thus, then without Anne? Thank you! WilesWales
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Queen Catherine was truely a great Queen,how sad her last days to be sent away from court, once again a very tragic end for this Queen. R I P Queen Catherine
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Am I the only one who doesn’t see Catherine of Aragon as some saintly angel? Yes, she was his true wife, and yes, she was treated horribly during the divorce disaster and everything else.
But. She claimed over and again that she cared for his happiness above everything else. Really? He no longer wanted her, and instead was in love with Anne..whether it was right or wrong for him to be with Anne while still married, it happened and his happiness, his pleasure was to be with Anne, not Catherine.
I think it might have been far more dignified had she simply stepped down and went away quietly instead of the spectacle she made of herself in what could only be the most futile endeavor ever.
She claimed to care about him so much, and yet..she was a Queen. They were supposed to bear sons. Henry desperately needed a son. She could not give him one, and had more than a fair chance to do so (Yes, I realize it was not actually her fault). She had already reached menopause and therefore it was absolutely impossible for her to give him any further children at all.
A Queen who truly loved her husband and kingdom and cared about the future of both might have realized that another woman had a chance to provide the important heir that she could not. She does not seem to have cared a damn. She wanted to maintain her position, and to be right, and that was about it.
I find her prideful and foolish, not brave and dignified..that’s just not how I see her.
She allowed Mary to be forbidden contact with her by her continued refusals to cooperate, so she brought that on herself, as well. She clearly cared more about status, title and power/revenge on Henry than about her daughter, kingdom or husband.
She was a strong woman…but perhaps more selfish than anyone seems to view her.
She seems to me this mixture of strong woman/doormat/obsessively clinging to Henry in a way that was really quite pathetic..a mother who could have dropped her pride and had her daughter with her, yet stubbornly refused, caring more that her daughter retain her place in the succession. A brave, yet consistently self-serving woman.
Not that I’m defending Henry, but I don’t blame him, either. He needed a son and heir. He stayed with Catherine for 20+ years, and she grew older..too old to give this to him. I don’t believe his conscience had a thing to do with his decision to divorce her. She was old, barren and no longer of use, and so he wanted rid of her. Using religion was just a handy way to go about it…much the same way that charging Anne falsely of adultery was easier than battling the religious powers yet again for divorce.
All this said, I do believe Catherine was still legally married to Henry, making Anne’s marriage to him invalid. Once Catherine was dead, however..I suppose that changed things more than any court could. Elizabeth was daughter of the King, so of course she belonged in the succession..and so did Mary.
I’m rambling now, but I just think there is a very different and considerably more ambitious/spiteful side of Catherine of Aragon.
You may hate me now.
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