Katharine of Aragon and the Castilian Grain Crisis

by Heather R. Darsie, J. D. Katharine of Aragon spent an agonizing seven years in England waiting for her future to find her. Although it was surely a depressing, demoralizing time, going back to Spain might have been more dangerous for Katharine. Things were not safe and secure as the Iberian peninsula, and particularly the Crown of Castile and León, faced crisis after crisis. One … Continue reading Katharine of Aragon and the Castilian Grain Crisis

Katharine of Aragon’s Spanish Legacy in England

by Heather R. Darsie, J. D. Katharine of Aragon left an indelible mark on Tudor England that remains to present time. We are still talking about her. Katharine’s life and the struggle she faced impacted her tremendously, and left a huge impression on her daughter Mary. This very evident when looking at who Mary I, England’s first queen regnant, chose as a husband and the … Continue reading Katharine of Aragon’s Spanish Legacy in England

The Meeting of Katharine of Aragon and Arthur Tudor

by Heather R. Darsie On 4 November 1501, a fifteen-year-old girl made her entrance into England to marry the fifteen-year-old prince of that kingdom. Their parents, especially the boy’s, hoped that the dynastic marriage would secure the future of their family on the throne. Much excitement surrounded the safe arrival of Katharine of Aragon from Spain to England. She and her husband-to-be, Arthur Tudor, were … Continue reading The Meeting of Katharine of Aragon and Arthur Tudor

The Six Fiancées of Charles V

by Heather R. Darsie Charles von Habsburg, the eldest son of Philip von Habsburg and Juana de Trastámara, was quite the prize groom in the early 16th century. Charles was born 24 February 1500 at the Prinsenhof in Ghent, Flanders, which is now part of modern Belgium. His parents, better known as Philip the Handsome and Juana the Mad, were their parents’ heirs, setting up … Continue reading The Six Fiancées of Charles V

Henry VIII: How Many Children did He Have?

by Heather R. Darsie Henry VIII is generally viewed as a Lothario during his marriages to Katharine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. During his lifetime, he fathered at least six children with Katharine of Aragon, two or possibly three with Anne Boleyn, one with Jane Seymour, and possibly an additional six illegitimate children. All of Henry’s children were born in or before 1537. Henry’s first … Continue reading Henry VIII: How Many Children did He Have?

Convivencia in Katharine of Aragon’s Spain

by Heather R. Darsie Prior to Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon, the Catholic Monarchs, finally removing the last Islamic presence from the Kingdom of Granada, there was a considerable Islamic and Jewish presence that lasted over 700 hundred years. Isabella of Castile by Juan de Flandes, c. 1500-1504 The Muslims first came to Spain during the Umayyad conquest of Hispania around the year … Continue reading Convivencia in Katharine of Aragon’s Spain