Katherine of Aragon was 24 years old when she married Henry VIII. She was still a valuable piece in the game of dynastic politics that was Europe. The fact that she was the widow of Henry’s brother Arthur was awkward, especially theologically, but the forms were observed, and it was publicly announced that Katherine’s marriage to Arthur had never been consummated. (And Katherine would insist on the truth of this for her entire life.) In any case, the couple were married, and two weeks later their coronation as the King and Queen of England was held.
All would be well, so long as the succession was assured – i.e. that Katherine gave the king the son he desired and needed. After her first pregnancy ended in miscarriage in 1510, she successfully delivered Henry in 1511. Sadly, Henry died at the age of six weeks. Katherine would have three more stillbirths, and one surviving child, Mary. Her husband’s desire to have a son and heir only grew.
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