Holiday Ayo - Catherine of Aragon is a princess from Spain who was the first wife of the King of England, Henry VIII.

source: Royal Armouries

Although their marriage was initially happy, Henry's attempt to divorce Catherine after 24 years of marriage made them sworn enemies and changed England forever.

Catherine of Aragon is believed to be a smart, brave and determined woman. Catherine was born in 1485 and was the daughter of the mighty Spanish rulers Ferdinand and Isabella.

She became engaged at a very early age to Prince Arthur Tudor of England, the eldest child of King Henry VII. Arthur and Catherine married in England in 1501, but their marriage was short-lived when Arthur died of illness in April 1502.

source: HistoryExtra

After the death of Arthur, Catherine then became a widow at the age of 17 years. King Henry VII then decided that Catherine was engaged to his second son, Henry.

This second marriage required permission from the Pope because marrying one's sister's widow was against church law.

Catherine then testified in court that the marriage to Arthur never materialized so the church's permission was granted.

source: Town & Country Magazine

Even so, Catherine and Henry did not marry until June 1509, after seven years of political wrangling over this matter.

When she became Queen of England, Catherine of Aragon played many roles in the government, especially in establishing an agreement between England and Spain.

In 1511, Catherine was instrumental in bringing about an alliance between England and Spain against France and formalized it in the Treaty of Westminster.

source: Heritage Daily

Henry had so much faith in his wife that he trusted Catherine to rule England while she was away at war. Catherine also acted as patron of several universities and schools and fought for women to get an education too.

Catherine and Henry are said to have had genuine affection for each other, but Catherine's inability to bear Henry a son put a strain on their marriage.

Despite the birth of Mary, who would one day become Queen Mary I, Henry still wanted a male heir. Henry becomes convinced that their marriage is cursed by God because of Catherine's previous marriage to Arthur.

In addition, Henry also began to fall in love with Anne Boleyn, a young woman who would become his second wife. A combination of Henry's fear of God's wrath and Anne Boleyn's refusal to have a relationship outside of marriage led Henry to try to obtain church permission to remarry.

source: HistoryExtra

Not getting permission, Henry then broke with the Roman Catholic church and founded the Protestant Church of England. The new Church of England then gave permission for divorce and sanctioned Henry's marriage to Anne Boleyn.

Seeing this fact, Catherine refused Henry's marriage and was not willing to accept Anne Boleyn as queen. Catherine also refused Henry's request to exile herself to a convent. Nor was he willing to hand over the queen's jewels to Anne. For this attitude, Catherine gained considerable public support which made Henry so angry.

The king punished Catherine by exiled her and did not allow Catherine to meet Mary, her only daughter. Catherine of Aragon died in poverty in 1536 at the age of 51. Henry was still angry at Catherine's rejection of his authority and ordered a festival to celebrate her death.

source: History is Now Magazine

Nonetheless, Catherine of Aragon remained popular with many English people. They still admired Catherine's intelligence and her determination to stand her ground even at enormous risk.