Catherine of Aragon: An Illustrated History

Catherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s first wife, faced love, loss, and political strife, leaving a courageous legacy.

Catherine of Aragon was the first wife and queen of England's most married King, Henry VIII. She did not know it, but she would be immortalised as the first in a line of six queens still hotly debated and discussed today. Catherine and Henry were married for over twenty years, longer than his other five marriages combined, but she knew him even longer. Arriving in England in 1501 to marry Henry's elder brother, Arthur, she was widowed shortly after and was forced to endure seven years of uncertainty and hardship before marrying her second husband. Henry and Catherine were happy and indeed in love on their wedding day in 1509, and they had a lot of shared interests and ambitions.

Setbacks and losses would tear apart this once—happy couple. As one of three parties involved in the King's Great Matter, which changed the face of England forever, Catherine refused to back down and fought for what she believed to be right until the very end. This book gives us a glimpse of Catherine's world: her family, her friends, her enemies, and her legacy, which still inspires us with her loyalty and courage to this day.