English Histories - The Six Wives of Henry VIII

Chapter 2

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But, briefly, Henry VIII hesitated: his councillors told Fuensalida that, unexpectedly, he was suffering "certain scruples of conscience" and wondering whether he would "commit a sin by marrying the widow of his deceased brother", as such unions were forbidden in the Bible. It seemed that certain churchmen had been whispering in Henry"s ear, Warham amongst them; and the King"s conscience was a rather tender organ, as many would later find to their cost. Informed of Henry"s doubts by Fuensalida, Ferdinand hastened to rea.s.sure the young King that "such a marriage is perfectly lawful, as the Pope has given a dispensation for it, while the consequence of it will be peace between England and Spain". He drew Henry"s attention to the King of Portugal, who had married two of Katherine"s sisters in succession and was "blessed with numerous offspring, and lives very cheerfully and happily". Ferdinand felt certain that "the same happiness is reserved for the King of England, who will enjoy the greatest felicity in his union with the Princess of Wales, and leave numerous children behind him". Fuensalida told Katherine that Ferdinand loved her "the most of his children and looks on the King of England like a son". It was Ferdinand"s intention to give advice about everything to Henry VIII, "like a true father"; Katherine"s duty would be to foster an understanding between the two men and ensure that her future husband would heed Ferdinand"s guidance in all matters of state.

Early in June 1509, the Privy Council urged the King to marry Katherine and fulfil the terms of the betrothal treaty. They did not have to spell out why the matter was urgent, as Henry was more than cognizant of the insecurity of his dynasty. Instead, they extolled Katherine"s virtues, saying she was "the image of her mother, (and) like her possesses that wisdom and greatness of mind which win the respect of nations". As for Henry"s scruples about the canonical legality of the marriage, "we have the Pope"s dispensation," they said; "will you be more scrupulous than he is?"

The King could only agree that there were many good reasons for the marriage; above all, he told them, "he desired her above all women; he loved her and longed to wed her." Most of the Councillors knew this: since the age of ten, Henry had looked up to 70 and admired his pretty sister-in-law; and, as he had grown to manhood, and had seen how well Katherine had coped with the adversity and humiliations she had suffered, his admiration had deepened, not to pa.s.sion - it would never be that - but to love in its most chivalrous form, blended with deep respect. This apart, honour demanded that Henry should marry her, as by so doing he would rescue her from penury and dishonour, like a knight errant of old, and win her unending grat.i.tude. It was a plan that appealed vastly to the King"s youthful conceit. Indeed, there was even a certain smugness in his approach to his marriage, for he was later to inform King Ferdinand that he had "rejected all the other ladies in the world that have been offered to us", which, in his view, proved beyond doubt the depth of the "singular love" he bore to his "very beloved" Katherine. Undoubtedly he found her attractive, with her long golden hair and fair skin; he was impressed by her maturity, her dignity, her lineage and her graciousness. Everything about her proclaimed her a fit mate for the King of England, and Henry, who was no fool, realised this.

Yet in some ways she was an unwise choice. Doubts that the marriage might be uncanonical were well founded in the opinion of some churchmen of the time, though they, knowing the King"s will in the matter, kept silent for the most part. Then there was the matter of the five-and-a-half-year age gap, and the fact that Katherine, at twenty-three, was well past her first youth by the standards of her day, and rather old to be contemplating motherhood for the first time. Many girls married at fourteen and bore a child the following year, while the average age at death for women in Tudor times was around thirty. Henry VIII could have had his pick of the young princesses of Europe, but he needed the alliance with Spain, he wanted Katherine"s dowry to add to his already rich inheritance, and, above all, he wanted Katherine herself.

And what Henry VIII wanted, he usually got.

Sir Loyal Heart and the Tudor court.

One day in early June 1509 Henry, in a buoyant mood, made his way from the Council Chamber at Greenwich to Katherine"s apartments. He came alone, and dismissed her attendants. Then he raised the Princess from her curtsy with a courtly gesture, declared his love for her, and asked her to be his wife. Without any hesitation, she joyfully agreed, relief and happiness evident in her face and voice.

This was the culmination of all Katherine"s hopes during the last six years: G.o.d had now seen fit to answer her prayers, and she was filled with thankfulness. She would be Queen of England, raised by this magnificent young man to be the bride of his heart and the mother of his heirs. Those courtiers who had scorned her and tried to humiliate her would now have to defer to her, and she would not have been human if she did not relish the prospect. The days of want were gone for good, for very shortly she would be the wife of the richest monarch ever to reign in England.

Fray Diego was all but forgotten now, as Katherine gave her heart unreservedly to her future husband. That she fell quickly in love with him we may easily believe as she had long ago responded to his charm and good looks, and he, now that the matter had been decided, saw no need to wait much longer before they could legally share a bed. His coronation was planned for midsummer, and he wanted Katherine to share it with him as queen.

Henry VIII and Katherine of Aragon were married privately on 72 11 June 1509, the feast day of St Barnabas, in her closet at Greenwich, by William Warham, who was now Archbishop of Canterbury, and had once spoken out against their union. Katherine wore virginal white with her long hair flowing free under a gold circlet, and vowed to be "bonair and buxom in bed and at board" as was laid down in the more robust form of the marriage service then in use.

The Archbishop p.r.o.nounced the young pair man and wife, then the small wedding party proceeded to the Chapel of the Observant Friars within the palace precincts to hear ma.s.s.

There is no record of the King and his new Queen being publicly put to bed together; their wedding was private, therefore it is likely that they were accorded some privacy afterwards. However, there was never any doubt that Katherine"s second marriage was ardently consummated that night.

To his contemporaries, Katherine"s bridegroom was the true heir in blood to both Lancaster and York, and the reincarnation of his magnificent maternal grandfather, Edward IV. He was a man of great physical beauty, above the usual height, being around 6"1" 6"1" tall (his skeleton, discovered at Windsor in the early nineteenth century, measured 6"2" in length, whilst his armour, preserved in the Tower of London, would fit a man of nearly 6"4"). He was magnificent to look at, being lean and muscular, with an extremely fine calf to his leg of which he was inordinately proud, and had skin so fair that it was almost translucent; we are told that it glowed, flushing a rosy pink after the King had exercised. All were agreed that he was extremely handsome, and the amba.s.sadors who visited Henry VIII"s court during the early years of his reign were united in their praise of his personal endowments: "His Majesty is the handsomest potentate I ever set eyes on," wrote the Venetian Sebastian Giustinian in 1514, adding that Henry had "a round face so beautiful that it would become a pretty woman". Five years later, that same amba.s.sador was still singing the King"s praises: "Nature could not have done more for him. He is very fair, his whole frame admirably proportioned." He had strong features, with piercing blue eyes, a high-bridged nose, and a small but sensual mouth. His voice was slightly high-pitched. He had "auburn hair combed straight and short in the French tall (his skeleton, discovered at Windsor in the early nineteenth century, measured 6"2" in length, whilst his armour, preserved in the Tower of London, would fit a man of nearly 6"4"). He was magnificent to look at, being lean and muscular, with an extremely fine calf to his leg of which he was inordinately proud, and had skin so fair that it was almost translucent; we are told that it glowed, flushing a rosy pink after the King had exercised. All were agreed that he was extremely handsome, and the amba.s.sadors who visited Henry VIII"s court during the early years of his reign were united in their praise of his personal endowments: "His Majesty is the handsomest potentate I ever set eyes on," wrote the Venetian Sebastian Giustinian in 1514, adding that Henry had "a round face so beautiful that it would become a pretty woman". Five years later, that same amba.s.sador was still singing the King"s praises: "Nature could not have done more for him. He is very fair, his whole frame admirably proportioned." He had strong features, with piercing blue eyes, a high-bridged nose, and a small but sensual mouth. His voice was slightly high-pitched. He had "auburn hair combed straight and short in the French 73 fashion", and until 1518 he was clean-shaven. He then grew a beard, saying he would not shave it off until he had met with and embraced his ally, the King of France. Queen Katherine protested, for she did not like this new bearded Henry, but the beard remained until 1519. Many thought it attractive - "it is reddish and looks like gold" - but Katherine continued to complain about it, and by November that year the King had given in to her entreaties and shaved it off. An international catastrophe was only narrowly averted by Henry"s amba.s.sador to France, who told King Francis the truth, whereupon the French courtiers, far from being indignant, were amused to learn that the mighty sovereign of England had capitulated to his usually complacent and meek wife. Thus, peace was preserved, and the Queen was kept happy.

Henry VIII had boundless energy and a strong const.i.tution. When, in 1514, he contracted smallpox, his doctors were afraid for his life, yet within days he was up, having "risen from his bed to plan a military campaign". However, throughout his life he had a pathological hatred of anything to do with illness and death, and he was as terrified as a child of the plague that troubled his kingdom during hot summers.

Giustinian thought Henry "the best dressed sovereign in the world; his robes are the richest and most superb that can be imagined, and he puts on new clothes every holy day." As the calendar was full of saints" days and religious festivals, that meant a lot of new clothes. There were outfits of cloth of gold, Florentine velvet, silver tissue, damask and satin, mantles lined with ermine, heavy gold collars with diamonds the size of walnuts suspended from them, ceremonial robes with trains four yards long, and jewelled rings worn on fingers and thumbs. Some clothes were cut in "Hungarian" or "Turkish" fashion, and many had raised embroidery in gold or silver thread. It was an age in which men strutted like peac.o.c.ks in their finery, although none was. finer than the King, who looked upon costume as a visual art.

Henry"s contemporaries thought he was "the most gentle and affable prince in the world". He was quick to laugh and "intelligent, with a merry look". He had great charisma and a strong personality that won golden opinions. In 1509, Katherine"s future chamberlain, Lord Mountjoy, told the Dutch humanist scholar Erasmus that the 74King, "our Octavius", had an "extraordinary and almost divine character. What a hero he now shows himself, how wisely he behaves, what a lover he is of goodness and justice! Our King does not desire gold or gems, but virtue, glory, immortality!" As Henry himself declared in one of his songs, idleness was the chief mistress of all vice, and he meant to follow the path of virtue, something by which he set great store throughout his life. That his expectations often related to others rather than himself he did not regard as inconsistent, for in his opinion his own deeds and behaviour were always morally justified. He was bursting with confidence, "prudent, sage, and free from every vice".

On the debit side, he was quick-tempered, headstrong, immature and vain. In 1515, he asked the Venetian amba.s.sador if the King of France was as tall as he: "Is he as stout? What sort of legs has he?" "Spare," he was told. "Look here!" crowed Henry, "I also have a good calf to show!" And he opened his doublet to display his shapely, muscular legs. He "could not abide to have any man stare in his face" when in conversation, yet he himself would often turn a steely gaze on people, and Sir Thomas More was not the only one to stammer under the "quick and penetrable eyes" of his sovereign.

As the years pa.s.sed, Henry continued to attract praise and acclaim. He was well aware of his glorious reputation, and on occasions boasted about it. Yet as early as 1514 there were indications of the kind of ruler he would one day become, and the Spanish amba.s.sador was moved to warn his master, King Ferdinand, that if a bridle was not put on "this colt, it will afterwards be found impossible to control him". His words were echoed seven years later by Sir Thomas More, who advised Thomas Cromwell, then newly admitted to the King"s service, that he should handle Henry with caution: "For, if the lion knew his strength, hard were it to rule him."

Henry was gifted with acute powers of reasoning and observation, as well as the ability to evaluate a person or situation almost immediately. He had a vast store of general knowledge that he used to good effect. Above all, he was an intellectual with "most piercing talents". According to Sir Thomas More, he had "cultivated all the liberal arts" and possessed "greater erudition and judgement than any previous monarch". From infancy, he had been imbued with a pa.s.sion for learning, thanks to the good offices of his grandmother, 75the austere Lady Margaret Beaufort and was the most learned king yet to have ascended the throne of England. He was "so gifted and adorned with mental accomplishments of every sort" that the Venetian amba.s.sadors "believed him to have few equals in the world". "What affection he bears to the learned!" wrote Lord Mountjoy in 1509, informing Erasmus of Henry"s intention to establish a haven for scholars at his court. Europe was then on the brink of a period of cultural flux, when men were beginning in earnest to question and rationalise in matters of religion or philosophy. During Henry"s own lifetime, two great movements would affect his realm: the Renaissance, which would have a profound effect upon England"s cultural life; and the Reformation, which was to overthrow the traditional conception of a Christian Republic of Europe for ever.

Henry"s education had been extremely thorough. He could speak and write fluent French and Latin, understood Italian well and spoke it a little, and by 1520 was conversant with Spanish. He loved reading, and his favourite books during his younger years were the works of St Thomas Aquinas and Duns Scotus. However, in 1519, he began to suffer from recurring headaches and migraines, which made reading and writing "somewhat tedious and painful". The headaches continued to plague him for the rest of his life, and may well account to some extent for his later irascibility.

The King wrote several treatises during his life, and his letters to the Vatican were said to have been the most eloquent received there, for which reason they were exhibited in the consistory. His literary talents extended to pa.s.sionate love letters, as well as poetry. His chief interest was theology; he was a master of doctrinal debate, of which he was "very fond", and would hear others out with "remarkable courtesy and unruffled temper". He was good at mathematics, and also keenly interested in astronomy, a pa.s.sion he shared with Sir Thomas More, who would often join him on the leads above Greenwich Palace to look at the night sky.

Henry VIII professed all his life a deep and sincere faith in G.o.d, and for many years regarded himself as a true sonofthe Church of Rome. He was known to attend as many as six ma.s.ses in a single day, and at least three on days when he hunted. Every evening, at 6.0 p.m. and 9.0 p.m., he went to the Queen"s chamber to hear the offices of vespers and compline. At Easter, he "crept to the Cross" on 76his knees, with all due humility. He also held himself up as an authority on doctrine, and was acknowledged as such by his contemporaries because "he is very religious".

In 1521, while convalescing after a fever, the King added the finishing pages to a Latin treatise he had been working on for some time with a.s.sistance from others, notably Sir Thomas More. It was ent.i.tledA Defence of the Seven Sacraments against Martin Luther,and was an attack upon the heresies propagated since 1517 by a former monk of Wittenburg in Germany, who would thirty years later be hailed in England as the founder of the Protestant religion. Henry was well aware that information about Luther"s controversial teachings was already filtering through to England, and had gained hold in Germany. Yet although he himself enjoyed disputing points of doctrine, heresy was another matter entirely, and he was appalled that any credence should be given to the corrupt teachings of "this weed, this dilapidated, sick and evil-minded sheep".

Henry VIII, like most of his contemporaries, was well aware that there were certain abuses within the established Church that needed reforming, but he was a religious conservative at heart, and would not countenance heresy as a means of achieving this. To Henry, and men like him, heresy was a poison that threatened the very foundations of the superstructure of Church and State as one body politic. It encouraged disaffection among the lower cla.s.ses, challenged the divinely appointed order of things, and - worst of all - meant eternal d.a.m.nation for those who succ.u.mbed to its lure. In sum, it represented every evil that could be manifested in a well-ordered world, and must therefore be eradicated.

In his book, the King"s central argument was for the retention of the seven sacraments - Luther had rejected all but two. Marriage, in particular, was upheld by Henry, for it turned "the water of concupiscence" into "wine of the finest flavour. Whom G.o.d hath joined together, let no man put asunder." Luther had also rejected the authority of the Pope, but the King exhorted all faithful souls to "honour and acknowledge the sacred Roman See for their supreme mother". When Thomas More suggested that this was a little extravagant, Henry protested that he was so "bounden" to the See of Rome that he could not do enough to honour it: "We will set forth the Pope"s authority to the uttermost," he declared - words he was later to regret.

77Although Luther himself accused Henry VIII of raving "like a strumpet in a tantrum" in the book, and spoke of "stuffing such impudent falsehoods down his throat", the Pope received the treatise with rapturous praise, and in the autumn of 1521 rewarded Henry with the t.i.tleFidei Defensor(Defender of the Faith) in grat.i.tude. Elizabeth II still bears this t.i.tle today, though Britain has been an independent Protestant state for more than four centuries.

Apart from religion, Henry loved gambling, good food, and dancing, in which he did "marvellous things, both in dancing and jumping, proving himself indefatigable". He was obsessive about hunting, which he preferred above all else. The "grease season" was traditionally in the autumn, but Henry also hunted at other times of the year, both for pleasure and to provide for his table. In the autumn, however, he would take a rest from state duties and go on a progress through parts of his kingdom, chiefly for the purpose of discovering the delights of different chases. "He never takes his diversion without tiring eight or ten horses," wrote the Venetian amba.s.sador in 1519; "when he gets home, they are all exhausted." In fact, he exhausted most of his male companions too by "converting the sport of hunting into a martyrdom". And, after a successful day, it was not unknown for him to boast about his success for three or four hours at a time. Queen Katherine enjoyed hunting too, and sometimes accompanied her husband.

Being an excellent horseman and an expert in the martial arts, Henry was also pa.s.sionately fond of that other great medieval sport, the jousting tournament, which was almost a weekly event during the early years of his reign. He was a fine jouster who was conspicuous in the combats, both on horseback and on foot, excelling everyone else "as much in agility at breaking spears as in n.o.bleness of stature". At one tournament in 1518, Henry performed "supernatural feats", causing his magnificent charger to jump and execute other acts of horsemanship". Then, changing mounts, he made his fresh steed "fly rather than leap, to the delight and ecstasy of everybody". The Queen would never miss a joust if she could help it, and watched with her ladies from specially erected pavilions at the side of the lists.

Another sport at which he excelled was tennis, not the game played at Wimbledon today, but "royal" (real) tennis played on a hard, enclosed court- Henry"s court is preserved at Hampton Court - an altogether tougher and more dangerous game. The Household Accounts for the year 1519 record a payment for 3V4 yards of black velvet for a "tennis coat for his Grace". "It is the prettiest thing in the world to see him play, his fair skin glowing through a shirt of the finest texture," reported the Venetian amba.s.sador.

Henry enjoyed hawking, "running the ring", "casting the bar", wrestling, and archery. He practised daily at the archery b.u.t.ts and pa.s.sed a law requiring every man in England to spend an hour doing the same on Sat.u.r.day afternoons, such was his faith in the reputation of the longbow as the traditional instrument of English military success; he himself could "draw the bow with greater strength than any man in England". He also wished to ensure that the young men of his court were expert in the martial skills, and on one occasion in 1510 arranged for a fight with battle axes to take place in the presence of the Queen and her ladies in Greenwich Park, thus mixing military exercise with pleasure.

Henry had a lifelong love of the sea and all things maritime. He ordered the building of several great ships - including theHenry Grace-a-Dieuand theMary Rose -and has been rightly acclaimed as the founder of Britain"s modern navy. In 1515, he went with the Queen to review his fleet at Southampton, wearing a "sailor"s coat and trousers of frieze cloth of gold" and carrying "a large whistle with which he whistled almost as loud as a trumpet". He was in his element that day, on board his flagship, where for a couple of hours he enjoyed himself immensely, acting as pilot.

His pleasures were not always so boisterous. He inherited from his Welsh forbears an abiding love of music, and could play a number of instruments, sing and compose. He was particularly accomplished on the lute, harpsichord, recorder, flute and virginals, and would often entertain the court by singing and playing his own compositions. He could "sing from the book at sight", often set his own verses to music, and composed anthems and hymns. One, "O Lord, the maker of all things", is still sung in churches today. Yet Henry preferred writing secular songs, mostly in the courtly tradition, with English or French lyrics. The most famous were "Green groweth the holly" (probably written for Katherine of Aragon),"Adieu Madame et ma mahtresse(written much later for Anne Boleyn), and "Pastime with 79good company", which vividly portrays his mood at the commencement of his reign.

In these early years, Henry VIII"s pleasures took precedence. His att.i.tude to kingship and the duties of state he was required to perform was a different matter entirely. He had had a cloistered upbringing before suddenly finding himself in a position of power, honour and wealth, a heady experience for a youth of eighteen. Perhaps it was not surprising that he spent his days in pursuit of amus.e.m.e.nt rather than learning statecraft. Matters of state, he felt, could safely be left in the hands of his Privy Council; in fact, "he did not care to occupy himself with anything but the pleasures of his age".

The mature men appointed to advise him were so slow that they caused him "much disgust": Henry preferred the company of the young men of the court with whom he had shared his boyhood. His councillors were alarmed to see him squandering his father"s carefully ama.s.sed wealth on expensive and frivolous pastimes when he should have been learning about the government of his kingdom, and they were at pains to persuade him - not without difficulty - to sit in on meetings of the Privy Council, "with which at first he could not endure to be troubled". As the French amba.s.sador observed, "Henry is a youngling, cares for nothing but girls and hunting, and wastes his father"s patrimony."

His councillors hoped that, given time to mature, he would settle down and fulfil their expectations. Yet it was a slow process. In 1514, the Milanese amba.s.sador complained that the King had put off their discussion about politics to another time, "as he was then in a hurry to go and dine and dance afterwards". Affairs of state, even after five years on the throne, were still ranking fairly low on Henry"s scale of priorities. Even as late as 1519, the Papal nuncio reported that he was "devoting himself to accomplishments and amus.e.m.e.nts day and night, being intent on nothing else". All business was left to Cardinal Wolsey, "who rules everything". This was the situation that endured until the late 1520s, when Henry began to take the reins of government into his own hands.

It was the outward trappings of kingship that were important to Henry VIII during these early years: the pageantry, the ceremonial, the gorgeous robes, the priceless jewels, and the glittering court, and 80 he pa.s.sionately believed that they all served to enhance the image of royalty. It was Henry who was the first English King to express a preference to be styled "Your Majesty" rather than the customary "Your Grace". He saw himself, indeed, as a hallowed being set apart from the ordinary species of men, and it was a persona he consciously cultivated, so confident did he become of his own divinity. No King of England before him enjoyed such power, nor ever would after him.

A man of contrasts, he personified for the average Englishman all the strengths and virtues of his race, and it was this that lay at the root of his vast popularity. As Prince of Wales his charm had won the hearts of his people, and now, exalted to kingship, he was feted as the herald of a new age, a golden epoch that would witness a return to England"s former glory, the revival of the days of chivalry, and the ultimate conquest of France - the new King"s ambitions were well-publicised. The English loved Henry for his youth, his beauty, his high courage, his accomplishments, and above all for having identified their interests as his own. He was very knowledgeable about most of the issues that touched their lives, having been born with a talent for absorbing information, and there was "no necessary kind of knowledge, from King"s degree to carter"s, but he had an honest sight of it". He was fond, in his younger years, of mingling incognito among his subjects, in order to learn their views on the issues of the day.

In 1509, it was said that the whole world was "rejoicing in the possession of such a King". The pa.s.sing of years did not dampen this enthusiasm, for in 1513 we are told that "love for the King is universal with all who see him, as his Highness does not seem a person of this world but one descended from Heaven". Erasmus, later still, described Henry as "more of a companion than a King", a view that would have earned the hearty agreement of those courtiers with whom the King hunted, tilted, and otherwise amused himself. This common touch came naturally to him, and would serve to hold the love and loyalty of his subjects until he died.

In an era of arranged marriages, men were not censured for taking their pleasure when they found it. In his youth, the King was commendably discreet about such matters, so much so that we know absolutely nothing about his s.e.xual activities, if any, before his 81accession. As Prince of Wales, he had led a cloistered life and had cultivated a chivalrous att.i.tude towards the opposite s.e.x, seeing himself as the knight errant whose role it was to flirt, offer elegant compliments, and profess undying love. When he came to the throne, women were waiting for him in droves, and freed from the confines of his princely existence, he made the most of his position and took what they offered. In this respect, though he was far from virtuous by modern standards of morality, by the standards of his time, and compared to other princes of the age, he was quite circ.u.mspect. Thanks to his discretion, Queen Katherine never knew of these early infidelities, which were fleeting anyway, and as far as Henry was concerned, they had nothing to do with her. His love for her was on a different plane completely.

Having s.e.x was one thing, talking about it quite another. The King was very prudish, and was known to blush at bawdy remarks. He abhorred lightness in married women, even though he was not above pursuing them himself. And from his wife, he expected total fidelity and absolute obedience.

Katherine of Aragon first appeared at court as Queen of England on the day her marriage to the King was proclaimed, 15 June 1509. Henceforth, she would be at Henry"s side at all state and court functions. She had already adopted the pomegranate, symbol of fertility, as her personal badge, and now she took the motto "Humble and Loyal" for her personal device. In the royal palaces of England, an army of carpenters, stonemasons and embroiderers were already carving, chiselling and st.i.tching her initials and Henry"s, "H" and "K", on every available surface, and her throne was set beside the King"s under the rich canopy of estate.

In 1509, Fray Diego described Katherine as "the most beautiful creature in the world". Marriage certainly made her seem so. She was twenty-three, and had kept her looks thus far. She was plump, pretty, and still had beautiful red-gold hair that hung below her hips when loose. Yet, within six years, she had lost her youthful bloom and her figure, and in 1515 was described by the Venetian amba.s.sador as "rather ugly than otherwise". Sadly, he spoke the truth. By 1515, Katherine had suffered several bitter disappointments and five pregnancies, and these had aged her considerably.

82Aragon A miniature of her painted by Lucas Hornebolte (now in the National Portrait Gallery) survives from this time, and shows with cruel clarity that the pretty girl depicted in Miguel Sittow"s portrait of 1505 had in fact aged almost beyond recognition in ten years. Hornebolte"s portrait is of a stout, mature woman with a face overshadowed by anxiety and sadness. The red-gold hair seems to have darkened (although this may be due to pigment in the paint), and is gathered into a bun or plait on the nape of the neck, being surmounted by a Juliet cap, a rare fashion in England at that time.

This miniature should be compared with a portrait painted about five years later, which has been attributed to Johannes Corvus. Several versions exist, the most famous being in the National Portrait Gallery in London. Katherine is here shown wearing the gable hood traditionally a.s.sociated with her, with long frontlets that would shortly become unfashionable. She is in a rich brown velvet gown with a low square neckline and furred sleeves, and is portly in build, with no pretensions to beauty, having a pale face in which the mouth has a slightly disdainful look and the firm chin juts out. A similar portrait, probably painted from a lost original during the reign of Mary I and until recently in the possession of the Royal Academy of Arts, is kinder, and shows the Queen smiling graciously. Yet the face is the same, that of a woman no longer young, obviously well-bred, with the marks of sadness etched upon it. And the figure, camouflaged in dark velvet furred with ermine with ropes of gold chains slung across the bodice, has likewise gone to ruin, spoiled by frequent childbearing. Perhaps the best existing likeness of Katherine in her later years is the fine miniature in the collection of the Duke of Buccleuch, which shows a stout woman, with large attractive blue eyes, holding a monkey.

Katherine"s gradually fading looks were brought increasingly into contrast by the maturing beauty of her younger husband. She selected her ladies for their looks as well as their background, which showed up even more her own ageing face. To compensate for this, she took care to dress herself as magnificently as she could, being, like her mother, "a ceremonious woman in her attire". On marrying the King, she had been provided with a sumptuous new wardrobe, most of it in the English fashion. After her marriage, she rarely wore 83the farthingale, although she did very occasionally appear in Spanish dress. Her new gowns would have had court trains several yards in length, and were of rich materials such as satin, velvet - often with raised gold embroidery - or cloth of gold. If one had wealth, it was not considered vulgar to display it.

Katherine did not dictate fashion, like Anne Boleyn who came after her, but she had a lifelong love of rich clothes and jewellery. In fact, her jewellery was magnificent, and comprised two sets: the crown jewels, pieces that had been worn by former queens of England, and which were not her own but public property; and those items that the King had given her personally, which alone were worth a fortune. She favoured ropes of pearls from which hung suspended pendants made of diamonds in the form of a cross or a St George medal or religious symbols such as the IHS, representing Christ. Like many people at that time, the Queen wore several rings at once, and her corsage was rarely without a jewelled brooch pinned in the centre. On her head, she would usually wear the English gable hood and black veil made popular twenty years before by Elizabeth of York, although on occasion she would wear a different head-dress such as the Flemish hood which "gave her additional grace", or the Juliet cap already mentioned. Her crown, which was melted down in the time of the Commonwealth, was worn only occasionally, for the great occasions of state; then she would wear her hair loose.

Katherine had all the personal qualities needed for a Queen of England. She had adapted to the customs of her new land, although she would continue actively to further Spanish interests for several years to come. She had strong principles, and set a high moral tone for her household. Beneath her outward air of meekness and submissiveness to her husband, she concealed a tough and tenacious character that would help her to bear the blows later dealt her with calm dignity. Those who served her invariably became devoted to her, for she was both kind and unfailingly courteous. In 1514, she was described by a Flemish diplomat as "a lady of a lively, kind and gracious disposition, and of quite different complexion and manner from the Queen her sister." Unlike Juana, Katherine was neither given to tantrums, hysteria or bouts of melancholia, nor was her love for her husband as obsessive as Juana"s had been. Yet it was a deep love and would 84survive until death; in this, as in everything else, the Queen displayed singlemindedness and a trusting naivety.

Katherine had received a good education, comparable to or better than that given to most girls of her rank. Erasmus called her "a miracle of learning", and while this was probably an exaggeration in the best courtly tradition, there is every indication that there was some truth in it. The Queen was literate, well read and thoroughly conversant with the Scriptures, although her intelligence and her powers of perception were somewhat limited. Nevertheless she was far more erudite than most women at the court, and her qualities were justly recognised by the scholars who gathered there at the King"s invitation. Katherine herself thrived in this cultural atmosphere, for she was interested in humanism and matters of religious doctrine and, as she grew older, she turned to intellectual pleasures more and more, finding little to stimulate her mind in the daily round of courtly revels. In 1526, she was very impressed by Erasmus"s new book,The Inst.i.tution of Christian Marriage,which was shown to her by Sir Thomas More. More himself warmly praised the work, and remarked that "her Majesty the Queen correctly regards it as being of supreme importance".

Katherine also took an interest in the universities. When she visited Merton College, Oxford, in 1518, she was welcomed by the students with "as many demonstrations of joy and love as if she had been Juno or Minerva". She also lent her support to Wolsey"s foundation at Oxford, Cardinal College (now Christ Church), and when, in 1523, the King brought his confessor, Dr Longland, to show her the plans for it, she showed herself "joyous and glad" to learn that she herself was "particularly prayed for" in the chapel of the new establishment.

Since her arrival in England, when she spoke only Spanish, Katherine had laboured to learn English. It was a long process, for languages were not a strong point with her, but by the time of her marriage to the King she was able to speak English pa.s.sably well, and her command of it would increase considerably over the following years. Yet she still spoke with a Spanish accent which never left her; this is evident from the phonetic spelling in her letters, in which, for example, Hampton Court becomes "Antoncurt."

According to Erasmus, Katherine was "more pious than learned", and "as religious and virtuous as words can express". The great 85humanist praised her warmly to Henry VIII, saying: "Your wife spends that time in reading the sacred volume which other princesses occupy in cards and dice." From her youth, Katherine spent a considerable part of each day at her devotions, hearing ma.s.s, kneeling privately at prayer at the prie-dieu in her chamber, reading the Bible (then in Latin, which she understood to a degree) and other religious works, and hearing the Divine Offices of the day, which her chaplains performed in her private apartments. As she grew older, her faith deepened and, since her philosophy was a pa.s.sive one, she faced up to and accepted what she understood to be the will of G.o.d without question or complaint.

By 1519-20, the Queen was leading an almost conventual existence. She withheld herself to some extent from the mainstream of court life, preferring to devote her time to her religious observances, and there are frequent references in the sources for the period to her being in her chapel, or "just come from hearing ma.s.s", or on pilgrimage, our Lady of Walsingham being a favourite shrine of hers. From now on, religion would be the mainstay of her life and her chief consolation.

Her life was nevertheless lived under the public gaze. Nearly everything she did was attended by ceremony and performed according to strict rules of courtly etiquette. She was never alone. As Queen of England, she was given a household of 160 servants, and several of these - usually ladies-in-waiting, maids of honour and pages - were always in attendance upon her. Her meals were frequently taken in public, in full view of the court (and, on occasion, the common people, when they were admitted to watch their betters at meat); sometimes they were served in her apartments, where she was waited on by pages, her ladies standing in attendance behind her.

There were many demands on the Queen"s time: charitable enterprises, religious observances, amba.s.sadors come to pay their respects, domestic matters to be discussed and acted upon, and meetings with her own council. Such leisure time as she had she spent mainly at needlework, embroidering tapestries, altar-cloths, vestments, rich gowns and head-dresses for herself, shirts for her husband worked with the Spanish black-work lace that she herself had popularised, linen shifts to wear beneath her gowns, infant layettes on occasion, and clothing for the poor. Sometimes she and 86 her ladies would entertain themselves with music - although there is no record of Katherine herself being able to play any instrument, she certainly enjoyed hearing others - with dancing - she herself would sometimes partner her ladies in the privacy of her chamber - in discussion, or even gambling with cards, dice, backgammon or other table games.

Even her s.e.x life was surrounded by ritual. Traditionally, kings and queens had separate apartments in the royal palaces. If the King wished to sleep with his wife at night - a matter of public interest, since the succession must be a.s.sured - he went in procession, escorted to her chamber door by members of his guard and gentlemen of his privy chamber. Katherine, in turn, having been undressed by her ladies, would be sitting up in the great tester bed waiting for him. On the nights the King did not honour her with his company, a maid would occupy a truckle bed at the foot of her bed, but she was banished whenever the King arrived unannounced, as he often did. Then his guards would be posted outside the doors to the Queen"s apartments. Henry VIII was very sensitive about security, and any bed he slept in was always made up by his servants according to an elaborate ritual which involved a sword being thrust between the mattress and the feather bed, just in case an intruder had secreted himself there.

As queen, Katherine was more often than not an observer, rather than a partic.i.p.ant, in the pageants and entertainments performed at court, even though she had in her teens been a good dancer. But dignity and gravity now sat heavily upon her in public, and probably in private also, and as she grew older, pageants and court b.a.l.l.s lost their appeal. Nevertheless, she was always at Henry"s side on state occasions or whenever foreign dignitaries visited the court. Indeed, we know very little else of her activities during the middle years of her marriage to the King; in the foreign dispatches and the chronicles of the period, she is very much a background figure, gracing these state occasions but doing little else of note.

Katherine was always an extremely popular queen, partly because her marriage had strengthened the vital commercial links between England and the Low Countries. This, however, was only one reason for the affection in which she was held. The main reason for it lay in her personal qualities, her unfailing graciousness and dignity, 87and her kindness. Not for nothing was it said of her that she was "more beloved than any queen who ever reigned". The English had taken her to their hearts; they rejoiced on her marriage, grieved with her in her sorrows, and - much later - were ready to champion her cause in the face of the King"s displeasure.

Henry VIII established the first Renaissance court in England, using a large portion of his father"s fortune to finance it and to refurbish the palaces in which it would be housed. The court in those days was a nomadic inst.i.tution, moving between Greenwich, Richmond, Windsor, Westminster (until the royal apartments were destroyed in the fire of 1512), the Tower of London in the early years of the reign, Eltham Palace, Hampton Court after 1514 and a host of smaller palaces and manor houses. It comprised n.o.blemen, churchmen of every degree, privy councillors, officers of the King"s household, gentlemen of the Privy Chamber, the Queen"s household, ladies, servants and menials, and could on occasions number several thousand people, especially when most of the aristocracy were in residence with their attendants.

It was a very splendid court; the King was extremely liberal, and enjoyed displaying the riches at his disposal. Following in his father"s footsteps, he insisted on the observance of elaborate ceremonial on state occasions, though at other times he preferred to be more relaxed. Venetian envoys visiting the English court in 1515 were astonished at the lack of formality, and delighted when the King himself, while walking in the gardens, actually stopped under their windows and called up to them, then stayed there some time chatting and laughing with them, "to our very great honour". These same amba.s.sadors reported to the Venetian Senate that the whole of Henry"s court "glittered with jewels and gold and silver, the pomp being unprecedented". It was noticed that the Queen"s ladies in particular were of "sumptuous appearance", being very handsome.

Scholars, notably those from Italy, then the hub of European culture, were particularly welcome at the English court. The King wished to surround himself with learned men and bask in their reflected glory, preferring them - according to Erasmus - to the "young men lost in luxury, or women, or gold-chained n.o.bles". Sir Thomas More applauded Henry VIII for cultivating all the "liberal 88 arts", and Erasmus thought that "under such a King, it may not seem a court, but a temple of the Muses". When Henry dined, he was attended by writers, divines, humanists, poets and artists, with whom he eagerly conversed and exchanged ideas.

One of the scholars who ranked highest in the King"s estimation was Thomas More, a friend of Erasmus and a fellow humanist. A man of upright character with a gentle, dry wit, More was also a brilliant lawyer and well read in theology. In 1516, he published a book ent.i.tled Utopia, Utopia, which described the ideal political state and earned him a generous measure of fame. He was also renowned for his exemplary family life and for his learned daughters, the products of his advanced views on female education. His eldest daughter, Margaret, the future wife of the Protestant writer William Roper, could speak both Latin and Greek. Henry and Katherine admired More, and the King invited him to court, though he only accepted with great reluctance, being unhappy about leaving the peace of his Chelsea home for public life; in later years, Henry would often throw up More"s lack of enthusiasm for the court "in a joke in my face". which described the ideal political state and earned him a generous measure of fame. He was also renowned for his exemplary family life and for his learned daughters, the products of his advanced views on female education. His eldest daughter, Margaret, the future wife of the Protestant writer William Roper, could speak both Latin and Greek. Henry and Katherine admired More, and the King invited him to court, though he only accepted with great reluctance, being unhappy about leaving the peace of his Chelsea home for public life; in later years, Henry would often throw up More"s lack of enthusiasm for the court "in a joke in my face".

As he had feared, he hated it. "I am as uncomfortable there as a bad rider is in the saddle," he wrote. However, the King was "so courteous and kindly" and did all in his power to make More welcome, singling him out for special friendship and showing he realised what a sacrifice More had made to humour him. "I should not like to think that my presence had in any way interfered with your domestic pleasures," he told him, intrigued by this rare, unworldly man who seemed content with his family, his books and his animals.

More"s integrity, and his conservatism in matters of religion - he advocated the burning of heretics - appealed to Queen Katherine, and theirs was a friendship that would remain untarnished by events. "He is an upright and learned man," the Spanish amba.s.sador would one day say of More, "and a good servant of the Queen." When the King and Queen dined privately, they would often send for Thomas More to be "merry with them", and so much did they enjoy his company that, according to his son-in-law, William Roper, "he could not once in a month get leave to go home to his wife and children". The King would frequently summon More to his private study, 89where the two men would sit for hours discussing astronomy, geometry and divinity.

All of this brought its rewards, of course. In 1518, More was admitted to the Privy Council; three years later he was knighted. Yet he himself had few illusions about his standing at court. When William Roper congratulated his father-in-law on his advancement, More replied: "Son Roper, I may tell you I have no cause to be proud thereof, for if my head would win the King a castle in France, it should not fail to go off!"

By 1517, Henry VIII"s court had a magnificent reputation. "The wealth and civilisation of the world are here," enthused the Venetian amba.s.sador; "I here perceive very elegant manners, extreme decorum and great politeness." Yet it all had to be paid for, and by 1518, Henry had dug so deep into the fortune left by his father to finance his pleasures and his court that his treasury was emptying at an alarming rate. This meant that for a time there would have to be fewer pageants, fewer tournaments, fewer entertainments than in earlier years. It is even possible that the King had grown a little bored with these things. He seems also to have got into bad company at this time, and whereas previously he had won praise for "putting a silence on all brawlers", in 1519 he was attracting criticism for preferring the company of "youths of evil counsel, intent on their own benefit, to the detriment, hurt and discredit of his Majesty" rather than seeking the society of "demure, sober and sad" persons. In the eyes of many, these young bloods were bringing scandal on the throne by encouraging their young master to go amongst his people in disguise and behave in "a foolish manner". Their habits were scathingly described as "French", and they were said to indulge in "French vices". They poked fun at "all the estates of England, even the ladies and gentlemen of the court". The King was for a time coming increasingly under their influence, and his Council was resolved to put an end to his a.s.sociating with them. Fortunately, the Council prevailed, and Henry agreed to banish the offenders from court, having been convinced that his. .h.i.therto glorious reputation was at stake.

The court itself was an extravagant, wasteful inst.i.tution. It moved from palace to palace so that each royal residence it had occupied could be cleansed. There were carpets on the floors of the royal 90 apartments only; elsewhere there were rushes, which were anything but sweet-smelling when the court had been in residence for a few weeks. Gentlemen did not always bother to use the privies, which were primitive anyway; they sometimes urinated on the rushes, as did the many pets owned by the courtiers. The food waste from the kitchens mounted up; in the summer, it stank, and the stench from the privies on hot days was terrible indeed. Thus the court had to move on, so that the palace might be cleansed. This arrangement meant that a skeleton staff had to be maintained in all the palaces.

Cardinal Wolsey, the King"s chief minister, was concerned about the way in which the royal household was run, and anxious to make economies, especially after the crippling of the Exchequer by the Field of Cloth of Gold in 1520, when the courts of England and France met amid scenes of unprecedented splendour. Thus, in 1526, after much research, the Cardinal drew up the Eltham Ordinances. The Ordinances, which were strictly enforced, rid the court of hangers-on and laid down rules of etiquette and practice, streamlining finances and cutting back on expenditure. Restrictions were placed on the number of retainers allowed those visiting the court, and also on the number of pets permitted (not only dogs but birds and monkeys were favoured by the courtiers); scullions were forbidden to go about the kitchens naked, and were given new clothes. The King"s servants were to wear the Tudor livery of green and white at all times. Even the food was rationed, although fairly generously: from this time on, the Queen"s maids would each breakfast on two small loaves and a gallon of ale. The result was a far more efficiently run household and a saving of both money and resources.

During the early years of the reign, when the young King and Queen pa.s.sed their time in "disports", there were hunts, tournaments, banquets, b.a.l.l.s, sporting events, and "disguisings". The latter were elaborate masquerades in which the King and his gentlemen would dress up and disguise themselves - sometimes in the strange costumes of other lands - and then come upon the Queen and her ladies unawares, dance for her, or perform other scintillating feats, and then disclose their ident.i.ty, "whereat the Queen and her ladies were greatly amazed". It afforded Henry great amus.e.m.e.nt to come thus attired upon Katherine and see her astonishment. It was a game 91of which, in his youth, he never tired; and she, for her part, never spoilt his pleasure by disclosing that she knew who it was, even when these "disguisings" had been going on for several years. which, in his youth, he never tired; and she, for her part, never spoilt his pleasure by disclosing that she knew who it was, even when these "disguisings" had been going on for several years.

But perhaps the most popular and spectacular of the entertainments staged for the pleasure of the Tudor court was the pageant, an early dramatic form. Pageants followed a set pattern: the male partic.i.p.ants would enter the hall clad in matching costumes with a certain significance; then the ladies, in complementary attire, would emerge from a kind of stage on wheels, which could be made to resemble a castle, a forest, a mountain, the sea, or anything else that the King"s Master of the Revels could devise. Pageants usually followed allegorical or cla.s.sical themes, such as "The Garden of Hope", or they could be based on English legends such as Robin Hood. When the ladies had appeared, the gentlemen would invariably show off their prowess in a mock fight, then the ladies would descend and dance with them as a reward. Often the partic.i.p.ants were disguised. The King frequently took part in these pageants, partnering his sister Mary since the Queen preferred to watch rather than join in.

The pageants give us some idea of the opulence of the Tudor court: the materials used for the costumes were all of the richest quality, and purpose-made; the gold and jewels were all genuine. The King"s intent was not entirely frivolous. Visiting princes, amba.s.sadors, and other foreigners watching them would quickly gain the impression that the King of England was extremely wealthy and that his court was the most splendid in Christendom. Wealth and its trappings were evidence of political and military strength, and Henry used pageantry to build up the reputation of the Tudor monarchy in Europe.

The first pageant to be staged in Henry VIII"s reign took place at Christmas 1509, when twelve men, dressed as Robin Hood and his Merry Men danced with the Queen"s ladies in Katherine"s chamber to the music of a consort of minstrels - Robin Hood later turned out to be the King in disguise. From then on, pageants were held whenever there was something to celebrate at court, and often when there was not. Sometimes the male dancers wore masks, which would be removed after the dancing by the ladies to the accompaniment of much laughter and flirtation.

The pageants to celebrate the birth of a son to Henry and 92Katherine in 1511 were particularly elaborate: one took the form of a mountain glistening at night" with a golden tree adorned with Tudor roses and pomegranates. The celebrations for the birth of the prince continued for well over a month, culminating in the day when the palace doors were thrown open to the common people, so that they could watch the pageants. Unfortunately, matters got rather out of hand when they rushed into the hall and "rent, tore and spoiled" the stage and its props. Pandemonium reigned as the courtiers ran for the shelter of the thrones on the dais, but the King was enjoying himself enormously, playing the role of a benevolent prince indulging his subjects. Laughing, he stood unresisting as they stripped him down to his hose and doublet, carrying off his clothes as souvenirs. The other courtiers had no choice but to follow their monarch"s example, and they too were forced to suffer the indignity of losing their clothes and jewels; the unfortunate Sir Thomas Knyvet was stripped stark naked, and had to climb a pillar for safety! But when the mob began to despoil the ladies" costumes, the King called a halt. Fortunately, the people obeyed him, and the day ended in "mirth and gladness", with Henry"s popularity greater than ever.

Pageants were staged frequently during the early years of the King"s reign. Perhaps the most original was that which took place on May Day 1515, for the benefit of the Venetian amba.s.sadors, when Henry and Katherine, who was richly robed in the Spanish fashion, entertained their guests to a woodland picnic in Greenwich park, which had been made to resemble Robin Hood"s hideout in Sherwood Forest. Henry and his n.o.bles appeared dressed in Lincoln green as Robin and his men, and carried bows. Yet this was not a simple rustic idyll, for no detail had been left to chance: singing birds in cages had been hidden in the trees, and "carolled most sweetly"; the court musicians sat in a bower, and the tables set beneath the trees groaned with a feast of gastronomic splendour; an archery contest took place for the visitors" entertainment. Afterwards, a procession formed and the May Queen and the court were brought back to the palace in triumphal cars adorned with figures of giants, escorted by the King"s guard. Music played, courtiers sang, and the King and Queen brought up the rear with an estimated crowd of "25,000 persons" (a slight exaggeration, perhaps).

After 1518, there were fewer pageants, due to the depleted state of 93the King"s finances and also to his growing preference for Italianmasques. The last opulent court pageant of these years took place in May 1527, to celebrate a new treaty between England and France. On this occasion, a banqueting house was set up in the tiltyard at Greenwich, where the King and Queen sat under canopies of estate- A masque was performed first, after which a pageant in the form of an artificial mountain was performed in the great hall of the palace- One of the partic.i.p.ants was the King"s daughter, the Princess Mary, who, like her ladies, was dressed in Roman fashion with robes of "cloth of gold, and so many precious stones that the splendour and radiance dazzled the sight".

Masques differed from pageants in that there was more plot to them; whereas a pageant was merely a tableau with music and dancing, a masque incorporated a story, and was the forerunner of the modern musical. The first masque ever seen in England was performed at court in January 1512, and greatly impressed the King: in it, the partic.i.p.ants were disguised by visors and caps of gold and told their tale with singing and dancing. In 1517, he and Katherine watched a masque ent.i.tled "Troilus and Cryseide", based on an old tale made popular by Geoffrey Chaucer, at Eltham Palace as part of the Christmas festivities. After that masques were staged more frequently at court, and eventually replaced pageants as its chief form of dramatic entertainment.

Pageants and masques were often used to entertain foreign guests. Henry VIII always extended a magnificent welcome to visiting princes, amba.s.sadors and churchmen, and was anxious to impress them with the splendour of his court. The Queen was always present, unless she was in an advanced state of pregnancy, and played her part as hostess, being particularly skilled at the courteous conversation required in diplomatic circles. In 1515, when she received the Venetian amba.s.sadors, who had come to present to herthe Doge"s compliments, they spoke to her, they reported home, "in good Spanish, which pleased her more than I can tell you". Katherinespent some time discussing Spanish affairs with them, and was happy to share her memories of her mother, Queen Isabella.

Central to this lavish entertaining was the court banquet, the first of which took place in February 1510, when Henry and Katherine entertained all the foreign amba.s.sadors then in England at the Palace 94of Westminster. The King led the Queen in procession into the great hall, followed by her ladies, the amba.s.sadors, and all the n.o.bility. Henry himself showed the amba.s.sadors to their seats, then sat down beside Katherine at the high table on the dais, beneath the canopy of estate. However, he would not remain seated for long, for he was soon walking around the tables, chatting to his wife and guests. He then disappeared and came back wearing Turkish robes with a troupe of mummers in tow, who proceeded to perform for the a.s.sembled company.

The food at such banquets would have consisted of several courses, each with several dishes. Meat was served throughout the year, except in Lent, when fish was the main entree. The meat or fish would be spiced and served in a sauce, and accompanied by bread soaked in gravy. There were few vegetables; however, Queen Katherine would sometimes have a salad in season, which she had introduced into England from Spain; her salad, however, would have been served hot, as raw vegetables were considered dangerous. Desserts were elaborate: fruit pies with decorated crusts, "subtleties" of sugar resembling castles or coats of arms, and marchpane comfits. Wine flowed freely throughout the meal, as well as ale or mead for the lower tables. After the banquet had ended, the guests chatted as the tables were cleared for the pageant which usually followed. When the entertainment had ended, there was dancing for up to two hours, to the music of a consort of flute, harp, fife and violette, then spiced wine or hippocras was served, after which the King and Queen would retire to bed. Sometimes, the King himself would serve the food at a banquet, and at other times, when the Queen was heavily pregnant, he would bring the guests into her private apartments after dinner, to be entertained with music, conversation, "disguisings" and dancing. Katherine never forgot to praise Henry"s munificence on such occasions.

No effort was spared to make guests feel welcome. When Henry"s sister, Queen Margaret of Scotland, visited London in 1515, Katherine sent a white palfrey to her for her state entry into the capital. The Queen of Scots had her own London residence at Scotland Yard near Westminster, but it was not ready for her, so Baynard"s Castle was placed at her disposal. The King organised 95jousts in her honour, and a lavish banquet in the Queen"s chamber at Greenwich.

In 1518 the French amba.s.sadors were entertained to a banquet consisting of 260 dishes, followed by a "very sumptuous" pageant. In 1519, Katherine herself hosted a banquet for the Duke of Longueville at her manor house at Havering-atte-Bower in Ess.e.x, a house once owned by several medieval queens. The King was present at this "sumptuous" feast, which the Queen had arranged in "the liberallest manner". When it ended, Henry thanked her "heartily", and the French guests were full of praise. Six weeks later Henry himself hosted a banquet at Newhall in Ess.e.x for these same envoys; afterwards, the Queen unmasked eight dancers, who all turned out to be "somewhat aged; the youngest was at least fifty!" On the following day, Katherine again acted as hostess at yet another banquet.

Tournaments, too, were often staged in honour of specific events, and they could go on for some considerable time. One joust in November 1510 lasted for several days, during which "the King broke more staves than any other". In 1511, the Queen watched the jousts, held at Westminster to celebrate the birth of her son, from a pavilion hung with cloth of gold and purple velvet and embroidered with the letters "H" and "K" in fine gold. Her young husband appeared in the

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