Henry VIII had six wives. The best was his first. Catherine of Aragon was born on Dec. 16, 1485 and went on to live a tragic life. She was the daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain and that made her a valuable commodity. She was betrothed to the son of Henry VII of England to keep the countries peaceful. She was three at the time. At age 15, she married future King Arthur, also 15. They had met ten days earlier. Six months later, her husband was dead, never having been king. To keep the marriage alliance and to keep the dowry, she was shifted to Arthur’s younger brother and now heir Henry. In 1508, they were married. He was almost 18 and she was six years older. The marriage seemed a good one and she was a good queen. She served as Spain’s ambassador to England, the first female ambassador in European history. When Henry was off fighting a war in France, he left her as regent. King James of Scotland chose that time to invade. She rode north in full armor, while pregnant, to address the troops and they went on to win the Battle of Flodden. She sent her husband part of the dead James’ coat. She was fertile and gave birth to three children. But three babies were stillborn and a son and daughter died young. Only a daughter named Mary survived. In 1525, Henry fell in lust with Anne Boleyn. That lust and the desire for a male heir caused Henry to ask the Pope for an annulment based on the Biblical prohibition that a man should not marry his brother’s wife. When the Pope refused, Henry created his own church to get his divorce. She was put under house arrest in a series of castles. She wore a hair shirt the rest of her life. She was forbidden to see her daughter. In 1536, she died of cancer at age 51. The day she died, Anne of Boleyn miscarried a baby boy. I don’t know if she died with a smile on her face.
https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/12-little-known-facts-about-catherine-of-aragon/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Aragon
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