Catherine of Aragon: The Spanish Queen of Henry VIII - Hardcover

Tremlett, Giles

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0802779166 ISBN 13: 9780802779168

Publisher: Walker & Co, 2010

Synopsis

The youngest child of the legendary monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, Catherine of Aragon (1485-1536) was born to marry for dynastic gain. Endowed with English royal blood on her mother's side, she was betrothed in infancy to Arthur, Prince of Wales, eldest son of Henry VII of England, an alliance that greatly benefited both sides. Yet Arthur died weeks after their marriage in 1501, and Catherine found herself remarried to his younger brother, soon to become Henry VIII. The history of England-and indeed of Europe-was forever altered by their union.

Drawing on his deep knowledge of both Spain and England, Giles Tremlett has produced the first full biography in more than four decades of the tenacious woman whose marriage to Henry VIII lasted twice as long (twenty-four years) as his five other marriages combined. Her refusal to divorce him put her at the center of one of history's greatest power struggles, one that has resonated down through the centuries- Henry's break away from the Catholic Church as, bereft of a son, he attempted to annul his marriage to Catherine and wed Anne Boleyn. Catherine's daughter, Mary, would controversially inherit Henry's throne; briefly and bloodily, she returned England to the Catholicism of her mother's native Spain, foreshadowing the Spanish Armada some three decades later.

From Catherine's peripatetic childhood at the glittering court of Ferdinand and Isabella to the battlefield at Flodden, where she, in Henry's absence abroad, led the English forces to victory against Scotland to her determination to remain queen and her last years in almost monastic isolation, Giles Tremlett vividly re-creates the life of a giant figure in the sixteenth century. Catherine of Aragon will take its place among the best of Tudor biography.

About this title

Product Description:

The woman Henry VIII 'divorced' is much overshadowed by Anne Boleyn, the woman who took her place, yet Catherine of Aragon was Henry's wife for 22 years. As queen regent she defeated the Scots at Flodden in his absence and she fought tenaciously against the divorce: the king had never met a tougher opponent on or off the battlefield. This compelling biography brings Catherine to the fore, stressing her intensity of character and approaching her life through her Spanish family as well as her Tudor in-laws. Slightly off-mint.

Review:

'Enthralling .... Tremlett brilliantly breathes life nito the shadowy figure of a stubborn and finally heroic woman.' --Miranda Seymour, Daily Telegraph

'Here is history with everything: romance, violence, eroticism, drama, spectacular personalities in gorgeous settings and on an international stage, God and original research ... A serious and irresistible book.' --Duncan Fallowell, Daily Express

'Rigorous yet accessible ... Tremlett has done an excellent job of accessing Catherine of Aragon's more private moments.' --Kathryn Hughes, Guardian

'Splendid history ... a wholly convincing portrait of this pious and intelligent woman.' --Guardian

'Rigorous yet accessible ... Tremlett has done an excellent job of accessing Catherine of Aragon's more private moments.' --Kathryn Hughes, Guardian

'Vivid and detailed biography.' -- BBC History Magazine

'[This] biography is popular history writing as it should be done, securely based on the sources and superbly written.' --London Review of Books

'Rigorous yet accessible ... Tremlett has done an excellent job of accessing Catherine of Aragon's more private moments.' --Kathryn Hughes, Guardian

About this edition

• Publisher: Walker & Co
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0802779166
• ISBN 13: 9780802779168
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 428