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Letter of Katharine of Aragon to her father, King Ferdinand II of Aragon
2 December 1505
Background
The following letter was written in Spanish by
Katharine while she was Princess Dowager of Wales. Katharine only wrote
in English after her marriage to King Henry VIII. Her mother, the famous
Queen Isabella of Castile, had died in the previous year; her father was beset
by diplomatic troubles, particularly with the English (he was unable to force
Castilian acceptance of a trade agreement with England, which resulted in loss
of money for the parsimonious King Henry VII.)
In
1502, Katharine's husband and Henry VII's heir, Prince Arthur, had died.
Katharine was put in an untenable position, and spent seven years of miserable
widowhood in England before Arthur's brother married her. Her father was
never able to pay the full amount of her dowry to Prince Arthur. This
issue became even more pressing when she was then betrothed to Prince
Henry. Ferdinand and Henry VII were equally wily monarchs, each
unwilling to compromise in order to make Katharine's life in England
bearable.
The marriage to Prince Henry, though
formally recognized in 1504, was not to be celebrated until two years later
when the prince came of age. The Spanish ambassador Dr De Puebla had
negotiated the contract, and assumed Henry VII would gladly support Katharine
for those two years. But Henry gave her barely enough money for food;
she had no money to pay servants' wages or buy clothing, among other
things. She lived in extreme poverty and with a frightening lack of
attention or respect. Henry VII made it clear that if her dowry was not
paid, he would renege on the marriage to Prince Henry. And Ferdinand
made it clear that he lacked the funds to pay the dowry; indeed, it was not
even a priority in his tumultuous life.
In this
letter, Katharine mentions an 'Infanta Isabel'; this was her older sister
Isabella. She also unfairly maligns the amiable Dr De Puebla.
Katharine's duenna Dona Elvira despised De Puebla for political reasons and
poisoned the young woman's mind against him.
This letter, a litany of complaints - all politely phrased -
is fascinating, and offers invaluable insight into Katharine's life as
Princess of Wales. She was poor, hungry, and desperately ill; 'I shall
soon die,' she wrote to her father in despair. She survived, of course,
but these conditions explain why she considered her marriage to King Henry
VIII to be so miraculous. This letter also offers a
funny glimpse into Henry VII's miserly nature.
Most high and most puissant lord,
Hitherto I have not wished
to let your highness know the affairs here, that I might not give you
annoyance, and also thinking that they would improve; but it appears that
the contrary is the case, and that each day my troubles increase; and all
this on account of the doctor de Puebla, to whom it has not sufficed that
from the beginning he transacted a thousand falsities against the service of
your highness, but now he has given me new trouble; and because I believe
your highness will think I complain without reason, I desire to tell you all
that has passed.
Your highness shall know, as I have often written to
you, that since I came into England, I have not had a single maravedi,
except a certain sum which was given me for food, and this such a sum that
it did not suffice without my having many debts in London; and that which
troubles me more is to see my servants and maidens so at a loss, and that
they have not the wherewith to get clothes; and this I believe is all done
by hand of the doctor, who, notwithstanding your highness has written,
sending him word that he should have money from the king of England, my lord
that their costs should be given them, yet, in order not to trouble him,
will rather entrench upon and neglect the service of your highness.
Now, my lord, a few days ago, donna Elvira de Manuel asked my leave to go to
Flanders to be cured of a complaint which has come into her eyes, so that
she lost the sight of one of them; and there is a physician in Flanders who
cured the infanta donna Isabel of the same disease which which she is
affected. She labored to bring him here so as not to leave me, but
could never succeed with him; and I, since if she were blind she could not
serve me, durst not hinder her journey. I begged the king of England,
my lord, that until our donna Elvira should return his highness would
command that I should have, as a companion, an old English lady, or that he
would take me to his court; and I imparted all this to the doctor, thinking
to make of the rogue a true man; but it did not suffice me - because he not
only drew me to court, in which I have some pleasure, because I had
supplicated the king for an asylum, but he negotiated that the king should
dismiss all my household, and take away my chamber-equipage, and send to
place it in a house of his own, so that I should not in any way be mistress
of it.
And all this does not weigh upon me, except that it concerns the
service of your highness, doing the contrary of that which ought to be
done. I entreat your highness that you will consider that I am your
daughter, and that consent not that on account of the doctor I should have
such trouble, but that you will command some ambassador to come here, who
may be a true servant of your highness, and for no interest will cease to do
that which pertains to your service. And if in this your highness
trusts me not, do you command some person to come here, who may inform you
of the truth, and then you will have one who will better serve you. As
for me, I have had so much pain and annoyance that I have lost my health in
a great measure; so that for two months I have had severe tertian fevers,
and this will be the cause that I shall soon die. I supplicate your
highness to pardon me that I presume to entreat you to do me so great favor
as to command that this doctor may not remain; because he certainly does not
fulfill the service of your highness, which he postpones to the service of
the worst interest which can be. Our Lord guard the life and most
royal estate of your highness, and ever increase it as I desire. From
Richmond, the second of December.
My lord, I had forgotten to remind
your highness how you know that it was agreed that you were to give, as a
certain part of my dowry, the plate and jewels that I brought; and yet I am
certain that the king of England, my lord, will not receive anything of
plate nor of jewels which I have used; because he told me himself that he
was indignant that they should say in his kingdom that he took away from me
my ornaments. And as little may your highness expect that he will take
them in account and will return them to me; because I am certain he will not
do so, nor is any such thing customary here. In like wise the jewels
which I brought from thence [Spain] valued at a great sum. The
king would not take them in the half of the value, because here all these
things are esteemed much cheaper, and the king has so many jewels that he
rather desires money than them. I write thus to your highness because
I know that there will be great embarrassment if he will not receive them,
except at less price. It appears to me that it would be better if your
highness should take them for yourself, and should give to the king of
England, my lord, his money. Your highness will see what would serve
you best, and with this I shall be most content.
The humble servant of
your highness, who kisses your hands.
to Letters of the Six Wives
of Henry VIII
to
Primary Sources
to Tudor England
to Katharine of
Aragon website |
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