Ferdinand and Isabella, who also wanted allies, so they all
signed the commercial agreement of Medina del Campo in 1489. This led to:
A marriage proposal between Catherine and Arthur
Acceptance of the Tudor dynasty by one of the oldest and most power-
ful families in Europe
A further trade treaty � Magnus Intercursus � in 1496 Chapter 2: Starting a Dynasty: Henry VII 47
Catherine and Arthur were married by proxy in Spain on 19 May 1499. Neither
of them was present at the ceremony, underlining the fact that this was all
about politics, not romance.
In October 1501 the real wedding took place when Catherine arrived in
London. Everybody pulled out all the stops � Henry spent a fortune, the bells
rang and all the toasts were for a long and happy life for the young couple.
But a long life together wasn't to be: Henry and Elizabeth were devastated
when Arthur died, probably of tuberculosis, in April 1502. Catherine was 17,
a widow in a strange land. When Elizabeth died the following spring, Henry
considered marrying the girl himself, but in the end decided on passing her
on to his remaining son Henry. This would mean:
Catherine would stay in England with her considerable dowry of gold
and silver.
Catherine would one day become queen of England.
The much dreamed of alliance between England and Spain was on
after all.
But there were complications. Isabella died in November 1504 and Ferdinand
couldn't inherit Castile. That went instead to the pair's daughter Joanna,
who was married to Philip of Burgundy, son of the holy Roman emperor,
Maximilian.
Henry now decided to throw in his lot with Joanna and Philip, who were
given a slap-up welcome when they visited England in January 1506. Philip
and Henry signed the treaty of Windsor in a spirit of friendship.
What's love got to do with it? Marriages between great families were That said, kings wanted to know in advance arranged for political reasons. Links between what they were getting. In Chapter 5 we explain England and Spain would make a huge empire that Henry VIII got Hans Holbein to paint a por- encircling the always rather dodgy French. trait of his fourth wife Anne of Cleves, so he Catherine was 7 and Arthur 3 at the time of their could check her out. And when Henry VII was betrothal, but don't be horrified at their ages; looking for a new wife after Elizabeth's death, he they didn't actually live together as man and asked his ambassadors to check out the queen wife, and anyway, no age of consent existed. of Naples, paying particular attention to any Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort, was only 13 facial hair she may have(!), the size and shape when she gave birth. of her breasts, the colour of her eyes, the size
of her nose and whether she had sweet breath. 48 Part I: Encountering the Early Tudors
Sponsoring Cabot
Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain famously empowering Cabot to claim any lands in the name
financed Columbus's trips in search of the of England. Because Cabot already had ships and
East Indies, giving Spain a vast fortune in land men, this was, in a way, the icing on the cake.
and silver in the years ahead. Henry � perhaps
Cabot reached the coast of North America in
rashly � turned Columbus down in 1489, but he
the summer of 1497 (if you're a fan of Murder
did back John Cabot.
She Wrote you'll be familiar with the mythical
Cabot was a Venetian (Venice was one of the town of Cabot Cove on the coast of Maine) and
best known ports in the world at that time) who claimed it for England.
wanted to find a more northerly route to Cathay
Cabot's return voyage in May 1498 was a disas-
(China) than the one the Spaniards had opened
ter. He vanished, presumably lost at sea, and
up. London was tied up with the Antwerp trade,
his son Sebastian went off to seek his fortune
so Cabot operated out of Bristol.
elsewhere. But importantly, Cabot set up what
Henry didn't give him ships
signed the commercial agreement of Medina del Campo in 1489. This led to:
A marriage proposal between Catherine and Arthur
Acceptance of the Tudor dynasty by one of the oldest and most power-
ful families in Europe
A further trade treaty � Magnus Intercursus � in 1496 Chapter 2: Starting a Dynasty: Henry VII 47
Catherine and Arthur were married by proxy in Spain on 19 May 1499. Neither
of them was present at the ceremony, underlining the fact that this was all
about politics, not romance.
In October 1501 the real wedding took place when Catherine arrived in
London. Everybody pulled out all the stops � Henry spent a fortune, the bells
rang and all the toasts were for a long and happy life for the young couple.
But a long life together wasn't to be: Henry and Elizabeth were devastated
when Arthur died, probably of tuberculosis, in April 1502. Catherine was 17,
a widow in a strange land. When Elizabeth died the following spring, Henry
considered marrying the girl himself, but in the end decided on passing her
on to his remaining son Henry. This would mean:
Catherine would stay in England with her considerable dowry of gold
and silver.
Catherine would one day become queen of England.
The much dreamed of alliance between England and Spain was on
after all.
But there were complications. Isabella died in November 1504 and Ferdinand
couldn't inherit Castile. That went instead to the pair's daughter Joanna,
who was married to Philip of Burgundy, son of the holy Roman emperor,
Maximilian.
Henry now decided to throw in his lot with Joanna and Philip, who were
given a slap-up welcome when they visited England in January 1506. Philip
and Henry signed the treaty of Windsor in a spirit of friendship.
What's love got to do with it? Marriages between great families were That said, kings wanted to know in advance arranged for political reasons. Links between what they were getting. In Chapter 5 we explain England and Spain would make a huge empire that Henry VIII got Hans Holbein to paint a por- encircling the always rather dodgy French. trait of his fourth wife Anne of Cleves, so he Catherine was 7 and Arthur 3 at the time of their could check her out. And when Henry VII was betrothal, but don't be horrified at their ages; looking for a new wife after Elizabeth's death, he they didn't actually live together as man and asked his ambassadors to check out the queen wife, and anyway, no age of consent existed. of Naples, paying particular attention to any Henry's mother, Margaret Beaufort, was only 13 facial hair she may have(!), the size and shape when she gave birth. of her breasts, the colour of her eyes, the size
of her nose and whether she had sweet breath. 48 Part I: Encountering the Early Tudors
Sponsoring Cabot
Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain famously empowering Cabot to claim any lands in the name
financed Columbus's trips in search of the of England. Because Cabot already had ships and
East Indies, giving Spain a vast fortune in land men, this was, in a way, the icing on the cake.
and silver in the years ahead. Henry � perhaps
Cabot reached the coast of North America in
rashly � turned Columbus down in 1489, but he
the summer of 1497 (if you're a fan of Murder
did back John Cabot.
She Wrote you'll be familiar with the mythical
Cabot was a Venetian (Venice was one of the town of Cabot Cove on the coast of Maine) and
best known ports in the world at that time) who claimed it for England.
wanted to find a more northerly route to Cathay
Cabot's return voyage in May 1498 was a disas-
(China) than the one the Spaniards had opened
ter. He vanished, presumably lost at sea, and
up. London was tied up with the Antwerp trade,
his son Sebastian went off to seek his fortune
so Cabot operated out of Bristol.
elsewhere. But importantly, Cabot set up what
Henry didn't give him ships
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