Henry, one of the most famous kings of England, is best remembered for breaking with the Church of Rome, Roman Catholicism. There were many reasons behind the Reformation in England, but perhaps the most important of these had to do with Katharina, the Spanish princess turned English queen. Although Catherine of Aragon lived a difficult life, from the death of her children to her public divorce, she cared for the people she ruled over and remained in their hearts long after she was exiled. Catherine was born on December 16, 1485, in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. Katharina is the Spanish equivalent of Catharine, and her mother, Isabel, would be considered Isabella (Mattingly, vii). She was the youngest daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. The union of Isabella and Ferdinand was not for love, but for political reasons. Isabella was queen of Castile and Ferdinand was king of Aragon, the two major kingdoms of modern Spain. Their union created the first united Spain. They were referred to as the Catholic Monarchs, having taken many steps to secure a Catholic empire. They started the Spanish Inquisition, forcing all Jewish and Muslim citizens to convert to Catholicism or leave. They fought with Granada, a Muslim kingdom, and financed Christopher Columbus's voyage to America (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011). Katharina had a strange childhood and received a very thorough education from her mother, the queen. He also observed how, one after another, his brothers left to marry foreign nobility. Her fate was sealed very quickly: at the age of two she was promised in marriage to Prince Arthur of England, to ease the political tension. When he was sixteen, he left his home in Spain for a three-month journey through Spain to... middle of paper... nina of Aragon." English History. Np, nd Web. November 30, 2011. " Maria I." Encyclopædia Britannica Online School Edition. &. Print. 'Spain: 1501', Calendar of State Documents, Spain, Volume 1: 1485-1509 (1862), pp. 253-265 URL: http://www .british-history.ac.uk/report .aspx?compid=93406 Date accessed: December 2, 2011.Tuckwood, January “The British Monarchy: A Royal Epic, Seared by Tragedy.” (West Palm Beach, FL, September 2 1997: 1D+). Issues Researcher. Web. 9 November 2011. Warnicke, Retha. "Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII".. 2011.
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