June 11 1509: Henry VIII of England Marries Eleanor of Castile

After Henry VII’s death on April 21, there were many questions in court about the new Henry VIII’s marriage decisions. The 18-year-old was finally entirely in control of his life. This was his chance to create an alliance with a country to help grow and support England against the French and Scottish.

While some believed he would marry his brother’s widow, Catherine of Aragon, Henry decided a different tactic. The papal dispensation had its flaws and Henry wasn’t entirely convinced that Catherine and Arthur hadn’t consummated their marriage. Neither was his grandmother, Margaret Beaufort.

Relying on his grandmother for advice, they decided that Catherine’s niece and the granddaughter of Maximillian I, Holy Roman Emperor, was the better choice. Maximillian was understandably ecstatic that Margaret and Henry had upheld the betrothal created by Henry VII just before his death. King Henry VIII announced his decision to the world on May 10, after getting full approval from Maximillian and Eleanor’s parents.

The Marriage of Henry VIII and Eleanor of Castile

Eleanor made her way to England at the start of June, landing in Dover on June 9. Henry decided to surprise his new bride, excited for what would lie ahead. Initially disappointed that his bride spoke very little English, Henry decided this could work. After all, Catherine had barely spoken a word and he knew the Catherine and Arthur had respect for each other—everyone else may have thought their marriage was unloving, but Henry had seen the truth.

To make it easier for Eleanor, Henry decided to invite Catherine to live at court. While he didn’t want to marry his former sister-in-law, he did want to stop her living in the poverty his father made her live in. This was his chance to right some of the wrongs Henry VII had done.

The marriage between Henry and Eleanor was instantly viewed positively. The English court enjoyed the positive relationship with Maximillian and then Eleanor’s brother Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor.

Proving the blessing for Henry was the birth of his and Eleanor’s first child, a boy. Unfortunately, the boy would live for just a day before dying of an unknown illness. Both parents were devastated, but they were still young and could have more children. Their second boy, born on New Year’s Day, 1511, was born a month prematurely.

Henry initially worried about the health of his young son, named Henry after the founder of the Tudor dynasty. He feared that he would lose another heir, but the physicians told him that the baby was strong despite his early birth. The young prince, nicknamed Harry, would prove the physicians right and quickly grew into a handsome, athletic young man.

Two years after Henry’s birth, Eleanor announced she was pregnant again. This would be her last living child and would be a daughter, Elizabeth. The young princess had the darker complexion of her mother and was the pride of her father’s eye. He knew this girl would become a bargaining chip with countries around the world.

Eleanor’s Miscarriages and Henry’s Affairs

Unfortunately, Eleanor’s subsequent pregnancies would end in heartache for the ruling monarchs. Eleanor turned to her aunt for support, but there wasn’t much Catherine could do to help. This wasn’t an area of Catherine’s expertise.

To make things harder for the young queen, Henry turned his eye to the women in court. One of those was Eleanor’s lady-in-waiting Bessie Blout. The two would have a son together, Henry FitzRoy. Sure, Eleanor had already produced an heir to the throne, but it still hurt her to know there was another son out there.

When Bessie Blout fell out of favour, another mistress came into Henry’s life; Mary Boleyn. This woman gave Henry two children, although Henry never officially acknowledged them. In fact, Mary seemed clear that these two children weren’t Henry’s at all, but her own husbands. Eleanor was sure that wasn’t the case. A man as physical and strong as Henry had to be the father.

As Henry’s affairs went on, Eleanor found herself going down a dangerous path of suspicion and jealousy. Everyone became her enemy. Catherine tried to keep her niece on track, but Eleanor started making enemies on court. The Boleyns and Howards were the worst of the lot and made sure they took Henry’s ear with suspicions of treason and adultery. Those suspicions would soon prove fruitful.

Eleanor Begins a Questionable Relationship

In 1523, Eleanor’s brother visited with Frederick II, Elector Palentine. There was an instant attraction between the two, but nothing went any further than a few smiles and a couple of dances. The two remained in contact over the years and Frederick started to become Eleanor’s friend and confidante.

She would often send him letters about Henry’s affairs and births of babies. By 1527, it was clear that Eleanor had fallen in love with the man who wrote to her. What Catherine couldn’t tell was whether her niece’s affections were returned.

It wasn’t worth the risk of the Boleyns and Howards finding out the truth though. Catherine got in touch with her nephew Charles and arranged for the relationship to end. It was hard for Eleanor, as she couldn’t understand why Frederick would stop writing to her. Catherine couldn’t bring herself to tell Eleanor the truth.

However, the silence didn’t last. Frederick made his way to England under the pretence of a diplomatic mission as religious reforms swept Europe. While there, he met with Eleanor in secret.

One of Eleanor’s ladies, Anne Boleyn, noticed the two meeting in secret. She never saw anything conclusive, but it was enough for her to put the seeds of doubt into the court. It all started with her brother, George. The two worked together to let the Howard family know of the deceit from the queen and that was all that was needed for Henry to question the fidelity of his queen.

Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn Meet

As lady-in-waiting, Anne had the chance to put herself in front of the king. With the doubt growing over Eleanor, Anne’s father and uncle, Thomas Boleyn and Thomas Howard, encouraged her to make herself known. They needed her to gain more power and authority in court, but they needed her to hold his attention longer than her sister.

Anne wasn’t afraid to tell Henry no. She wanted the crown on her head.

Of course, with a son and heir, there was no way that Henry would discard his wife, even if she did doubt her fidelity. He would lock her away and prevent her from seeing visitors, but he wouldn’t petition for a divorce. Anne had to put up with the idea of being Henry’s official mistress.

What Anne didn’t realize at the time was that being Henry’s official mistress would save her life. She wasn’t under constant scrutiny from the men in court and there were no expectations of her to give birth to a son, which she did manage to do in 1529, followed by a daughter in 1533.

Eleanor hated Anne, but hated her life even more. After learning about Frederick, Eleanor was left with nothing. She was confined to her apartments and not even allowed to see her aunt. She was given one lady to attend to her needs and expected to smile and act as if nothing was wrong in front of others. Of course, the English people knew something was going on but they couldn’t believe the rumors that Eleanor had had an affair with Frederick. Their queen was dutiful and pious, wasn’t she?

Anne Boleyn Dies in Childbirth

In 1537, Anne Boleyn gave birth to her final child. Unfortunately both mother and baby wouldn’t make it, devastating Henry. The king had loved his mistress deeply and never wanted to lose her. This was a woman who would debate with him intellectually and discuss the religious reformation with him to help him understand the views of the heretics. She wasn’t queen material but made the perfect mistress.

Losing the child—another daughter—was also devastating. The two were buried together, but Henry didn’t attend the funeral. He mourned for a few years after that, refusing to do anything other than basic duties.

Eleanor was happy that Anne was gone, but her mental state was deteriorating. She hadn’t been allowed to see her family and there were rumours of her madness. Many believed that she had the same mental disease as her mother Joanna, who was locked away to avid causing trouble. As depression set in, Eleanor found her physical health deteriorating too. She would regularly suffer from illnesses, and when the sweating sickness took over her body in 1538, she wasn’t in a state to fight it.

Henry was left mourning the death of his mistress and looked to mourn the death of his wife. His children mourned the loss of their mothers, particularly Harry who had turned against his father for the ill treatment of his mother.

Harry Marries Against Henry’s Permission

The problems with Harry were so bad that he refused to meet any bride that Henry suggested. In fact, he acted out and married a bride of his own choice—the Protestant Anne of Cleves. Henry was furious with the marriage decision and refused to see the marriage as being valid. After all, they married in a Protestant ceremony.

The English nobles feared what would happen with Harry’s decision. It was clear that he was a Lutheran sympathizer. Would he bring the religious reformation to England? The fear was so bad that they needed Henry to interfere now.

Henry arranged for Harry and Anne’s arrest as heretics the moment she and Harry returned to England. This caused problems with the secret Protestants in England and the Duke of Cleves. England had war on its hands if Henry didn’t release his son and daughter-in-law.

Despite Henry’s treatment of Eleanor, Charles stood by his brother-in-law and arranged for Spain’s army to stand by the English. Of course it came with a requirement: Henry’s daughter Elizabeth had to marry Charles’ son Philip. By this point Henry didn’t have much time to argue. It was a small price to pay.

Elizabeth wasn’t happy with her father’s decision but she had no choice as a political pawn. Henry was losing the respect of his legitimate children, but as long as there were living legitimate children nothing else mattered.

With Spain a major threat to Germany, the war against England never happened. Harry and Anne remained in prison until Henry’s death 10 years later. It was only because there was no other heir to the throne that Harry was released and he then released his wife. By the time they had the chance to be together, it was too late for children.

Protestants Forced Into Hiding

Harry and Anne died childless, but they did help to bring the Protestant reformation. Knowing that he didn’t want a Catholic monarch on the throne, Harry made Jane Grey the heir to his throne. Only male heirs would be allowed to inherit the throne, although there were plenty of unasked questions about what would happen if there were no male heirs.

The questions didn’t need to be asked ever. Jane was queen for just 9 days before Philip of Spain rode into England and deposed her, with the view that Harry’s sister Elizabeth was the rightful heir. The two became co-rulers, although England hated being under Spanish rule.

Protestants were forced to flee their homeland. While some remained and just went into hiding, others fled to Scotland and mainland Europe as a way to save their lives. Some were persecuted and burned for their heretical views.

Elizabeth soon found her pregnant. The Catholics rejoiced but the Protestants feared the worst. Elizabeth and Philip had a boy, named Charles Henry, and it was clear that Protestants would never have a chance. They would only have one child, though.

In 1568, when Mary, Queen of Scots fled Scotland and asked for help to reclaim her throne, Philip and Elizabeth agreed. Mary was made a guest in their court, although the war against Scotland didn’t work out. Mary remained safely in England, helping to raise the young heir to the throne, sad that she would never see her own son again.

As for Charles Henry, he became King of Spain in 1598 after his father’s death. His mother’s death five years later made him King of England. England and Spain became one.