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The Alliance: Prince Arthur & Catherine of Aragon

60 second histories

This video covers:  King Henry VII wanted to strengthen his position further by uniting England with Spain and so a marriage was proposed between the young Prince Arthur and Catherine of Aragon

It’s true to say that Henry the seventh's victory at the battle of Stoke pretty much ended any serious threat to his throne but he still needed to strengthen his position. He did this by uniting England with the Spanish. A marriage between an English Prince and a Spanish Princess was just the thing. Young Arthur, Prince of Wales, heir to the throne of England was to marry Catherine the daughter of King Ferdinand the second and Queen Isabella of Spain. There was just one minor problem Arthur was only eighteen months old and she was still tiny too! With the treaty of Medina del Campo signed the prospect of a most important royal marriage alliance was assured. Well the wedding was a great affair poor Catherine had only been in England for a short time she must have been rushed off her feet, but what a feast, what a pageant, you should have seen it. Sadly though, after they’d only been married a matter of months, our lovely Prince Arthur died. The Prince’s death hit the King very hard and put him in a difficult position as to what to do with his son’s widow.
Eras: 
Tudor
Topics: 
Kings & Queens
Character: 
Tudor lady
Key words: 
Battle of Stoke, Stoke, unite, England, Spain, Spanish, Arthur, Prince of Wales, Prince Arthur, heir, Catherine, King Ferdinand, Queen Isabella, Medina del Campo, marriage, marriage alliance, wedding, Tudor, Tudors, KS3, Key Stage 3, Year 7, Year 8, Year 9