Annja Creed-Nast {Rogue Angel} (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
spiritandsword) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
fandomhigh2011-09-23 10:11 am
spiritandsword) wrote in fandomhigh2011-09-23 10:11 am
Entry tags:
Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make History [Session 4, Period 4]
When the class entered the Danger Shop today, they would find that the room resembled the grounds outside of a great castle structure. There were blankets spread out on the grass and they were obviously there as a place for everyone to sit.
"Kimbolton Castle," Annja began after all of the students arrived. "Certainly by the standards of the day it wasn't the most impressive of castles, and in fact, it would become famous because of the fact that it was used as basically a prison for one important lady. Of course, during her time, her husband did everything he could to diminish how important she was, but she never gave up standing by her faith and the truth. I'm speaking of Katherine of Aragon, Princess of Spain and Queen of England. She had the unfortunate prestige of being the first wife of King Henry VIII."
"Katherine was born to King Ferninand of Aragon and Queen Isabela of Castile in Spain. She was their youngest daughter and was given a very thorough education. At an early age, it was decided that she would be engaged to the young crown prince of England, Prince Arthur. This marriage would be regarded as a treaty between England and Spain. The problem was that Prince Arthur wasn't that healthy and soon after the young couple were wed, the married couple became seriously ill and Arthur died. Katherine was just sixteen and now she was in an uncertain placement. King Henry VII decided that in order to keep Catherine's dowry, he would marry her to his other son, Prince Henry, the new heir to the throne. Their marriage would not take place for seven years -- at which time Katherine was poorly treated except when King Henry VII decided she was useful. Even when she became the first female ambassador to England during this time, Henry VII still delayed the promised wedding to his son. However, when Henry VII died, one of the first things that Henry VIII did was marry Katherine as had been promised seven years before."
Annja looked around at her students. "Now, that's all very well and good, but that is not what makes her stand out in history. Plenty of women in the middle ages were treated badly by the males in charge of their lives. No, what makes Katherine maintain her place in history was that she defied a king. She defied Henry VIII who had already begun to show signs of being cruel and a tyrant to his people. The first issue was that Henry got a special dispensation from the Pope to marry his brother's widow. Back then, it simply wasn't done because if a marriage was consumated, it would make any of the family siblings and marrying the widow would be an act of incest and illegal. However, because of Arthur being a sickly and weak young man, he had never been able to consummate his marriage to Katherine. She swore under oath -- as did several ladies in her household -- that Katherine was still a virgin, and thus, the Pope allowed Henry to marry her."
Annja walked around the area in front of the castle. "All was well for a few years and Katherine was very pious and very devoted to her husband. Things might have continued to be happy in Katherine's world had she given Henry a son to be his heir. She was pregnant six times all together and only one child survived, the Princess Mary. By this time, Henry had become enamoured of one of Katherine's ladies in waiting and wanted her very badly. Anne Boleyn was beautiful and highly intelligent. She was educated in Austria and in France, as well. She refused to become just another mistress of the king. That had been her older sister's fate and she would not be used and cast off in such a way. Therefore, Henry had to rid himself of his wife, Katherine."
Annja looked at the castle for a long moment and then looked back at her students. "Henry decided that the best way to do this was to get his marriage to Katherine annulled. The reason he used for the annullment? God was cursing his sin of marrying his brother's wife by not giving them any sons. He thought that it would be easy to get what he wanted. But something happened that he had never expected. Katherine refused to agree to an annullment. In the eyes of God and country, she was his true and legal wife. She had been a virgin when she wedded him and a virgin when she bedded him. There were no grounds for an annullment. Declaring them to have never been legally married would not only have stripped her of her rightful title of Queen, it would also make their daughter, Mary, a bastard in the eyes of the court and in the land. "
Annja shook her head and started walking around the students again. "Henry couldn't believe it. His proper, sweet-tempered and obedient wife was defying him and refusing to grant him what he wanted. To make matters worse, the Pope was not being very helpful to Henry's cause, either. Several hearings were called to discuss the King's Great Matter. Katherine would not agree to an annullment because that would be a lie and therefore a sin. She refused to quietly enter a nunnery as that would be the same thing as admitting that their marriage was illegal. She was his true and legal wife -- and even when Henry married Anne in what was supposedly a secret ceremony, Katherine still maintained her claim. She was still fiercely loyal to her husband on everything that didn't include the question of their marriage. Katherine was banished to the castle you see here to keep her out of the public eye and to keep her and Anne separated. She was never allowed to see her daughter, Princess Mary, but they tried to write to each other and Katherine kept telling her to be good and obedient to her father. Katherine died two years after her exile, still maintaining to the end that she was a true and legal wife to Henry."
Annja sat down on the grass. "And that is why she still is a strong figure in history. Even with everything that she had endured since stepping foot on English soil, Katherine loved her subjects and she was steadfast when it came to the truth and in her faith. Even more amazing is that history tells us that Katherine deeply loved Henry, and even blamed the men around him for leading him astray."
"Kimbolton Castle," Annja began after all of the students arrived. "Certainly by the standards of the day it wasn't the most impressive of castles, and in fact, it would become famous because of the fact that it was used as basically a prison for one important lady. Of course, during her time, her husband did everything he could to diminish how important she was, but she never gave up standing by her faith and the truth. I'm speaking of Katherine of Aragon, Princess of Spain and Queen of England. She had the unfortunate prestige of being the first wife of King Henry VIII."
"Katherine was born to King Ferninand of Aragon and Queen Isabela of Castile in Spain. She was their youngest daughter and was given a very thorough education. At an early age, it was decided that she would be engaged to the young crown prince of England, Prince Arthur. This marriage would be regarded as a treaty between England and Spain. The problem was that Prince Arthur wasn't that healthy and soon after the young couple were wed, the married couple became seriously ill and Arthur died. Katherine was just sixteen and now she was in an uncertain placement. King Henry VII decided that in order to keep Catherine's dowry, he would marry her to his other son, Prince Henry, the new heir to the throne. Their marriage would not take place for seven years -- at which time Katherine was poorly treated except when King Henry VII decided she was useful. Even when she became the first female ambassador to England during this time, Henry VII still delayed the promised wedding to his son. However, when Henry VII died, one of the first things that Henry VIII did was marry Katherine as had been promised seven years before."
Annja looked around at her students. "Now, that's all very well and good, but that is not what makes her stand out in history. Plenty of women in the middle ages were treated badly by the males in charge of their lives. No, what makes Katherine maintain her place in history was that she defied a king. She defied Henry VIII who had already begun to show signs of being cruel and a tyrant to his people. The first issue was that Henry got a special dispensation from the Pope to marry his brother's widow. Back then, it simply wasn't done because if a marriage was consumated, it would make any of the family siblings and marrying the widow would be an act of incest and illegal. However, because of Arthur being a sickly and weak young man, he had never been able to consummate his marriage to Katherine. She swore under oath -- as did several ladies in her household -- that Katherine was still a virgin, and thus, the Pope allowed Henry to marry her."
Annja walked around the area in front of the castle. "All was well for a few years and Katherine was very pious and very devoted to her husband. Things might have continued to be happy in Katherine's world had she given Henry a son to be his heir. She was pregnant six times all together and only one child survived, the Princess Mary. By this time, Henry had become enamoured of one of Katherine's ladies in waiting and wanted her very badly. Anne Boleyn was beautiful and highly intelligent. She was educated in Austria and in France, as well. She refused to become just another mistress of the king. That had been her older sister's fate and she would not be used and cast off in such a way. Therefore, Henry had to rid himself of his wife, Katherine."
Annja looked at the castle for a long moment and then looked back at her students. "Henry decided that the best way to do this was to get his marriage to Katherine annulled. The reason he used for the annullment? God was cursing his sin of marrying his brother's wife by not giving them any sons. He thought that it would be easy to get what he wanted. But something happened that he had never expected. Katherine refused to agree to an annullment. In the eyes of God and country, she was his true and legal wife. She had been a virgin when she wedded him and a virgin when she bedded him. There were no grounds for an annullment. Declaring them to have never been legally married would not only have stripped her of her rightful title of Queen, it would also make their daughter, Mary, a bastard in the eyes of the court and in the land. "
Annja shook her head and started walking around the students again. "Henry couldn't believe it. His proper, sweet-tempered and obedient wife was defying him and refusing to grant him what he wanted. To make matters worse, the Pope was not being very helpful to Henry's cause, either. Several hearings were called to discuss the King's Great Matter. Katherine would not agree to an annullment because that would be a lie and therefore a sin. She refused to quietly enter a nunnery as that would be the same thing as admitting that their marriage was illegal. She was his true and legal wife -- and even when Henry married Anne in what was supposedly a secret ceremony, Katherine still maintained her claim. She was still fiercely loyal to her husband on everything that didn't include the question of their marriage. Katherine was banished to the castle you see here to keep her out of the public eye and to keep her and Anne separated. She was never allowed to see her daughter, Princess Mary, but they tried to write to each other and Katherine kept telling her to be good and obedient to her father. Katherine died two years after her exile, still maintaining to the end that she was a true and legal wife to Henry."
Annja sat down on the grass. "And that is why she still is a strong figure in history. Even with everything that she had endured since stepping foot on English soil, Katherine loved her subjects and she was steadfast when it came to the truth and in her faith. Even more amazing is that history tells us that Katherine deeply loved Henry, and even blamed the men around him for leading him astray."
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And honestly, the virgin thing . . . she never got that.
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[9/23] OOC