Why Choose This Wife?
Both romance and realpolitik played roles in Henry VIII's decision to proceed with his engagement to Catherine, Dowager Princess of Wales.
King Henry himself said that he had married Catherine because it had been his father's dying wish. Their marriage postponed by disputes over Catherine's dowry and the consideration of other brides, the pair had been engaged six years before they wed in 1509.
Most historians agree that Henry decided to hold true to his engagement to Catherine for the simple reason of familiarity. Henry was 10 years old when Catherine first arrived in England to marry his older brother and had always had her before him as an example of a young, desirable bride.
But though there may have been initial love, Henry also chose Catherine for hard-nosed reasons. One was the need to solidify the Tudor dynasty with an heir. Catherine, at 23, was of prime childbearing age. Also, Catherine's family would give Henry important strategic ties that could be exploited in a military alliance against long-time enemy France. Not far beyond Henry's geopolitical ambitions was securing Catherine's dowry. Only half of the total allotted sum for Catherine's marriage to Prince Arthur had been presented. Now, Henry stood to gain some 100,000 crowns in cash, plate and jewels.
Who Could Henry VIII Also Have Married?
Eleanor of Austria
Catherine of Aragon's chief rival for Prince Henry of Wales was her six-year-old niece, Eleanor of Austria. In Europe's grand marriage stakes, Eleanor clearly outweighed Catherine. Her father, Archduke Philip the Handsome, was heir to the Hapsburg dynasty's vast holdings in Europe and a key candidate to become Holy Roman Emperor. Eleanor's mother Juana was the ruler of Castile, Spain's most influential territorial holding, and in line to inherit Aragon. As the political stock of Catherine's father dipped, Eleanor's attractions grew. (And so did those of her mother, once widowed, as a bride for Henry VII.) For several months in 1508, Henry VII negotiated with Holy Roman Emperor Maxmilian for the marriage of 17-year-old Prince Henry to nine-year-old Eleanor. The king's death in 1509 brought an end to the talks and, instead, Eleanor would later marry one of Henry VIII's great rivals, Francis I of France.
Marguerite d'Angoulême
Prospects for Prince Henry in this direction never progressed very far, but Marguerite presented an alluring prospect. Her brother, Francis, was in line to inherit the throne of France if King Louis XII died without a son. But, in the end, Marguerite would marry elsewhere to Charles, duc d'Alenon in 1509, and Henri d'Albret, king of Navarre, in 1527. Highly educated, she would go on to write several comedies and a wide range of poetry.
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