The Other Tudors by Philippa Jones Read Free Book Online

should marry again, it shall be with no other person than with the King of England … But the affair must be kept most secret; for if Queen Juana should hear anything about it, she would most probably do something quite to the contrary.’
    Catherine wrote to Joanna, despite his advice, in October 1507:
    ‘… the great affection he [Henry VII] had felt and still feels towards your Royal Highness from that time [the meeting in 1506] until now, is well known … I do not doubt but that your Highness will become the most noble and the most powerful Queen in the world.’ 20
    In reality, Ferdinand had no intention of letting the heiress of Castile out of his hands. He may very well have exaggerated Joanna’s grief and depression on her husband’s death, and had her confined as a madwoman. She was sent to the castle at Tordesillas, near Valladolid in Castile, the place where her grandmother was incarcerated after a metal breakdown. Poor Joanna finally died in 1555, having spent almost 50 years in confinement.
    The ‘Joanna Affair’ led to the only recorded quarrel between Henry VII and his son. The King had received a letter telling him that Ferdinand’s negotiations had been a sham and he was never to have Joanna. He called the Prince in to sympathise. Henry, with a lack of tact, was unenthusiastic and gave his opinion that Joanna was mad and the King was too old to be considering marriage. The King was extremely angry at such a blunt assessment of the situation and shouted at his son. One of the court ladies reported to the Spanish Ambassador, ‘He scolded the prince as though he would kill him.’ 21
    The Prince had another reason to throw cold water on the thought of his father remarrying. If there should be more princes, this could only be bad news for young Henry. He had the worrying example of his grandfather, Edward IV, before him; his brother George, Duke of Clarence, had tried to usurp his throne and his other brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, had actually deposed the rightful heir, Edward’s son. All too often royal brothers had a habit of plotting to extend their own power and influence at the expense of the king and the kingdom.
    However, as time passed, Henry remained the only son. As such, one of the first responsibilities of the new Prince of Wales was to contract an eligible marriage alliance. As early as June 1503, it was agreed that Henry and Catherine should marry the following year when he would be 14 and Catherine would be 19 years old.
    A series of delays to Catherine and Henry’s marriage followed, however. Isabella’s death in November 1504, leaving her inheritance of Castile to Joanna, meant that Ferdinand of Aragon lost part of his enormous importance in European politics, as his area of direct influence was now in Aragon alone. Trade treaties drawn up under Isabella were cancelled, and it looked very much as if Ferdinand would be unable to pay the second half of Catherine’s dowry of 100,000 crowns. In Prince Henry’s name, the King arranged a formal protest by his son against the proposed marriage that had been made.
    This left Henry VII in a strong position; he still had Catherine in England, complete with the papal dispensation for her marriage to her late husband’s brother, and could resurrect the union at any time he wanted. He was also free to look elsewhere for a better match, or use the promise or threat of the marriage of the Prince of Wales in his continental diplomacy.
    In 1504 Henry had expected to go to Ludlow, to enjoy at least limited power and freedom. Instead he was kept at Court under his father’s watchful eye. He was the precious only son; if the King died, young Henry could be crowned and secure before any of the rival claimants even knew of the death. Henry VII and his mother, Margaret, wanted to keep both eyes on the Prince of Wales.
    Everything we know about Henry indicates he hated this life. He was handsome and healthy; he was surrounded by servants and