Arthur Tudor, Prince of Wales was born on September 20, 1486,
his parents, Henry VII and Elizabeth of York were married in January of 1486,
uniting the houses of Lancaster and York, the rivals of the Wars of the Roses.
When their first child was born, he became the physical manifestation of the
union of the two houses. The prince was born at St. Swithun’s Priory in
Winchester, the ancient capital of England and baptized on September 24 in
Winchester Cathedral. In 1488-9, Henry VII negotiated the preliminary treaty of
Medina del Campo with Spain which included the proposal that Arthur would be
married to Catherine of Aragon, the young daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella.
In 1496, further negotiations were conducted and it was agreed that Catherine
would come to England in 1500, when Arthur was 14. Catherine did eventually
arrive in October 1501. After 16 years of negotiation and earlier proxy
betrothals and marriages, the Spanish marriage for Arthur finally took place November
14, 1501 in old St. Paul's Cathedral in London. In March of 1502 Arthur fell
ill, possibly of tuberculosis, the plague or the sweating sickness and died on
April 2nd. Arthur was buried in Worcester Cathedral. The question of whether or
not Arthur and his bride ever consummated their marriage became crucial factor when
Catherine’s second husband, Henry VIII, sought to have their union annulled.
Michael Thomas Barry
is the author of Great Britain’s Royal Tombs. The book can be purchased from
Amazon through the following links:
