“Words have weight, something once said cannot be unsaid. Meaning is like a stone dropped into a pool; the ripples will spread and you cannot know what back they wash against.”
This is the story of Henry VIII’s first wife, Katharine of Aragon. The character development of Catalina (Katherine) expertly took you from her childhood in Moorish palaces to the Queen, who controlled and manipulated a young King Henry to rule England her way. I now think of Katherine of Aragon as more than just Henry VIII’s first wife and victim.
Catalina was born the last daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. Her childhood had many contrasts - constant wars with the Moors and other neighbors in an effort by her parents to unify Spain into one country; but also a childhood of luxury and beauty in the Moorish palaces conquered by her famous parents. Catalina was betrothed to Prince Arthur in England at her birth and her parents raised her to know she was destined to be Princess of Wales and Queen of England. This marriage was planned to form a political alliance between Spain and England so the 2 countries could become an invincible war machine against their enemies.
As a young girl of 16, she was sent to England to marry Prince Arthur, who dies months after their marriage. After his death, Catalina is left alone and destitute by her Spanish family and the English Tudor family, but she maintains her dignity and assertion that she was born to be Queen of England - she is the “Constant Princess”. She grows into a strong and determined woman and endures loneliness, rejection, and poverty in a foreign land away from her family and friends to get what she wants.
The book, though not "historically accurate" still combines bits and pieces of history to form a brilliant read and fascinating look into the first queen of King Henry VIII. For anyone who enjoyed Gregory's other works, this starts it all and sets the stage for the ones to follow. I highly recommend it to those who like tales of romance, historical fiction, and the tale of a woman coming into her power.
