December 16

Katherine of Aragon's Birthday
 

Frances Cuka as Katherine of  Aragon in Henry VIII and His Six Wives

Katherine was the daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain. She originally married Henry VIII's older brother, Arthur, who died shortly after the wedding, allegedly never consummating the marriage. However, because of Catherine's dowry and the trade advantages of a continued political alliance with Spain, Katherine was kept a virtual prisoner in England during the political machinations to have the marriage annulled. The marriage was finally annulled as a papal concession to honor the death­bed wish of Queen Isabella whose dying wish was to have Catherine marry her brother-in-law.

However, the papal annulment was not universally accepted, reflecting an important ideological difference in the Catholic Church. While the Spanish, Italians, and French generally considered the Pope as the final authority in these natters, the English and the Germans were more inclined to believe that the Pope's powers were definitely limited by Divine law. This is why many of the English clergy never considered Henry VIII's marriage to Katherine binding.

Henry and Katherine's marriage was relatively stable for nearly sixteen years during which Katherine had six children, all of whom, with the exception of Mary, were stillborn or died in infancy. Henry's demanded a a male heir so when it  was evident that Catherine could not have any more children, Boleyn's promise of  heirs prompted   Henry to have his  marriage with Katherine annulled on the basis  that the original annulment was not valid. However, even with  the threat of death, Katherine would never acknowledge that her marriage with Henry  was invalid; since to do so would have made her daughter a bastard and pass the crown to Anne Boleyn's daughter.

History generally overlooks that Katherine was in her own right as Queen of England. She actively ruled England during Henry's frequent wars with France. Her political and social judgments gained her the respect of the English people, which explained, in part, their devotion to Katherine and their hated of Anne Boleyn. The English honored their Queen in many ways, including the creation of Kattern Cakes, * a pomegranate flavored cup­cake that was often used for special holidays. Pomegranate pulp was used in the batter because the pomegranate was Catherine's official symbol, a symbol that was interwoven into many of her crowns and which was translated in the creation of several pieces of her famous jewelry collection. Enjoy the while watching Frances Cuka as Katherine in Henry VIII and His Six Wives (1972)
 

Kattern Cakes

Ingredients