| Which Tudor Queen Are You? - Quiz |
| Fun with women's history |
You are: half Catherine of Aragon and half Anne Boleyn
While Anne was, for a time, a lady-in-waiting for Catherine, they became bitter rivals:
Catherine of Aragon was the daughter of Queen Isabella I of Spain and her husband and co-ruler, King Ferdinand. Promised in marriage to the heir to the Tudor throne, prince Arthur, she married Arthur's brother Henry after Arthur died. Her failure to have sons meant Henry looked elsewhere for a wife. He broke from the Church of Rome in order to end his marriage to Catherine, who continued her own devotion to Catholicism and passed that commitment on to her daughter, the future Queen Mary I ("Bloody Mary"). Her motto was "Humble and Loyal."
Anne Boleyn, daughter of the would-be powerful Boleyn family, was the sister of a mistress of King Henry VIII. But rather than become the king's mistress, Anne held out for the higher prize: marriage. But, when she could not deliver a son, Henry's advisors either discovered or, possibly, dredged up, evidence that Anne had been unfaithful. The marriage was annulled, and Anne quite literally lost her head. Anne Boleyn was survived by her young daughter, who eventually came to the throne in her own right as Queen Elizabeth I. Anne Boleyn's motto was "The Most Happy."
Learn more about Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn:
- About Mary I of England
- Isabella I of Spain
- Anne Boleyn
- Queen Elizabeth I of England
- Tudor Queens, Women of Tudor England
- Medieval and Renaissance Women Rulers
- British Women's History
Picture adapted from a public domain image, modifications © 2004 Jone Johnson Lewis. Licensed to About.com.
