Katherine of Aragon
(1485-1536), First Queen of Henry VIIISitter associated with 17 portraits
Katherine of Aragon, queen of England, was the youngest daughter of Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile. She was named Catalina (or Katherine as she was known in England) after her maternal great-grandmother. She came to England in 1501, aged fifteen, to marry Arthur, Prince of Wales, but only months after the marriage Arthur died. In 1509 she married Arthur's younger brother, Henry VIII. They had five children, of whom only Princess Mary, later Mary I of England, survived. Katherine died in 1536, firm in her refusal to relinquish her title as queen of England, despite Henry VIII's annulment of their union and remarriage to Anne Boleyn in 1533.
Explore the portrait of King Henry VIII and his Six Wives (NPG D48093) from all angles
attributed to Lucas Horenbout (or Hornebolte)
watercolour on vellum, circa 1525
NPG 4682
attributed to Lucas Horenbout (or Hornebolte)
watercolour on vellum, circa 1525-1526
NPG L244
by Unknown artist
oil on panel, early 18th century
NPG 163
Unknown woman, formerly known as Katherine of Aragon
by Wilfred James Drake
watercolour, 1921
NPG 2421
'The Kings and Queens of England: From the Conquest to Queen Victoria'
by Henry Hering
albumen carte-de-visite photomontage, 1862
NPG Ax131392
by Robert White, printed for Richard Chiswell, after Unknown artist
line engraving, 1681
NPG D24935
by Cornelis Martinus Vermeulen, after Adriaen van der Werff
line engraving, published 1697
NPG D18834
Louise of Savoy, formerly known as Katherine of Aragon
after Hans Holbein the Younger
line engraving, probably 18th century
NPG D24171
by John June
line engraving, mid 18th century
NPG D24172
Louise of Savoy, formerly known as Katherine of Aragon
after Jacobus Houbraken, after Hans Holbein the Younger
pen and ink on tracing paper, 1743
NPG D24180
Louise of Savoy, formerly known as Katherine of Aragon
by Jacobus Houbraken, published by John & Paul Knapton, after Hans Holbein the Younger
line engraving, published 1744
NPG D24170
Louise of Savoy, formerly known as Katherine of Aragon
by John Goldar, after Hans Holbein the Younger
line engraving, circa 1750-1795
NPG D24174
after William Hogarth
line engraving, probably early 19th century
NPG D24176
published by John Player & Sons, after Unknown artist
colour relief halftone cigarette card, 1935
NPG D48132
'King Henry VIII and his Six Wives'
designed by William K. Harper, manufactured by Doulton & Co Ltd
coloured and glazed earthenware, 1990
NPG D48093
printed by Harrison & Sons Ltd, issued by The Post Office, after Hans Holbein the Younger
sheet of six colour photogravure postage stamps, issued 21 January 1997
NPG D49645
Comments back to top
We are currently unable to accept new comments, but any past comments are available to read below.
If you need information from us, please use our Archive enquiry service . Please note that we cannot provide valuations. You can buy a print or greeting card of most illustrated portraits. Select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Buy a Print button. Prices start at around £6 for unframed prints, £16 for framed prints. If you wish to license an image, select the portrait of interest to you, then look out for a Use this image button, or contact our Rights and Images service. We digitise over 8,000 portraits a year and we cannot guarantee being able to digitise images that are not already scheduled.
Related pages
- Tudor Miniatures
- The contexts for the production and demand for painted versions and copies in the sixteenth and early seventeenth century
- 'Henry and Katherine Reunited' – Conserving the portrait of Katherine of Aragon
- NPG D48093 in 360°
- Tudor and Elizabethan matching pairs
- Tudor and Elizabethan portraits
- Miniatures
- Tudor pick up guides
- Tudor and Elizabethan portraits used in matching pairs
Laurie Pettitt
19 March 2017, 11:18
Long before Henry became cruel, he was in love. Katherine of Aragon became his Regent whilst he was fighting for Pope Julius II and Pope Leo X, against Louis XII in France. The Popes thought that Louis's ambitions threatened a Christendom which was under attack on all fronts. Moghuls, Saracens. Russia, and the new Heresies brewing in Northern Europe. In 1513, when King James IV of Scotland (Perfidious Jim) set out to invade England, Katherine, at the head of an army of 40,000 was heading North. Thomas Howard, the Earl of Surrey demolished the Scottish Army at Flodden and Katherine's army was stood down. However, Surrey and Katherine thought it might be a good time to Invade Scotland but Henry, the beast, said "No. They have lost too much already". Letters between Katherine and Henry were often informal and 'jokey'. They spoke of an easy relationship
There is a wonderful Web Site called British History Online .AC in which, are the State Papers of Henry VIII. You can find out how much Sir Thomas Howard (son of Earl of Surrey) loved the Ship Mary Rose.
In my opinion, the Best of Henry's Queens.