09.20
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.
