Philippa Gregory's Tudor Court 6-Book Boxed Set (63 page)

9. On his deathbed, King Henry tells Harry that the young man is free to marry whomever he chooses. Why does Harry decide to honor his betrothal and marry Catalina? What actions does Catalina take to make Harry want to marry her? What is the significance of Catalina changing her name to Katherine when she becomes queen?

10. How does Katherine usurp power from the king’s grandmother Margaret Beaufort and then “slowly but surely” draw the “management of the entertainments, then of the household, then of the king’s business, then of the kingdom, into her hands”? How much control does Katherine eventually come to have over the kingdom?

11. On two occasions Katherine consults in secret with Yusuf, a Moorish physician. What does she come to realize about Yusuf during their clandestine meetings? How about the Moors in general and her mother’s treatment of them in Spain? How does this realization impact her later decision not to lay waste to Scottish lands after she defeats the Scots in battle?

12. Describe Katherine and Henry’s marriage. How is the age difference (Henry is six years Katherine’s junior) a factor? How does Katherine’s first confinement—for what turns out to be a stillbirth—change their relationship and her standing in the court?

13. “I have no tears for the husband who is going away because he has left me with everything that I have ever wanted,” Katherine says when
Henry sets sail to face combat in France. In what ways is this a triumphal moment for Katherine? Later, on the brink of going to war with Scotland, why does Katherine refer to the impending battle as “the moment of my destiny”?

14. Sixteen years after her historic victory over the Scots, Katherine is summoned to face another battle—the fight against the dissolution of her marriage. Why, even under the intense scrutiny of the papal legate, does Katherine remain steadfast in her lie that she was a virgin when she married Henry? What final impression does this scene give you of Katherine of Aragon?

A Conversation with Philippa Gregory

In the Author’s Note, you mention that
The Constant Princess
was one of your “most fascinating and most moving novels to write.” How so? What first sparked the idea to write a story about Katherine of Aragon?

I admired the Katherine of the historical record when I was doing research for
The Other Boleyn Girl
. Her courage and determination when she was neglected and then abused by her husband, Henry, and his lover Anne was striking, and her courage in survival was moving. I knew then that I would want to write both about her and her daughter, Mary. I wrote about Mary in
The Queen’s Fool
and knew I would want to write about her mother.

In your previous novel
The Other Boleyn Girl
Katherine of Aragon is a peripheral character. At the time you wrote that novel, how much did you know about the first wife of Henry VIII?

I think, like many people, I became familiar with Katherine only after her arrival in England, so I knew a little about her life with Henry and then a good deal about the divorce and the start of the Reformation. What I didn’t know until I came to do research for this novel was the history of Spain; her parents; and of Katherine as a Spanish princess, the daughter of a newly united kingdom. That has been fascinating.

How has history remembered Katherine of Aragon? How do historians account for the question of whether or not she and Arthur consummated their marriage?

I think Katherine is one of the most provocative characters of the period: readers feel very strongly either in favor of Anne Boleyn or in favor of Katherine, and historians throughout the centuries have tended to take sides also. In general, people tend to remember Katherine as the old wife replaced by the young and glamorous lover, and it has been a great joy to write a book that shows Katherine in her youth: as the young and glamorous princess she was.

As regards the consummation question, it is fascinating to see how historians have tried to believe Katherine’s version of events. She was highly regarded by the Victorian historians who tended to believe that
a woman so spiritual could not tell a lie. The actual events—the public bedding and the records of the time—suggest without doubt that the marriage was consummated. It says much for her personal charisma that she could state the contrary and people believed her at the time, and that her lie carried weight for centuries. I think most modern historians now believe that the marriage was consummated, but as far as I know I am the first to tackle the question of why she did tell the lie.

Why did you choose to structure the book as you did—ending with Katherine’s victory over the Scots and then jumping forward in time sixteen years to the concluding scene in which she defends herself before the papal legate? What parallels can be drawn between these two pivotal moments in Katherine’s life?

I didn’t want to go into the years of Katherine’s defeat, partly because I have dealt with that period in
The Other Boleyn Girl
and partly because I wanted to present a new picture of Katherine: as the woman she was when she was in her prime, at her ascendant. I thought that the battle of Flodden was the fulfillment of her education and destiny and that her walking into court to defy Henry showed her at her greatest moment of personal power. I wanted to honor those two moments of triumph for her. I do believe that the moment in court when she stood up to Henry and he, with every reason to defeat her, could not even speak, is a real pivotal moment in Tudor history.

You mention in the Author’s Note that you took a trip to Granada, Spain, to research aspects of Katherine’s background and homeland. What can you tell us about this trip? What was your most memorable experience? In what ways did having this firsthand knowledge bring color to the novel?

I went to Ludlow Castle as well! Perhaps less glamorous than the Alhambra Palace but both of them gave me a powerful idea of what it would have been like to have lived there at the time. As a novelist I have to have a real sense of the place as it was, and there is nothing better than going there in person. I can’t pick out one memorable experience over another, the beauty of the building and the gardens was quite overwhelming, but I was also delighted to go to the cathedral in Granada and see a statue of Isabella. I was very moved by the realistic image of her, and I wanted to give a fair portrait of her and her daughter.

Prior to
The Constant Princess,
ou wrote about Katherine’s daughter, Mary, in
The Queen’s Fool
. What similarities did you find between mother and daughter?

I think there is a powerful tradition of courage and spirituality and duty (also blinkered stubbornness) which goes through three generations of women from Isabella to Katherine to Mary. I think Mary’s good and bad characteristics come from her mother. The powerful sense of duty, the sense of kinship with God, that dangerous sense of being guided and sanctioned by God, and a genuine love of England, both people and countryside.

Several of your books have centered on members of the Tudor family. What is it about this particular royal line and period that you find so intriguing?

It was an extreme time in terms of danger and opportunity and it gave rise to extreme and extraordinary people. The women especially had to be heroic to survive the dangers which were part of their lives. I love the energy of the Tudors and their ambition, and I love the fact that they were building the world that we inherited. It all started here.

In addition to Katherine of Aragon,
The Constant Princess
also gives readers some insight into the character of Henry VIII. He was raised as a second son, pampered, and never expected to take the throne. Does this account for some of his self-indulgent behavior, including his decision to divorce Katherine in favor of Anne Boleyn?

Absolutely. I try to give the impression that Henry throughout his life is really a spoiled boy without the sense of duty that was instilled in Arthur. He has enormous talents and enormous energy and if Katherine had borne him a son and they had remained married, I think he would have been a truly great king, guided by her. But the events of his life encouraged some of the worst aspects of his character, which I show coming to fruition in my next novel which tells of his treatment of Anne of Cleves and Kathryn Howard.

In your opinion, what was the greatest impact that Katherine had on the future and politics of England?

The defeat of the Scots at Flodden gave England a desperately needed peace and a chance to redefine England’s borders. In some ways it is her
failure that molded England. If she had given birth to a son I am certain that England would have remained Catholic, probably Papist. Similarly, the infertility of her daughter meant that the Protestant Elizabeth inherited the throne and the country once more became and remained Protestant. In the long term she failed to keep England Catholic and the enormous changes of the Reformation took place despite her.

In one instance in the novel, Katherine says in reference to her mother, Isabella, “My story won’t be like hers, of course. I have been born to less exciting times.” Although she might not have led armies into battle, in what ways was Katherine’s life as dramatic as that of her mother?

Isabella’s life was like something out of a fairy story. I could not resist giving glimpses of it in the novel as Katherine tells her family history to Arthur; but really Isabella’s life was played out with full power on a huge stage. Katherine is right: she was born to less exciting times but her regency of England was dramatic and successful and she was the first Queen Militant that England had ever seen. Her courage was reflected in her daughter who also commanded her own army, and we see it again in Elizabeth and in her famous speech to the troops at Tilbury. I don’t think Elizabeth could have been the queen she was without those two predecessors. In personal terms, with two marriages to two Princes of Wales, almost all the power of ruling the kingdom, and a great place on the stage of Europe, Katherine’s life was very dramatic.

Enhance Your Book Club

1. Henry Tudor’s defeat of Richard III at the battle of Bosworth began the reigns of the Tudor monarchs. Aside from Henry VII and Henry VIII, they included Mary I (Katherine of Aragon’s daughter) and Elizabeth I (Anne Boleyn’s daughter). Find out more about the royal Tudors at
www.tudorhistory.org
.

2. The Alhambra Palace, Katherine of Aragon’s home before journeying to England, is in Granada, a city located at the foothills of the Sierra Nevada in southern Spain. Learn more about the town and the palace at
www.andalucia.com/cities/granada
and
www.alhambradegranada.org
.

3. In
The Constant Princess,
during a stopover on their journey to Ludlow Castle Katherine shares with Arthur some of the traditions and customs of her homeland, one of which is serving tapas, small portions of food on individual plates. More than seventy tapas recipes can be found at
www.tienda.com/recipes/recipes.html
, along with ideas for main courses, soups, salads, and desserts. Recipes for various kinds of sangria, a Spanish wine punch, can be found at
www.spain-recipes.com/sangriarecipe.html
.

4. Philippa Gregory’s own website (
www.philippagregory.com
) welcomes visitors to the readers’ group and to read about the background of the books including this one. See also Philippa’s account of her trip to Granada and other travel journalism. She also joins the readers’ group for discussion of the books.

By the same author

The Cousins’ War

The Lady of the Rivers

The White Queen

The Red Queen

The Kingmaker’s Daughter

History

The Women of the Cousins’ War:

The Duchess, the Queen, and the King’s Mother

The Tudor Court Novels

The Constant Princess

The Other Boleyn Girl

The Boleyn Inheritance

The Queen’s Fool

The Virgin’s Lover

The Other Queen

Historical Novels

The Wise Woman

Fallen Skies

A Respectable Trade

Earthly Joys

Virgin Earth

The Wideacre Trilogy

Wideacre

The Favored Child

Meridon