The Constant Princess: The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels

The youngest daughter of two of the most famous monarchs in Spanish history, Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon, Catalina, the Infanta of Spain, knew her destiny from the time she was three years old. Betrothed to Arthur, the Prince of Wales and Tudor heir, Catalina was destined to become the Princess of Wales and then Queen of England, carrying her mother's passion to defend the faith of the Roman Church to England's shores, securing a critical alliance and cementing a lasting peace between Spain and the newly-installed Tudor king, Henry VII. Though she has prepared her entire life to be God's anointed queen in England, Catalina finds herself ill-prepared for the emotional and physical adjustments her new life requires. Though she finds her intended attractive and harbors hopes for an affectionate union, those girlish dreams are soon dashed by the political machinations of the English court that put such pressure on her marital relations the young couple become even further estranged with little impetus to overcome their personal and cultural differences.But Catalina perseveres, and falls deeply in love with Arthur, who proves to be a dedicated prince and a promising ruler. The future the young princess was raised to believe her birthright seems secure, and the un-imagined gift of passion she feels for her young husband is a blessing that surely signals their union and marriage are highly favored -- until disaster strikes, and in the damp and cold Welsh climate Arthur falls ill and dies, but not before exacting a promise from Catalina that will change the course of her life forever. Demanding that she claim their five-month marriage was unconsummated in order to marry his younger brother Henry, and in so doing fulfill her destiny to be queen, and in so doing assume a position of power and responsibility that will allow her to fulfill their shared dreams for Arthur's rule. Devastated by her loss but determined to keep her word, Catalina embarks on a game of intrigue and danger that will cost her far more than she'd ever dreamed -- for to keep her promise she must find the strength within her to withstand the power plays and political machinations within and without her household that would seek to see her denied her birthright. But the girl who arrived on English shores an innocent will not be denied, and Catalina, daughter of kings, fights to achieve her destiny as queen of England and in so doing her constancy and passion leave an indelible mark on the pages of history.After revisiting several Tudor-era films (among them Elizabeth and Elizabeth: The Golden Age) I found myself wanting to explore more Tudor-set fiction, and so decided to try my first novel by the prolific Philippa Gregory. Katherine, the wife whom Henry VIII abandoned after over twenty years of marriage has always held a special fascination for me. She not only one of the wives to have survived Henry's mercurial temperament when it comes to women, but she never ceased fighting for her place, her rights, or denying Henry's right to have their marriage invalidated, a sacred promise she believed in and respected in spite of Henry's betrayal. While her life has always been marked by faithfulness and constancy in my mind, I have always tended to picture her as the middle-aged matron, failing to ever imagine her in the first bloom of youth, and how that vibrancy and the years she endured as a young widow must have marked her and informed her later decisions and beliefs.Following Arthur's death, following the generally accepted historical record Catalina vowed she was a virgin, and therefore provided a dispensation from the pope was provided, as such was therefore able to marry her one-time brother-in-law Henry, when he reached his majority. Gregory, however, takes this one step further, by asserting that Catalina lied -- that her marriage to Arthur was in fact a marriage in word and deed, and the lie was therefore necessary to maintain her position as queen-to-be. Frankly, I've always thought it a little unlikely that her first marriage wasn't consummated, so I had no issue with this scenario -- nor does it, in my mind, invalidate Katherine's famously devout nature. At this point in her life, little more than a child, in danger of losing everything she was raised to be -- her very identity -- one can imagine that such a falsehood might be viewed as a matter of survival. Given how Henry treats Katherine after twenty-plus years of marriage -- setting aside the all important issue of the lack of a male heir -- I loved Gregory's idea that, once upon a time, a vibrant, loving marriage was within Catalina's reach. And if keeping a deathbed promise to her beloved Arthur meant securing a marriage with Henry at any cost -- it's a lie I can imagine was not spoken lightly or without great personal cost.Gregory divides the novel between third-person narrative and first-person, italicized "diary entries" told from Catalina's perspective. The balance between third- and first-person point-of-view works less well than one could have wished -- I think Gregory would've been better served to stick with a third-person account of Catalina's life, as more often than not the italicized entries recap action already covered or are frankly too long for the italicized format. Whether or not you like Gregory's take on Catalina's early life, she's produced a highly readable, entertaining account of Catalina's first years in England. Gregory's succeeded in crafting a narrative that is evocative of the time period and a highly sympathetic portrait of a princess who, time and again, refused to be bowed by circumstance. Sure to provoke further interest in the time period and its heroine, The Constant Princess has dramatically increased my respect and admiration for a woman whose faith and constancy in the face of her marriage's dissolution is arguably the result of a lifetime of determination and dedication to her faith and principles.

Since Katherine of Aragon is vastly underrepresented in fiction about Henry VIII (people tend to focus of Anne Boleyn and Katherine Howard) it's nice to see a book just from her point of view.This is the story of Katherine of Aragon, born to parents constantly on crusade against the moors (Muslims, Jews and other none Christians) in Spain, with a comparatively feminist mother for the time period. From the age of three she was betrothed to Henry Tudor's eldest son, Arthur. She was married, after great haggling by the royal parents, to Arthur when she was 16 and he was 15. There was a language gap, she spoke Spanish and French and Latin, and he spoke English, French and Welsh. But they got along. In this book the story of Katherine's first marriage is highly romantic and very sweetly written. This book is her life story, with a major gap between Princess Mary's (Later Queen Bloody Mary) birth and the time of the separation of Katherine from Henry so Anne Boleyn could be queen, told in third person and quite a lot of first person seeming journal entry type sections also from Katherine's view point (those parts can be quite boring.) This is a good book written about a largely ignored time period in the time of one of Henry's greatest queens and truest loves. That said, I have some major issues with this book.Philippa Gregory is a good writer, there's no question about that. But she made some very large historical presumptions in writing this book that I have problems with. I could understand if the book was supposed to be purely from a fictional standpoint, or had an author's note saying that pretty much all serious historians believe that Katherine and Arthur Tudor's marriage was never consummated, but this book doesn't ever say that. So, while this book is well written and a great story it's important for people to remember that it is fiction, and the facts in real life were quite different from what was represented in this book. No historian I can think of belives that Katherine and Arthur's marriage was consumated.Henry's portrayal as hugely selfish I found a little offensive, considering that his goal in life of a male heir wasn't strange at all for the time period (he was the king and the last of his direct line) and wasn't brought up a total brat, he was royal yes, but that does not equel spoiled brat. Quite the opposit if you know your history. His parents were very careful royals (royal by right of conquest remember) with great people skills (they had to be charismatic to rule) who loved each other (probably) and loved order. He just wouldn't have been allowed to run wild in his childhood like he is shown to do in this book. Also the way Henry VII lusted after Katherine was odd, since there is absolutely no evidence that he ever cheated on his wife, or had a sexual relationship before he met her or after she died (the man was a prude and that is a fact.) Henry VII probably really did love his wife Elizabeth and while he did offer the princess of Spain his hand, it was mostly because he was a money lover who lusted after her dowry, not her.Katherine has some very forward thinking tolerance ideas in this book, which are kind of strange and completly inaccurate considering her background and major Catholic belief system. In this book she seeks medical advice from a moor which is something that the real Katherine never EVER would have done. Her early life poisoned her gainst Islamic people and Jews to a total extent. That also makes it extremly unlikely that her people and family took on moorish customs while living in the captured moorish palace in Granada. Katherine was Catholic, and this was Catholic before Matrin Luther. If you were Catholic then even thinking about the moorish way of life with some tolerence was a sin. Also, the way Katherine lied in this book about the consumation of her first marriage would have-to the real Katherine-been a major sin, and thus not even a thing to contemplate.If you want more, and very well researched info, about Katherine's early life check out The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir, which includes a very long section on Katherine's life before she married Henry and quite a lot about the consummation issue with Arthur. It is an extendedly researched book by THE expert in the feild and concludes that the marriage was never consumated. This conclusion is based partly on the fact that Katherine was pregnant almost all the time she was married to Henry and clearly fertile. So, if the marriage with Arthur was really consumated (and if it was more than once as in this book) she probably would have gotton pregnant. No baby, probably no sex.Also, just because I'm a hopeless romantic I like to imagine that until he met Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII really did love Katherine of Aragon, and she him. So while this book does have some of that, I would have liked to see that love story further developed. And if you're a romantic like me check out The Autobiography of Henry VIII : With Notes by His Fool, Will Somers by Margaret George, which has a very sweet Henry/Katherine early relationship.So, while I have some major historical issues with this book, it is another good book by Philippa Gregory. Four stars for the story and the writing, but just remember, she's a novelist, not a historian, and this is not a true work of history, or even an accurate work of historical fiction.

The Constant Princess is the sixth instalment in Gregory’s fantastic series: The Plantagenet and Tudor Novels. Each book in the series focuses on a different famous woman, who was central to history during either the Plantagenet or Tudor times and tells the history from her point of view. As per many of her novels, the history is mixed with scandalous gossip, unconfirmed rumour and some fiction, which truly brings the characters to life.“Words have weight, something once said cannot be unsaid. Meaning is like a stone dropped into a pool; the ripples will spread and you cannot know what back they wash against.”Katherine of Aragon: known to many as the first of six wives of Henry VIII. She is often outshined by Anne Boleyn (his second wife, who influenced the King to separate England from it’s original Catholic religion to form the Church of England) and Jane Seymore (the only woman he ever loved). However, before this she was born Catalina, the Spanish Infanta, and both her parents were incredibly powerful monarchs in their own right. From the age of four, she knew she would be queen of England, but she was in fact betrothed to Arthur, Henry’s brother. The Constant Princess starts with Catalina in Spain, continues to her time meeting and courting Arthur, and finishes with the infamous divorce proceedings.I found that Katherine came across incredible well in this novel. Previously, I had never given her much thought: I was always more interested in Anne Boleyn. There was so much I didn’t know about Katherine, which was fascinating to read about.“He may well speak French and Latin and half a dozen languages, but since he has nothing to say – what good are they?”This is quite a controversial opinion, but I liked the way Gregory portrayed Katherine and Arthur’s relationship to be one of true love between two partners who respected each other. Whether or not this was true, and whether or not the marriage was consummated (which Gregory claims) was actually a large reason that Henry VIII gave for divorcing Katherine later on in their marriage. I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning part of the book when they were discussing their plans for the future and exploring the castle in WalesKatherine’s friendship with Margaret Pole was another part of the book I really enjoyed. Looking at facts alone, these two shouldn’t have been friends: Margaret was from the house of York, which was overthrown by the Tudors and her younger brother was murdered under the order of Katherine’s father. Yet, despite this, they still maintained a good friendship and Margaret was even made one of the ladies in waiting when Katherine became queen.“War does not answer war, war does not finish war. The only ending is peace.”Henry VII’s character was fairly one-dimensional: he was an ignorant tyrant who well in love (read here lust) with every beautiful woman he saw. I would perhaps have liked to see a different side to him, but this didn’t have too much of an impact on the story for me because the main focus point was Katherine.I thoroughly enjoyed reading The Constant Princess; I didn’t know very much about Katherine before and found her an incredibly interesting character to read about. I liked her relationship with Arthur & her friendship with Margaret Pole.I never normally suggest certain people shouldn’t read a book, however I will make an exception here. Gregory’s books are historical fiction novels – please see the emphasis on the word fiction: they are not completely historically accurate. Personally, this doesn’t deter from the story for me but I know some would prefer their history separate from their fiction, so if this is you then I wouldn’t read this book. The historical inaccuracies may annoy you.“True obedience can only happen when you secretly think you know better, and you choose to bow your head. Anything short of that is just agreement, and any ninny-in-waiting can agree.”

I have enjoyed all of Phillips Gregory’s books up until this one, but I found this story to be slow moving and it failed to hold my attention. One problem was the way the person “telling” the story changed several times during a single chapter, sometimes to the point of confusion. As this book is inserted between books 5 and 6 of the Cousins War series, without being given a number, perhaps it was written as an afterthought in order to fill in gaps between those two. In my opinion it does not exhibit the same construct and flow of her other books.Unfortunately I also felt a deep dislike of Katherine as she is portrayed in this book. Proclaiming herself to be deeply religious, while demonstrating self righteousness plus being self centred and lacking in tolerance.I felt like giving it 1 star, but the accurate and vivid descriptions of Ludlow Castle (which I know well) and the Alhambra Palace (which I have visited twice) pushed me up to 2 stars.So a book that was not for me, but I acknowledge many others have enjoyed it.

This is the story of Catherine of Aragon, who from a young girl, has been groomed by her Spanish parents from the age of four to become the Queen of England.The writing is style is slightly different to other books I have read from this author in that we hear the thoughts of Catherine which are written in italics. It doesn’t take very long to get used to this style of writing.This is a great book to really get your teeth in and although it may seem daunting at 500 odd pages the pace and quality of writing meant I was reading it whenever any opportunity arose to read a few more pages.It is a detailed and comprehensive look at the lives of people living in the Tudor era in England, how they were used and abused and even murdered by the people in power who could also lose their positions very easily as well.There is love, tragedy, mental illness, plots and tactics, prejudices against people of different faiths, countries and skin colour all skilfully woven through (well researched) facts and fiction.A brilliant read.

Do we read historical novels to learn about history as a substitute for more academic books on the subject? Philippa Gregory has undoubtedly chosen an interesting period of British history and telling the story from a woman’s point of view, rather than the king, makes it more interesting and unusual. There is a movement from third person narrative to first person, as we see what the Princess was thinking and feeling. There is also well placed historical detail, such as the litter to carry her to Ludlow, the fact that she would have been cold and not used to British weather. The magnificence of the Alhambra Palace, the devotion of her mother Queen Isabella and how she may have been mis-guided in her prejudices, in relation to the learning of the Moors.However, are we just looking for information from our historical novels rather than good writing? As an author she has obviously done her research, but like her general fiction, I found her style repetitive. I understand Catalina wishing to reinforce her position as Princess of Wales and ultimately Queen. The repetition stresses her pride and determination, but it also makes the novel long winded and drag a little.There is a period where she is kept in limbo after the death of Arthur before she marries Henry where nothing much happens. I understand she endures hardship in this period, but again there is this constant reassertion of her rights.The novel covers the death of their first baby and the conquering of the Scots and then it ends. The sequel then appears to jump straight to the dissolution of the marriage and Anne Boleyn. Mary is mentioned as her daughter, but it does not refer to any other part, of what is a long marriage. How did Henry change, if at all? What part did his advisers play in the marriage? Henry was probably quite a devout man, what changed? How did his attitude to her change over the years? It would have been nice to have seen more of a progression through this novel and this would have helped with the pace.I have so much in common with this author I really wanted to like the historical fiction, but I was disappointed. She is undoubtedly a great academic, but the fiction could be better.

This book didn’t feel as if it was even written by the same person as the other earlier books in the Cousins series of Tudor novels. Either that, or this one escaped being edited at all, before the Kindle edition that I read was published. Clumsy, predictable and using pretty corny language; repetitive scenes and then a gap so large that you assume numerous chapters must be missing, before a really abrupt ending. I can only assume that the usually-excellent Philippa Gregory was given a really short time by her publisher to produce this highly disappointing book.