The marriage, by proxy, of Arthur Tudor…
November 1501 CE
The marriage, by proxy, of Arthur Tudor with Catherine of Aragon had taken place place at Arthur's Tickenhill Manor in Bewdley, near Worcester; Arthur said to Roderigo de Puebla, who had acted as proxy for Catherine, that "he much rejoiced to contract the marriage because of his deep and sincere love for the Princess".
Arthur, referring to Catherine as "my dearest spouse", had written in a letter from October 1499:
"I cannot tell you what an earnest desire I feel to see your Highness, and how vexatious to me is this procrastination about your coming. Let [it] be hastened, [that] the love conceived between us and the wished-for joys may reap their proper fruit."
The young couple had exchanged letters in Latin until September 20, 1501, when Arthur, having attained the age of fifteen, was deemed old enough to be married.
Catherine had landed in England about two weeks later, on October 2, 1501, at Plymouth.
The next month, on November 4, 1501, the couple had met each other for the first time at Dogmersfield in Hampshire.
Arthur had written to Catherine's parents that he would be "a true and loving husband"; the couple soon discovered that they had mastered different pronunciations of Latin and so were unable to communicate.
Five days later, on November 9, 1501, Catherine arrived in London.
The marriage ceremony finally takes place on November 14, 1501, at Saint Paul's Cathedral; both Arthur and Catherine wear white satin.
The ceremony is conducted by Henry Deane, Archbishop of Canterbury, who is assisted by William Warham, Bishop of London.
Following the ceremony, Arthur and Catherine leave the Cathedral and head for Baynard's Castle, where they are entertained by "the best voiced children of the King's chapel, who sang right sweetly with quaint harmony".
What follows is a ceremonial laid down by Lady Margaret Beaufort: the bed is sprinkled with holy water, after which Catherine is led away from the wedding feast by her ladies-in-waiting.
She is undressed, veiled and "reverently" laid in bed, while Arthur, "in his shirt, with a gown cast about him", is escorted by his gentlemen into the bedchamber, while viols and tabors played.
The Bishop of London blesses the bed and prays for the marriage to be fruitful, after which the couple are left alone.
This is the only public bedding of a royal couple recorded in Britain in the sixteenth century.
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