So Many Queens, So Little Time

I'm almost done reading my history of Henry VIII! And I've only written about one out of six of his wives! Clearly I've got some catching up to do. In my previous post, I talk about the faithful Katherine of Aragon, daughter to Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain, first wife of Henry VIII. Here is a portrait of Katherine:

Henry VIII was becoming more anxious for a male heir, since the peace of England depended on it. Katherine was in her late 30s when Anne Boleyn caught Henry's eye and heart. He pursued Anne for 7 years (!) before she finally submitted to him. Anne Boleyn had great control over Henry, and she and her family came to symbolize reform at court. Here are some quick facts about the witty, flirtatious, and powerful Anne Boleyn:

-She was already pregnant when she and Henry were married.
-Although she didn't have the most virtuous past, she made Henry pursue her for 7 years and give her an official title before she fully became his mistress.
-She is the mother of one of the greatest queens of England, Elizabeth I. She was also pregnant two or three more times although none of the other children survived.
-Henry had a habit of taking mistresses while his wives were pregnant and Anne openly chided him and protested against this, much to his displeasure.
-It was Anne who gave Henry the idea that he should be the leader of his counrty in its entirety, including leader of the church.
-Anne and Henry had only been married for 3 years by the time she was executed for treason due to unfaithfulness and plotting to kill the king.
-At least half of the charges brought against Anne have been shown to be made-up by those who wanted to see her out of power, and she was very unpopular with everybody.
-She was charged with many counts of infidelity, including incest with her own brother. Many of the men also accused were convicted and executed as well. There was a major power shift after all was said and done.

Being falsely accused was a horrible thing to happen to Anne, but how she had deposed the faithful and kind queen before her was also very horrible and underhanded. The pattern that I am beginning to see in this history is that the striving and fighting for power may last for a little while but it always comes to an end, and that fall from the top can be a very long fall. Anne Boleyn continues to fascinate me although I do see what a vicious and manipulative woman she was. Here is her picture:

History!

Recently, I have been completely enthralled with a history book! I normally stay far away from non-fiction unless I want to fall asleep faster at night, but with Alison Weir's look at the Tudor court under Henry VIII, I can't put it down! I have always had a fascination with Henry VIII and his family but with Weir's book I have decided to dive a little bit further, and read the book cover to cover.

Henry's six wives have always been one of the most intriguing parts of his life to me. This book is helping me get a more well-rounded view of them. Rather than pawns being pushed around by a mighty (and moody) king, the queens had a great deal of influence.

The first of Henry's wives with Katherine of Aragon. What most people know about her is that she was ousted by Anne Boleyn, who became Henry's second wife. This is true, but here are some lesser known facts about Katherine:

• She had been married to Henry's older brother, Arthur, who would have become king if he hadn't died at a very young age. It was said that the marriage was never consummated, which made it possible for Henry to marry his own brother's wife.
• Katherine was six years older than Henry.
• Katherine and Henry actually had a very loving and happy relationship for many years.
• Katherine's only surviving child was Mary, who ended up becoming queen, but she actually had 4 other children, none of whom survived longer than a month.
• Henry thought that his lack of a male heir could be a judgement of God for marrying his brother's wife, although there had been special dispensation given for their marriage. Many people think he just wanted to marry Anne Boleyn, and while that's certainly true, he also doubted the legitimacy of his first marriage on religious principle.
• Henry and Katherine were not actually divorced; their marriage was annulled.

Poor Katherine was loved by the people of England, and a devoted wife who never acknowledge the annulment of her marriage to the day she died. There's a quick look at some of the fascinating things I'm reading, but be sure I will post more!

3 Months

June 27th marked 3 months since Dad died. Yesterday, June 28th, was his birthday. He would have been 54 years old.

It was a very strange day for me. Things felt out of balance. I had this feeling that there was something I should be doing but I didn't know what. I ended up having a girl's night with Rachel and my friend Heather. Heather lost her grandmother 3 years ago on June 28th, which also was her grandmother's birthday. So we drank some wine and watched a movie and talked and laughed and took silly pictures. I'm sure our family members that have gone before us would be happy to see us enjoying ourselves. But I still feel unsettled.

What am I supposed to do to honor your memory, Dad? Especially when, on one hand, I don't feel like you're really gone, and on the other hand it feels like you've been gone longer than 3 months. I'm the one who's caught in this limbo of grief. I want to remember everything, even the horrible, frightening times in the hospital. Memories are some of the only things I have left and I'm grasping for every one I can get.

Oh 2011, You Can Just Go...

Alright, so, it hasn't been the greatest year for me. While graduating college and doing the Camino de Santiago were great accomplishments and life-changing, this year has all previous years beat. My Dad is no longer here. He was battling melanoma for who knows how long, and on March 27th he lost. And I lost him for the rest of my life on earth.


However, I actually did not set out to just post a random, depressing vent session. I have been thinking more recently about things I enjoy and skills/interests I would like to develope. Artistic things have been on my mind like drawing and especially photography. But also writing. I enjoy writing. I have been told once or twice that I'm good at it. One space where I can write freely (and randomly, hinthint) is this blog. So, once again, I'm going to try blogging. We'll see if I post more than 2 things this year.

2011, you can just go... get creative!