Arthur Tudor I (The Welsh Rose)

''Arthur Tudor, The Welsh Rose (19/20 September 1486 – 2 April 1540) was the second King of England and Lord of Ireland of the Tudor dynasty. He was the first son of King Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and therefore, heir to the throne of England. ''

Arthur, named after King Arthur of Camelot, married Catalina of Aragon and produced five children therefore securing the Tudor dynasty. Described as being "the most heroic of kings" Arthur and his wife Catalina established many reforms that improved the welfare of the peasant class. He also established England as a major foreign power to rival those such as Imperial Empire and France.

Name Arthur
Arthur's parents Elizabeth of York and Henry VII married January 1486. In order to strengthen his claim to the English throne, Henry set his personal genealogists to trace back his heritage to Cadwaladr and ancient British kings. The royal historians proclaimed that Henry was related to King Arthur, identifying Winchester in Hampshire as Camelot. Henry insisted that Elizabeth, now pregnant, would give birth to a son who would bring a golden age back into England, and Henry would name the boy Arthur in honour of his 'ancestor'. Henry moved the court to Winchester for the birth of his unborn child. His christening took place at Winchester Cathedral, his godfathers were Thomas Stanley, 1st Earl of Derby and John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford. Elizabeth Woodville, his maternal grandmother, was his godmother and carried him during the ceremony. He was made a Knight of the Bath at his christening.

Betrothal and alliance
Arthur's father, Henry VII, was eager to strengthen his kingdom through an alliance with newly-united Spain, seeking the support of the Catholic Monarchs, Isabella I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon, against French interests and possible aggression. When Arthur was two years old, a marriage with the Spanish princess, Catherine of Aragon (in Spain, Catalina de Aragón) was arranged for him as part of the Treaty of Medina del Campo. The auburn-haired Catherine was the youngest daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand. Isabella and Ferdinand were in no hurry to have their daughter married, and, although the treaty had been made, they were still open to other options. Ferdinand was more than ready to break the treaty if the pretenders to the throne of England did not vanish. Therefore, Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick was beheaded, and the pretender Perkin Warbeck was hanged.

Marriage
For two years, Arthur wrote numerous letters in Latin to his bride-to-be, and she would formally reply. However, as the young couple had never met they were more polite than passionate. When Arthur was fifteen Catherine and her retinue finally started their journey to England. The Spanish Infanta finally landed in the autumn, and on 4 November 1501, the couple met at last at Dogmersfield in Hampshire.

Little is known about their first impressions of each other, but Arthur did write to his parents in law that he would be 'a true and loving husband' and he later told his parents that he was immensely happy to behold the face of his lovely bride. Ten days later, on 14 November 1501, they were married at Old St Paul's Cathedral.

Arthur and Catherine
Arthur and Catherine moved to Ludlow Castle in Wales after their marriage and spent many a happy year their fulfilling their duties in the west. Despite the marriage being arranged both parties were very much in love and the English Court awaited the birth of a child. An outbreak of sweating sickness occurred at Ludlow and both the Prince and Princess of Wales became ill. Catherine recovered quickly yet Athur's fate hung in the balance. Eventually he too pulled through and Henry VII sent for them to return to court for Christmas. The couple were given a royal welcome and stayed till new year. When they arrived back at Ludlow to recommence their royal duties both were overjoyed to find out that Catherine was pregnant. The country was wild at the prospect of another heir to secure the Tudor Dynasty. Arthur wanted the baby to be born in Wales, to honour his title, so they went to Laugharne Castle mid July when Catherine was due for 'lying-in'. Laugharne Castle was the property of the 5th Earl of Northumberland Henry Percy. On 29th August 1503 a baby girl was born, not the anticipated boy, yet she was healthy and was christened the name Mary Elizabeth Tudor after. Elizabeth was chosen for her grandmother, Elizabeth of York.

Arthur becomes King
Arthur and Catherine were both extremely excited, and Henry VII concluded that one healthy child would bring about in another, hopefully a boy. However it was a long time till Catherine's next pregnancy. In the meantime Arthur had already been successful in his first campaign and won a jousting tournament under the name 'The Welsh Rose'. Henry VII was furious stating that only when Arthur had secured a male heir could he compete in such dangerous competitions. However it was a secret victory with Arthur winning one match against his younger brother Henry, who was considered to be a champion knight.

Catherine and Arthur's relationship went from strength to strength and when he became king in 1509 she was crowned Queen Consort next to him. When Arthur was injured from a spear in a battle against France to regain the lands from Henry V's campaign Catherine nursed him herself in France and would not let anyone else near. He recovered to the news that they had succeeded in the battle and his good friend Charles Brandon had distinguished himself so Arthur gave him the title Duke of Suffolk for his services, especially after considerable encouragement from his sister Mary Tudor.

Later years
Arthur and Catherine had had many successful years ruling England together their only serious disagreement had been over their youngest son's marriage, which had caused

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