Tanzanite's Castle Full of Books

I'll admit it – I love the Tudors. And as much as I am fascinated by Anne Boleyn and her story, I have to also admit to being as equally fascinated with the woman she sought to replace – Catherine of Aragon. How could a woman with no family, very few friends and no support system to speak of stand up to the enormous pressures that were put on her over a number of years and keep her sanity and dignity? How could she bear being parted from her only child even as she fought for Mary’s rightful place as her father’s heir? I have always admired Catherine’s spirit and determination and wondered if put in the same position, how would I deal with it.


Released late last year, this biography by Giles Tremlett is the first major biography of Catherine in more 40 years. Having read both Garrett Mattingly and Mary Luke’s biographies on Catherine, Tremlett’s book doesn’t offer a whole lot of new information about Catherine, but it is for the most part very readable. The chapters are short with enough detail to understand what is going on but not so much as to be overwhelming. As for the question of “did she” or “didn’t she” with her first husband, Prince Arthur, Tremlett utilizes some supposedly previously unknown (or ignored) documents from Spain which contain testimony from some of Catherine’s Spanish attendants. Only I’m not going to tell you what he found.

I enjoyed the early chapters covering Catherine’s childhood in Spain and the powerful figure and influence her mother must have cast over her life. I also found the cat and mouse game she played with Henry during his attempts to divorce her a lot of fun to read and I found myself smirking at some of her efforts. At times I could also imagine the fear and anxiety she must have felt and this rather sympathetic portrayal of Catherine only increased my respect for her and the way she handled herself in a situation that was not of her doing.

The book includes a map of the Spanish kingdoms, family trees, an extensive bibliography, endnotes and an index (which I always appreciate in case I want to look up a particular fact or issue at a later time).



In case the FTC asks: The publisher sent me a copy to review.