Arthur Tudor

Understanding the Man: Henry VIII (Part One)

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As many of you may already know, King Henry VIII is my favorite monarch of the Tudor dynasty. If it wasn't for his reign I do not believe the Tudors would be as popular as they are today. With the creation of Showtime's THE TUDORS, many of us were aware of the name Henry VIII but really didn't know much about him. In the show we were able to see that there was more to the man than the execution of two of his six wives. While I understand that THE TUDORS tv program had a [More]

Clearing up the Portrait Confusion: Arthur and Henry

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Arthur and Henry Tudor were brothers, so inevitably they looked alike. Today's topic is clearing up the confusion between which portrait is Arthur and which is Henry. The question really circulates around one portrait, the one of young Henry VIII at the beginning of his reign. This is the one that many people, when posted or shared online will say, "That's a portrait of Arthur, not Henry!" I usually follow those comments by sharing the confirmed portrait of Arthur and [More]

Henry VIII turns on Katherine of Aragon

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When Henry VIII believed that Katherine of Aragon would no longer be able to give him a male heir he began to look for ways out of the marriage. Whether he truly believed his own statements, or if he was just looking for a way out, only he and his closest advisers would know. Henry's biggest concern was that Katherine's marriage to his older brother Arthur must have been consummated and that is why he had not been able to conceive a surviving son and male heir with [More]

Arthur and Katherine Sent to Ludlow Castle

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Merely three months after their marriage, Arthur and Katherine, Prince and Princess of Wales were sent to Wales to reside at Ludlow Castle to preserve ancient customs (as the letter states). Here is a letter from Henry VII to Katherine's parents (Ferdinand and Isabel) letting them know that Arthur and Katherine were sent to Wales to reside at Ludlow Castle. The young couple were married on the 14th of November 1501 - this letter was dated the 20th of Februa [More]