Catherine of York
Katherine of York or Katherine Plantagenet (also Katheryn Catherine or written; * August 1479 probably in Eltham Palace, † November 15, 1527 in Tiverton ) was an English princess of the House of York, and thus a member of the royal house of Plantagenet. As the daughter of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville she was a younger sister of the future Queen Elizabeth of York, and thus the aunt of Henry VIII and his siblings. Under her brother Henry VII her family fell into disgrace, her nephew Henry VIII, however, she always kept in honor and allowed her after the death of her husband William Courtenay, 1st Earl of Devon, all the lands which belonged to its title, from own right to keep them.
Life
Childhood
Katherine was born the sixth of the seven surviving children of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. When her birthplace of Eltham Palace is suspected. Your exact date of birth is not known, but historians go from a date just before or in August 1479, since in the royal accounts at this time expenditure for the construction of their baptismal font are listed. Your first nurse was Joan Colson, who got five pounds a year for their services. At the tender childhood began negotiations for the marriage of the princess. The preferred candidate was John of Aragon and Castile, son of Isabella of Castile and Ferdinand of Aragon, and thus the older brother of the future Queen of England, Catherine of Aragon. On August 28, 1479 an agreement was signed on March 2, 1482 and it was ratified by the Spanish ambassadors. Nevertheless, the engagement was broken again.
King Edward IV died in April 1483 Katherine's older brother was sent from Wales to England. Although he was to be later known as Edward V, he was never crowned. He was given despite Elizabeth Woodville's fierce resistance in the care of his uncle, the future Richard III. Together with her mother and her sisters took Katherine during the riots church asylum true. A little later announced the Bishop of Bath and Wells, that the marriage between Katherine's parents would have been invalid because of a previous engagement of her father. This would Katherine and her siblings together and have been particularly illegitimate, what they would be excluded from the succession. The rightful heir would therefore their uncle Richard. Katherine's brothers were taken to the Tower, where they disappeared without a trace later and Richard was crowned as the new king. Elizabeth Woodville was the rank disallowed as the King Widow and explains Katherine herself with her sisters bastards. Nevertheless, let Richard III. his nieces call later to the court.
Under Henry VII
After the victory of Henry VII Katherine and her siblings were legitimized again. As the sister of the new Queen Elizabeth of York Katherine was a good match in the marriage market. Henry first tried to arrange a Scottish marriage for them. In November 1487, he proposed to marry Katherine with James Stewart, Lord Ross, second son of the Scottish king James III .. At the same time he hoped that a marriage between another sister and brother Stewart, the Crown Prince Jacob, who later instead Henry's daughter Margaret Tudor should marry. However, before an agreement could be concluded, died James III. in June 1488th
1495, at the age of 16 years, Katherine eventually married Lord William Courtenay. His father, the Earl of Devon was, for his services against Richard III. high in the favor of the king. Their marriage was ratified by the same Parliament, which also confirmed the marriage between Katherine's sister Anne and the young Thomas Howard. In the course of this parliamentary session of Earl of Devon transferred his main lands a group of managers, so that William and Katherine were able to take full advantage of them. Queen Elizabeth was her younger sister and her husband obviously very well -disposed, for they paid clothing for William Courtenay and took over all cost to raise her sister's children. The young couple settled in court. Maybe Katherine served as her sister's maid of honor, because Elizabeth paid her as principal lady 50 pounds per year.
1501 Katherine attended the wedding of her nephew Arthur Tudor with the young Princess Catherine of Aragon in, and a year later the engagement of their niece, Margaret Tudor. In the same year William Courtenay came under suspicion, with Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk to conspire against Henry VII, which led to his arrest in Calais and the deprivation of his titles and possessions. So were his lands and title after the death of his father back to the crown. Katherine, completely on his own and with three small children, found support for their sister Elizabeth. The Queen among others, obtaining Katherines son Henry Courtenay to the court and let him teach the same tutor as their own children. Katherine's young son Edward died, however, on July 12th or 13th of the same year. From the outputs of the royal accounting is concluded that Katherine was part of the permanent wake her sister at this time. At Elizabeth's funeral in February 1503 led Katherine to the funeral.
Under Henry VIII
After the death of her sister Katherine lived in the household of her nephew Henry, who was the official heir apparent now. Their living conditions were still modest, as the little gifts testify to her nephew, but at least secured. When Henry succeeded his father on the throne, Katherine was at the funeral of her brother, the first maid of honor of her niece, Princess Mary. Henry showed his aunt against extremely generous. Not only does she received as part of their annual pension official recognition as aunt of the king, but he dismissed also her husband William from prison in Calais and bypassing the Act of Parliament, said that only Henry VII Williams was able to recover title. Instead he used in May 1511 Royal Charter, to appoint William back to the Earl of Devon. In return, Katherine renounced the county March, her condition from the inheritance of their father and who now fell back to the crown. However, before an official ceremony William Earl of Devon could do, he died of pleurisy, just a month after the Constitution of the Certificate of Incorporation.
Widowed at thirty-two Katherine decided against remarriage. Instead, they put on 13 July in the presence of the Bishop of London a vow of chastity from:
"In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost: I promised Katherine Courtenay, Countess of Devonshire, widow and unmarried, as well as any man, promise and swear before God, our Lady and the Community of heaven in your presence, venerable father in God, Richard Bishop of London, from now on for the rest of my life to live physically chaste and truthful and devotedly to remain chaste, according to the law of St. Paul. In nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti. "
On February 3, 1512 Henry said his aunt all the lands that had belonged to her husband's titles, in its own right too. So they had to free the end of her power to dispose of the assets, even though her son Henry officially inherited his father's title in November of the same year. Henceforth, signed and sealed them their letters as ". The illustrious Princess Katherine, daughter, sister and aunt of kings " Thomas More, who had assisted in the course of the Agreement with Henry as a legal scholar, wrote about Katherine:
" You, long time, after all, is back and hergeschleudert of varying skill, sometimes in wealth, often in adversity now, through the kindness of her nephew, King Henry VIII, in prosperous circumstances, worthy of their parentage and virtue. "
Although she stayed every now and then at court, for example, for the Baptism of their godchild Mary in 1516, she lived preferably in Tiverton Castle in Devon. Through their lands Katherine moved into a princely annual income of 2750 pounds, which enabled her to life as a rich, independent widow. To her household were singers and three fools, whose names are listed in Katherine's accounting as a thick, Mug and Kit. The prelates of Devon, she was obviously popular, because she received the Bishop of Exeter and of the abbots of Ford, Buckland Abbey and Newenham gifts.
Death
Little is known about Katherine's last years. Historians suggest limited mobility, since in her estate immersed in a litter. On May 2, 1527 put on her will. In it she decreed that three priests daily three shows a week and a requiem for her soul at St. Peter Church should read in Tiverton in the presence of three poor people. For this service, the priest should receive 21 pounds per year and the poor people eight shillings a week. According to the chronicler Edward Hall died on November 15, 1527 by three clock in the afternoon in Tiverton Castle. On the occasion of her death received their servants an annual salary and black mourning clothes. Among the mourners of her funeral on December 3, 1527 at St. Peter's Church in Tiverton were the Abbots of Ford, Montacute and Torre. The service was held by a canon of Exeter. In addition, received eight thousand arms and two shillings in return for prayers for Katherine's soul.
Progeny
The marriage with William Courtenay brought three children:
- Edward Courtenay (died 12 or July 13, 1502 )
- Henry Courtenay, 1st Marquess of Exeter ( c.1498 - December 9, 1538 ) ∞ Gertrude Blount
- Margaret Courtenay (ca. 1499 - ca 1525) ∞ Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester
To Margaret Courtenay is entwines the legend, they would have suffocated as a small child in 1512 on a fishbone. On a tomb in Colyton is the inscription: " Margaret was the daughter of William Courtenay, Earl of Devon and Princess Katherine. She died in Colcombe, choking on a fishbone AD 1512 '. However, Margaret is listed as a maid of honor of little princess Mary in 1520. Since the inscription was also added later, it is a fake with high probability.