It was a marriage years in the making that would have ramifications for a country and a continent for decades to come. The wedding of Henry V, King of England, and Katherine of Valois, changed England, France and Europe forever. And it all happened six hundred years ago today.
The 19th century interpretation of Henry and Katherine's marriage upholds the demure bride and the all conquering groom of legend. Reality would prove to be different.
The marriage took place at Troyes Cathedral on June 2nd 1420. As the couple said their vows, Henry's power was at its height. For his wedding secured his claim to the French throne and the attainment of a dream he had pursued since youth.
A 15th century representation of the marriage of Henry V shows his bride's name spelt with the original 'K'
Katherine, youngest daughter of a beleaguered king, became a queen in her own right as well as the conduit for her new husband's continental ambitions. It had been her destiny for years. Their union had first been mooted before Henry was even king when his own father, Henry IV, began negotiations for the hand of this notoriously pretty princess. Almost as soon as his own reign as Henry V began in 1413, the would be suitor continued them. However, he also began his famous wars against France which would lead him to victory. By 1420, he was able to negotiate a peace deal that saw him named as heir to the throne of France. And part of that treaty, sealed at Troyes, was marriage to Katherine.
Troyes Cathedral, where Henry V signed the treaty that made him heir to the French throne and the husband of Katherine of Valois
(By Myrabella / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
Their children, of course, would unite the blood of England and France's royal houses although Henry had no intention of letting a new generation take all the glory. He was heir to the throne of France and, on his wedding day, had every intention of fulfilling a destiny as king of both countries. But history tells us that it was his wife, the lesser star at that famous marriage at Troyes, who ended up changing the world.
Katherine was written into history as a pretty, almost mute, princess but the reality was very different
For Katherine found herself widowed just two years after her wedding while Henry's brothers fought for control over their nine month old son, now King Henry VI of England. Weeks after losing her husband, she lost her own father meaning that her baby boy was also King of France. Her own family began to stake their claim to the throne signed away at Troyes and the glorious plans of Henry V started to unravel. Katherine was sidelined by many. While they weren't looking, or perhaps while they were, she began a relationship with one of her servants, Owen Tudor. And so began a legend.
The dynasty that Katherine created remains a dominant force in English history
For it was Katherine's family with Owen that would end up reigning and ripping up the rule book while the did it. Their son, Edmund, fathered his own Henry who would conquer the kingdom of England in 1485 and establish the Tudor dynasty, the royal house which changed everything. From Katherine came the line that established a new church, altered the administration and economy of England forever and which, against the odds, finally put a woman on the throne in her own right. By the late 16th century, England was the strident power and European player that Henry V had dreamed of creating. However, it was his bride who had brought that about. The Tudors would never have happened without Katherine. The wedding that took place 600 years ago today made that possible. It really can lay claim to being the most important one in English royal history.
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