The Birth of Princess Mary Tudor: A Guest Post by Lissa Bryan ~
~ The Birth of Princess Mary Tudor: A Guest Post by Lissa Bryan ~ Katharine of Aragon was brought to bed in February, 1516. It was the fifth or sixth time she had been in childbed, and it had always ended in heartbreak. In 1510, she had delivered a stillborn daughter. Later that year, she miscarried again, but there's a bit of confusion in the records — she might have been carrying twins and lost only one, or she became pregnant again with abnormal swiftness. In 1511, Katharine gave birth to a prince, but he lived for only a month. She miscarried again later that year, and once more in 1513. In 1514, she gave birth prematurely to a son who died instantly. But the child born on February 18, 1516 around four AM was healthy, living baby. Katharine must have been so relieved when she heard the infant wail for the first time. The king was delighted and said that surely sons would follow, for they were both still young. However, Katharine was approaching thirty at this point, and ...