Instructions
Imagine you are Catherine of Aragon, Queen of England for over twenty years. Today, your husband, King Henry VIII, has told you he believes your marriage is invalid and that he intends to end it. He wants to marry another woman, Anne Boleyn, in the hope of having a son.
Write a diary entry from Catherine's perspective for this devastating day. In your entry, make sure to describe:
- Your immediate feelings: Are you shocked, furious, heartbroken, or betrayed?
- Your fears: What do you fear will happen to you? What do you fear for your daughter, Mary?
- Your hopes: Do you hope Henry will change his mind? Do you place your faith in God or your powerful family in Spain?
Dearest Diary,
Your Queen, Catherine
Answer Key
Example Diary Entry
Please note: This is an example. Student answers will vary but should contain similar themes of betrayal, fear, and faith.
Dearest Diary,
The world has cracked beneath my feet. Today, the King—my husband of more than twenty years—spoke words of such poison that my heart feels it has turned to stone. He means to cast me aside. He calls our sacred union, blessed by the Pope himself, a sin in the eyes of God. A sin! After all these years, after all the children I have borne him, after I have been a loyal and true wife.
A cold terror grips me, not for myself, but for my dearest Mary. If he declares our marriage invalid, what does that make our daughter? A princess no more? He does this all for a son, and for the affections of that Boleyn girl, whose dark eyes have bewitched him. He has forgotten his duty, his love, his honor.
But I will not break. I am the daughter of Isabella and Ferdinand of Spain. I am the Queen of England. My hope is not lost, for it rests in God, who knows the truth of our marriage. I pray Henry will see the terrible error of his ways and that his infatuation will pass. I will write to my nephew, the Emperor Charles, for his aid. I cannot be abandoned. I am Henry’s one true wife and Queen, and I will remain so until the day God takes me.
Your Queen, Catherine