Catherine of Valois 1401-1437 Biography

 

Catherine of Valois came to England from France to marry King Henry V. The marriage formed part of the Treaty of Troyes negotiated following the defeat of France at the Battle of Agincourt. The couple had one son, Henry, born in December 1521. When Henry V died in August 1522, their infant child became King Henry VI. The widowed Catherine fell in love with Owen Tudor. Their grandson Henry Tudor would later become King Henry VII. 

 

Childhood

Catherine of Valois was born on 27th October 1401, the daughter of King Charles VI and his wife Isabeau of Bavaria. She was the couple’s tenth child. Her father’s reign was marred by bouts of insanity and the Hundred Years’ War with England. As a young princess, Catherine received a typical royal education with an emphasis on music, dancing as well as piety, manners, and household management. 

Her father set about trying to secure an advantageous marriage for her soon after her birth. At the age of three she was betrothed to Louis, Duke of Bourbon but nothing came of the arrangement. A possible marriage with Henry, son of Henry IV of England was discussed when Catherine was seven years old but nothing formal was arranged.

 

King Henry V

After the death of Henry IV, his son, King Henry V again suggested a marriage between himself and Catherine, but the French were not prepared to pay his dowry requirements – return of Aquitaine and the payment of two million crowns.

Henry V subsequently invaded France and in 1415 won the Battle of Agincourt. After taking Rouen in 1418 the French were more amenable to discussing a peace. The Treaty of Troyes, concluded in May 1420, was to be sealed with the marriage of Catherine to Henry V. Their heir would inherit both the throne of England and that of France. 

The couple married on 2nd June 1420 and their son, Henry was born on 6th December 1421. 

 

King Henry VI

Henry V died suddenly of dysentery on 31 August 1422 at the Siege of Meaux. At just 21 years old, Catherine was a widow and the mother of an infant king. Her young son became King Henry VI of England and, in October 1422 when Charles VI of France died, king of France. This position was contested by Catherine’s brother, the Dauphin Charles and led to further conflict in the Hundred Years’ War. As he grew older it would become apparent that Henry VI had inherited Catherine’s father’s mental illness. 

As queen dowager, Catherine’s status was precarious. English political factions were deeply divided, and her French origins made her a target of suspicion. Parliament passed a law prohibiting her from remarrying without the king’s permission, effectively curbing her independence.

 

Owen Tudor

Despite the restrictions placed on Catherine’s independence, she entered into a discreet relationship with Owen Tudor, a Welsh courtier of modest background who was probably the keeper of her wardrobe. Their relationship, likely beginning in the late 1420s, was controversial due to the disparity in their social status and remained largely hidden.

The couple married secretly and illegally since they did not have the king’s permission. No evidence exists as to when and where the ceremony took place. However, it may be that Catherine became pregnant and they decided to marry to legitimise the child. Their first child may have been born in 1429 and may have been placed into a monastery to become a monk. Their son Edmund Tudor was born in 1430 and Jasper Tudor was born in 1431. Edmund Tudor would later become the father of King Henry VII.

Death

In 1436 Catherine was pregnant again. In the late Autumn she retired to Bermondsey Abbey to await the birth of her child. The baby, a girl, possibly named Margaret, was born on 3rd January 1437. Catherine died later the same day, possibly from complication with the birth. She was buried in Westminster Abbey.

 

Published 2017 – Updated – Nov 16 2024