anastasianikolaevnaromanova:“Just before Christmas, Katherine adjourned with her ladies to her lying
anastasianikolaevnaromanova:“Just before Christmas, Katherine adjourned with her ladies to her lying-in chamber to await the birth of her child, everyone praying that this child would be born without incident. It was. On New Year’s Day 1511, Katherine was safely delivered of her baby. To her joy and relief, and to the king’s ecstatic delight, the baby was a healthy boy. Exhausted but exultant, Katherine lay back watching as her ladies cared for her son. They tenderly washed him in warm water, gently rubbing his navel with a powder made from aloes and frankincense, wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and then lowered him into his wonderful cradle. Once Katherine felt well enough, other attendants raised her head and gave her a light nourishing drink or perhaps some thin broth to help her recover after her ordeal. They did not change her clothing or soiled bedding yet; that would wait until she felt able to sit up. Only after forty days would she leave her apartments to go to church, where the prayers of the priest would solemnly rid her of the uncleanliness that childbirth entailed. In the meantime, she had time to rest.So Henry and Katherine had their heir. The country celebrated. Wine was handed out liberally in the streets of London, there were bonfires, there were processions, there were prayers of thanks. It was an occasion to be remembered. Henry was so grateful at the successful outcome that he rushed off to the shrine of Our Lady at Walsingham in Norfolk, about a hundred miles away, to thank God for giving him the son he wanted so very much. The stillborn daughter, the false pregnancy, Buckingham’s sister, were but fleeting memories.” — Julia Fox, Sister Queens: The Noble, Tragic Lives of Katherine of Aragon and Juana, Queen of Castile -- source link
#history#henry viii#16th century