The Constant Princess by Phillipa Gregory (2005)

The subject of this historical novel is Katherine of Aragon, daughter of Queen Isabella and King Ferdinand of Spain, who became Queen of England as the first of Henry VIII's six wives. Betrothed to Henry VII's son Arthur when she is only three, she grows up preparing to be England's queen, following her mother's wish and, as she believes, the will of God. The book follows her arrival in England at age 15 for her royal wedding to Arthur, her brief marriage ending with Arthur's death, her maneuverings to marry Arthur's younger brother Henry, the first few years of their marriage, and her leadership as Queen Regent of the army that defeats Scottish invaders in 1513. A brief final chapter then skips to 1529 and her appearance before a Papal Legate sitting to hear the King's petition for the annulment of their marriage, with Henry accusing Katherine of lying when she had told him that she was still a virgin when they wed.

I don't often read historical fiction, but when I do I like to feel assured that it will stick to a framework of generally accepted facts. Thus, when I began reading Gregory's account of the sexually passionate marriage of Katherine and Arthur, I was taken aback, because I had always understood that Katherine's assertion that her marriage to Arthur was never consummated was historically accepted as truth. Thank goodness for the Internet; I did a bit of research and found that I was right, although a few scholars do believe that Katherine was lying. Nobody really knows for sure. (If you are ever really bored, look for comment threads debating this subject from people who claim to be experts about all things historical. Intellectuals and pseudo-intellectuals can be just as snarky as ignorant folk.)

Once this alternate interpretation of history is accepted by the reader, the rest of the story follows logically. It could have happened this way, maybe. It would surely not have been the first or last time that a deeply religious person could maintain a lie for a period of many years and self-justify it as being in accordance with God's will.

But I digress.

This historical novel does not portray the details of setting and time, as some historical novels do, but instead focuses on the core story of the central character, Katherine. It is energetically and interestingly written, but I would have preferred a more immersive picture. A bit more of the background details would have created a more real world for me.