Background
Catherine of Valois, queen of Henry V of England, daughter of Charles VI of France by his wife Isabel of Bavaria, was born in Paris on the 27th of October 1401.
Catherine of Valois, queen of Henry V of England, daughter of Charles VI of France by his wife Isabel of Bavaria, was born in Paris on the 27th of October 1401.
The lunacy of her father and the depravity of her mother were serious drawbacks to Catherine, and her only education was obtained in a convent at Poissy.
When peace was eventually made at Troyes in May 1420 Henry and Catherine were betrothed, and the marriage took place at Troyes on the 2nd of June 1420.
Having crossed to England with Henry, the queen was crowned in Westminster Abbey on the 23rd of February 1421, and in the following December gave birth to a son, afterwards King Henry VI.
Her body was buried in the Lady chapel of Westminster Abbey, and when the chapel was pulled down during the reign of Henry VII, was placed in Henry V. 's tomb.
It lay afterwards under the Villiers monument, and in 1878 was re-buried in Henry V. 's chantry.
Quotes from others about the person
Bertram Fields wrote "There was no proof of [the marriage] beyond Owen's word".
About 1408 a marriage was suggested between the princess and Henry, prince of Wales, afterwards Henry V, who renewed this proposal after he became king in March 1413.
Catherine was still young and marriageable, a source of concern to her brother-in-law Humphrey, Duke of Gloucester, and Lord Protector. Rumours abounded that Catherine planned to marry Edmund Beaufort, Count of Mortain, her late husband's cousin. The Duke of Gloucester was strongly against the match, however, and the Parliament of 1427–8 passed a bill which set forth the provision that if the queen dowager remarried without the king's consent, her husband would forfeit his lands and possessions, although any children of the marriage would not suffer punishment. The king's consent was contingent upon his having attained his majority. At that time, the king was only six years old.
Catherine lived in the king's household, presumably so she could care for her young son, but the arrangement also enabled the councillors to watch over the queen dowager herself. Nevertheless, Catherine entered into a sexual relationship with Welshman Owen ap Maredudd ap Tudor, who, in 1421, in France, had been in the service of Henry V's steward Sir Walter Hungerford. Tudor was probably appointed keeper of Catherine's household or wardrobe. The relationship began when Catherine lived at Windsor Castle, and she became pregnant with their first child there. At some point, she stopped living in the King's household and in May 1432 Parliament granted Owen the rights of an Englishman. This was important because of Henry IV's laws limiting the rights of Welshmen.
Catherine of Valois's arms as queen consort
There is no clear evidence either way whether Catherine and Owen Tudor actually married[citation needed]. No documentation of such a marriage exists. Moreover, even if they had been married, the question exists if the marriage would have been lawful, given the Act of 1428. From the relationship of Owen Tudor and Queen Catherine descended the Tudor dynasty of England, starting with King Henry VII. Tudor historians asserted that Owen and Catherine had been married, for their lawful marriage would add respectability and stronger royal ties to the claims of the Tudor dynasty.
Owen and Catherine had at least six children, Edmund, Jasper and Owen were all born away from court. They had one daughter, Margaret, who became a nun and died young.