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King Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon were married on 11th June 1509, and the marriage was formally annulled on 23rd May 1533, so the simple answer to this question is the interval between these dates - a little short of 24 years.

Henry VIII was the second son of King Henry VII, and it had been expected that his older brother, Arthur, would inherit the throne. Arthur, as heir to the throne, held the title Prince of Wales and he had married Catherine of Aragon on 14th November 1501. The couple went to live in Ludlow Castle, in part as preparation for Arthur's intended future role as King. On 2nd April 1502, Arthur died from what may have been tuberculosis.

After much diplomatic exchanges, disagreements with his father, and intervention from the Pope, it was agreed that Henry would marry his dead brother's widow. A special dispensation to allow this was obtained from the Pope, on the grounds that Catherine's marriage to Arthur had not been consummated - they had not had sex - and Catherine was required to testify to this.

Henry VII died on 21 April, 1509, his son became King Henry VIII and married Catherine on 11th June the same year. The marriage appears to have been happy and successful, with Catherine taking an active part in affairs of State, notably the defeat of The Scots at the Battle of Flodden.

However, despite having six pregnancies, there was only one surviving child of the union, a daughter who would later become Queen Mary I. By about 1525 Henry had met, and become infatuated with, Anne Boleyn. He was fully aware of the manner in which his father had become King - his forces had defeated and killed King Richard III at Bosworth Field ending the long and bloody Civil War known as The Wars of the Roses.

Concerned to avoid another conflict after his own death, Henry wished to have a son who would be an undisputed heir to the throne. This, together with his feelings for Anne Boleyn, provided a powerful motive to end his marriage to Catherine.

At this time, the Pope was a virtual prisoner of Catherine's nephew, King Charles V of Spain and was unable to approve a divorce. This led to the "Break with Rome" whereby Henry declared himself the head of The Church in England and the ultimate solution was that Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, declared the marriage unlawful in May 1533.

This was not a divorce, but a decree that the marriage had been illegitimate from the beginning. From this point of view, Henry had never been married to Catherine at all.

Henry had married Anne Boleyn in January, 1533 and their daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth I, was born on 7th September 1533.

Catherine never accepted the Annulment and maintained that she was the rightful Queen of England until her death in 1536 - from her point of view the marriage lasted for 27 years.

A counter-question being posed amongst contemporary scholars asks "Was Henry VIII ever married to Catherine of Aragon?"

After all, this was Henry's defence to the Church and the Pope when seeking his divorce. When he spoke about Catherine after the "divorce", he referred to her as "Princess Dowager" rather than "Queen". Henry's new awareness of the Leviticus scriptures forbidding marriage between a man and his brother's wife led him to believe that he had never been married to Catherine because it was divinely forbidden.

However, with this technicality aside, there are several key dates for their marriage.

23 June 1503-marriage treaty signed between Henry and Catherine.

25 June 1503-the couple were betrothed.

6 July 1503- The Pope indicated willingness to grant the much needed dispensation.

July/August 1503- the couple were formally married (though there is little record of the precise date in the Tudor records)

It is difficult to pinpoint a single date for the Divorce, given that there was input from both England and Rome, but the general year is 1527,giving them a marriage (on paper) of roughly 24 years.

Please bear in mind that there is must debate on these dates. David Starkey has been the trusted source for this information yet he differs from John McGurk who puts forth a marriage date of 1509.

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8y ago
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12y ago

Catherine of Aragon did not marry Henry VII; she married his son, Henry VIII.

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12y ago

They were married for four years.

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11y ago

for 85 years

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Q: How long was Catherine of Aragon married to Henry VIII?
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Related questions

When did Henry viii married Catherine of Aragon?

it was June 24, 1509. when Catherine of Aragon got married to Henry VIII


Where did catherine of aragon and Henry VIII get married?

On Sunday, 24 June 1509 Catherine of Aragon married Henry VIII


Was there any particular reason why Henry VIII married Catherine of Aragon?

Henry the VIII married Catherine of Aragon because his father said if he did he would remain allies with Spain


Where were Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon married?

Greenwich Church


Was Henry the vIII married to Catherine of aragon for 25 years?

Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon were married in 1509 and the marriage was declared null and void in 1533 so they were married for 24 years officially.


Who was Henry VIII married to when he was 25?

Catherine of Aragon his first wife.


Who was King Henry VIII's first wife?

Catherine Of AragonHenry VIII married Catherine Of Aragon on 11 June 1509 at Greyfriars Church in Greenwich. They were Divorced in 1533 and she died of Natural causes in 1536.Henry the 8th's first wife was Catherine of Aragon. They were married on June 11, 1509. They were divorced in 1533.


When did Henry VIII get married to cahterine of aragon?

Catherine of Aragorn was married to King Henry VIII on June the 11th, 1509 AD.


Did Catherine of Aragon ever be queen?

Catherine of Aragon was the widow of Henry VIII's brother Arthur when she married Henry VIII. She however never remarried after Henry VIII.


When did Henry VIII get married to catherine of aragon?

11 June, 1509.


Who did catherrine of aragon merry first?

Catherine of Aragon married Henry VIII's older brother Arthur.


Who was Henry VIII married to in 1625?

In 1625 Henry VIII, his wives and children were long gone. In 1525 however he was married to Catherine of Aragon.