Catherine of Aragon

The first female ambassador in European history, Catherine of Aragon served the Spanish Court in England and proved the English wrong when they believed her to be easily manipulated. She married Henry VIII and served as regent of England for six months during which she played an important part in the Battle of Flodden. Catherine was an educated woman who commissioned the book "The Education of Christian Women" by Juan Luis Vives and was much loved for her progams of charity towards the poor. She was a patron of Renaissance Humanism, and a friend of the great scholars Erasmus of Rotterdam and Thomas More. Only one daughter survived infancy, Mary, and as Catherine had produced no sons, Henry VIII tried to annul their marriage which started the break with the Church of England and Rome. An intelligent woman who could do much good in our kingdom if only she was allowed to stay at court.