Fellow Medieval and Renaissance history buffs rejoice! Huzzah!
Following The White Queen and The White Princess, a third miniseries adapting Philippa Gregory’s popular books depicting the famed Wars of the Roses has arrived. Prepare to raise the banners for The Spanish Princess.
Based on The Constant Princess and The King’s Curse, the focal point of this miniseries is on Catherine of Aragon, the daughter of formidable monarchs Ferdinand of Aragon and Isabella of Castile, who was destined to become Queen of England. Most of us who have extensively studied British history know the outcome of her sad and lonely fate, but few adaptations actually take us through her journey from the very beginning and even fewer use her as the entire center of a plot.
Much of this premiere episode sets up several themes that I believe will be quite prominent throughout the miniseries. These notions will be quite eye-opening for those that have only known or simply regarded Catherine of Aragon as the first in a long line of spouses that were discarded by a king completely consumed with himself, his image, and his own selfishness.
Making a Journey
Journeys, both literal and figurative, play a significant role in this episode. As the Alhambra Palace in Spain provides our initial backdrop, a mysterious female narrator guides us into what will be a new beginning for Catherine (Charlotte Hope). In a hope to gain strong alliances against attack by France and Scotland, England’s rulers Henry VII (Elliot Cowan) and Elizabeth of York (Alexandra Moen) contracted with Spain to have Catherine married to their eldest son, Arthur (Angus Imrie). This arrangement has been in place since she was small, and it’s expected that she pick up and go to England.
Catherine is to make the trip and may never see Spain again. Not only is she going to a entirely different country and leaving behind everything she’s ever known, but will be at the mercy of complete strangers that are now her new family. She won’t have any familial support and must go it alone. Interestingly, the literal journey she makes to England is a rough one. Over the Bay of Biscay, it’s terrible sailing for Catherine, her ladies-in-waiting, and the rest of her entourage. Despite seasickness galore and horrid weather, this unpleasant trek gets Catherine to England safely. Toward the end of the episode, Catherine opens up a decorative box and pulls out a compass. As flashback is shown of famed explorer Christopher Columbus offering Catherine sage advice that she always remember her beginning, and where she came from. This was a wonderful way to tie it together, and I can already tell that this will be a recurring theme.
Ladies of Strong Stock
While women in the Medieval and Renaissance periods were considered weaker than men and treated accordingly, the ladies in this story are the strong, determined, and dominant forces.
Isabella of Castile (Alicia Borrachero) demonstrates that strength early in the episode, when she must face off against the Moorish Rebellion, decked out in golden armor. Catherine desires to join her mother in the fighting, but Isabella stresses that her duty to her country will be upheld by her marriage. Isabella then puts on her helmet, topped with a crown and with declarations of a fight for God, Spain, and herself, charges into battle.
Watching her mother hold her own on the battlefield, Catherine plunges a knife into the ground and chants a mantra repeatedly, almost entranced by the words: “Daughter of Spain, Queen of England, Wife of Prince Arthur.” These words are Catherine’s motivation, her life force, and because of that, she asserts herself throughout this episode against the other formidable ladies. You can tell that she got her strength and strong will from her mother. Catherine is not afraid to go up against anyone, as you will see when she must match wits with the two most important women in the family.
Adapting to the Ways of the English Court
In each miniseries, Margaret Beaufort (Harriet Walter), Henry VII’s mother and the official iron lady of the tale, is always focused on and concerned with propriety and protocol at court. Margaret pulls no punches on the type of behavior she expects from Catherine. In fact, Margaret makes no qualms about what she expects of everyone. When Catherine arrives at Dogsmersfield and is greeted by the extended Tudor clan, naturally Margaret takes the lead. She doesn’t hide her distaste for the new addition to their family.
Continuing with her effort to force the Spanish to immediately adapt to English ways, Margaret tries to force her will on both Catherine and Lina. When Catherine requests time to bathe and sleep before formally meeting Arthur, Margaret is more concerned with that protocol, pointing out since they are already wed, she should have no problem going to Arthur. Catherine squashes that right away. Taking it upon herself to delegate to the staff where to put Catherine’s accoutrements for her baths or objecting to the soldiers given lodging in the stables. Lina is also having none of it.The bottom line is that both Lina and Catherine refuse to bend to Margaret Beaufort.
Mama Bear Will Maul You If Necessary
When Catherine is presented to Elizabeth of York, she wastes no time in telling her of her husband’s abhorrent behavior. Elizabeth simply glosses over the subject, and it’s immediately apparent that Elizabeth is the one that needs to have an eye kept on. She has become quite hardened with age, as evident through several actions and revelations.
The major bomb dropped concerns how Catherine ended up becoming Arthur’s wife. Elizabeth reveals a horrible truth that Isabella would only give Catherine to them in marriage if there was no one else to challenge Arthur’s place on the throne. Therefore, when Henry ordered the execution of her cousin Edward Plantagenet, it was necessary. Naturally, Catherine can’t believe her mother would have allowed that to happen. Elizabeth, however, believes there isn’t anything she wouldn’t do to save her sons, and she warns Catherine not to cross her, before giving her what would constitute a kiss of death. I’m thinking that Catherine may have met her match in her new mother-in-law.
The last few minutes of the episode is what everyone was waiting for. Catherine finally meets Arthur’s younger brother, the c*cky little Harry Tudor (Ruairi O’Connor). They seem to get on right away and there is much more joviality between them. The wedding day shows Catherine walking outdoors towards the abbey, and you can tell that she’s questioning everyone’s actions and she firmly asserts that she will never give her power away. Those prophetic words will come back again, believe me. As she begins her walk, shown back among her beloved grove of orange trees, her mantra once again is recited, concluding with the definitive statement: “and soon, Queen of England”.
Overall, I was neutral about this first episode, no doubt because I have extensively studied the Tudor period and observed a number of things that have been altered or created specifically for this show. One thing you will notice right away is that this miniseries is one of the few adaptations that follows historical accounts that Catherine was auburn-tressed with fair skin, rather than the quintessential Spanish/Mediterranean look of dark hair and an olive complexion. I have read that Isabella of Castile was also fair-skinned, with either auburn or brown hair, which makes it a bit odd that they cast someone who doesn’t look like that. The Spanish accents done by some of the actors don’t sound terribly natural to me. They seemed a bit forced, and I also I wonder if the translation of Isabella’s pep talk to Catherine and her declaration before battle was correct. The costume design does look great already and Catherine’s wedding dress was positively stunning!
Please keep in mind that if you watch this as a stand-alone miniseries without watching the prior two, or if you do not know your history, you may be confused. With so many names to remember, and with many people bearing the same name, viewers would do well to do some research as to the family trees. In all of the miniseries, the writers do their best to avoid this confusion by referring to characters with the same name with differentiating forms: Maggie Pole and Margaret Beaufort; Henry VII and Harry Tudor.
It was quite refreshing that the actors are billed alphabetically rather than by order of lead. As for the characters themselves, certain ones really jump out. Lina de Cardonnes, to me. was undoubtedly based on Maria de Salinas, one of the most well-known ladies-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon. I’m surprised they made the change and didn’t just keep that character. As Henry VII, Elliot Cowan really brought out a sleaziness one would think was out of character for royalty. That will be of great significance when you learn what Henry would consider doing years later. Margaret Beaufort was only 13 years old when she gave birth to Henry VII, and while all of the actresses cast in this role in all three miniseries are marvelous, they are still significantly older than their on-screen son, despite that relatively small age difference. I also half expected the young and ribald Harry Tudor and Charles Brandon to c*ck their chins towards Catherine and greet her with a ” ‘Sup?” Harry is a bit arrogant, with a mischievous streak. That’s what I miss since The Tudors wrapped years ago.
Finally, I have a solid theory as to who the narrator’s voice belongs to, but I won’t share that until the finale.
One pomegranate seed has been counted, and we have seven more to come! Join me next week as I recap Episode 2, “Fever Dream”!
Did you enjoy The Spanish Princess? What were your thoughts on the premiere episode?
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