The Three Catholic Queens Praying Before Henry VIII by Sir George Hayter

            The Three Catholic Queens Praying Before Henry VIII, by Sir George Hayter, 1852. Oil on board; 29.2 x 44.4cm. Sold at Christies in 2000 for £940.

The following inscription can be found on the reverse:

'The Queens, Catherine of England/Mary of France, widow of Louis the 12th/and Margaret of Scotland: praying Kg. Henry the Eight,/to grant the lives of 240/Londoners. condemned for/riot. murder. etc. etc.-/by advise of Cardinal Wolsey/the King granted their pardon/anno D. May 1518./Vid: Ston's annals/Sir George Hayter, June 1852'.

‘Catherine’ is Katherine of Aragon, Henry VIII’s first wife. Mary and Margaret are his sisters, both of whom married monarchs. The painting refers to the ‘evil May day’ riots of 1517 (not 1518) in London when many foreign traders, namely Flemish merchants, were attacked by jealous and xenophobic citizens (especially apprentices). A number of individuals were arrested and many ‘executed in the most rigorous manner’ as contemporary Edward Hall wrote. Following these executions, Katherine of Aragon begged the King to pardon the remaining offenders, which he duly did to demonstrate he was a fair and merciful ruler. We are told that she, accompanied by her two sister-in-laws, knelt before the King with tears in their eyes in Westminster Hall. The prisoners watching ‘jumped for joy, making such signs of rejoicing’ when the King accepted their demands.

 It appears that Katherine’s request was arranged beforehand, probably by Henry and Cardinal Wolsey, as a type of publicity stunt to protect the monarch’s reputation. Wolsey took a firm stance against the offenders and called for more executions, a policy which was wildly unpopular in the city. The Queen was introduced to beg the King to exercise the royal prerogative of mercy, thus showing favour to his people. Wolsey consented and began an oration on clemency. The King accepted their counsel. The result was that Henry appeared a wise and benevolent ruler, securing the loyalty of the Londoners. In some respects the plan backfired, for it increased his wife’s popularity in the capital, something that became particularly troublesome when he wanted to annul their marriage.

Taken on: February 17, 2011

Tags:

Henry

VIII

Aragon

Mary

Tudor

queen

France

duchess

Suffolk

Margaret

Scotland

Cardinal

Thomas

Wolsey

Evil

May

Day

Riots

1517

Sir

George

Haytor

painting

nineteenth-century

Victorian « less

Sets appears in: • Katherine of Aragon • Henry VIII

Groups appears in: • The Six Wives of Henry VIII • Henry VIII (1491–1547)

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