Henry, one of the most famous kings of England, is best known for breaking with the Church of Rome, Roman Catholicism. There were many reasons behind reform in England, but perhaps the most important of them had to do with Katharina, the Spanish princess who became Queen of England. Although Katharina of Aragon lived a difficult life, from the death of her children to a public divorce, she cared for the people she ruled over and remained in their hearts long after her exile. Katharina was born on December 16, 1485, in Alcalá de Henares, Spain. Katharina is the Spanish equivalent of Catharine, and her mother, Isabel, would be considered Isabella (Mattingly, vii). She was the youngest daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. The union of Isabel and Ferdinand was not for love, but for political reasons. Isabel was the queen of Castile and Ferdinand was the king of Aragon, the two main kingdoms of modern Spain. Their union created the first united Spain. They were called Catholic monarchs, having taken many measures to secure a Catholic empire. They launched the Spanish Inquisition, forcing all Jewish and Muslim citizens to convert to Catholicism or leave it. They fought against Granada, a Muslim kingdom, and financed Christopher Columbus's voyage to America (Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011). Katharina had a strange childhood and received a very comprehensive education from her mother, the Queen. She also watched one by one as her brothers and sisters left to marry foreign nobles. Her own fate was sealed very quickly: at the age of two, she was betrothed to Prince Arthur of England, to ease political tensions. At the age of sixteen, she left her home in Spain on a three-month journey across Spain to ...... middle of paper ......ine of Aragon." English History. Np, nd Web. 30 November 2011. "Mary I." Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., online. 1 December 2011. Spain: 1501', Calendar of State Records, Spain, Volume 1: 1485-1509 (1862), pp. 253-265. ?compid=93406 Date accessed: December 2, 2011. Tuckwood, January “The British Monarchy: A Royal Epic, Burned by Tragedy” Palm Beach Post (West Palm Beach, FL) September 2, 1997: 1D+ Issues Researcher. Web. November 9, 2011. Warnicke, Retha. “Six Wives: The Queens of Henry VIII.” ».. 2011.