1489 - The Treaty of Medina del Campo

The Treaty of Medina del Campo, responsible for the engagement of Katherine and Arthur, was signed on 27 March 1489 and was designed to create an alliance between England and Spain, against France.

This was the first substantial alliance for Henry VII with one of the most important aspects being that neither side could harbour rebels.

The treaty contained twenty-five different points, but I am going to specifically focus on the ones concerning the engagement of Katherine of Aragon and Prince Arthur.

Negotiations to create a betrothal between Katherine and Arthur - both only three years old at this point - were tough. But Henry VII, to the surprise of Katherine's father, Ferdinand of Aragon, proved to be a strong and shrewd negotiator.

The marriage was to be carried out and consummated when the couple reached 'the necessary age', though it gives no specific number to either of these points.

Ferdinand was to provide a hefty dowry for Katherine of 200,000 scudos (around £28,000,000 by today's money), half to be paid when she arrived in England, and the other half within two years. There was an ongoing disagreement, however, as to whether one-quarter of this could be paid in jewels and ornaments.

Katherine was due to receive a third of the revenue from the Duchies of Cornwall, Wales, and Chester and if she were to become Queen of England then this would be increased.

As well as providing this dowry, Ferdinand and Isabella were to promise that they would send Katherine 'decently apparelled', with ornaments and jewellery befitting her rank. Something that likely ties into the contemporary belief that beauty equated to being a good person.

The marriage needed to take place within one month of her arrival in England, which it did, with her arrival falling on 2 October 1501, and her marriage on 14 November on that same year. Whether or not the consummation aspect of the treaty was adhered to, remains widely debated today.