Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon

The marriage of Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII is one of the most extraordinary royal pairings in all of history. Each of the two were unique, well educated, attractive, independent and accustomed to power. At first they lived a fable of young love. Later their clash changed a whole nation. The story of Henry and Catherine and her five successors are at the center of the reign of Henry VIII. Here below is the great Hans Holbein portrait of Henry painted in 1540 and now in the Galleria Nazionale di Arte Antica in Rome.