Although movies and miniseries like to show women warriors, few women in the past actually fought in battle, even when they donned armor for safety. And most pregnant women stayed far from battlefields. From
Frock Flicks [Warning: Bad Language]:
MY EYES!!!!!! Not only does she wear this nonsense, it’s supposed to stir up the troops — instead of horrifying them, because why would you want your pregnant queen anywhere near the battlefield?
Co-showrunner Matthew Graham says in Elle: “We write her a real Henry V at Agincourt.” eyeroll Sure, Henry V was a great military leader, but he left the kingdom with a baby son and feuding uncles that led to the Wars of the Roses because the succession to the crown was disputed! Catherine and especially Henry VIII knew that the Tudor dynasty was fragile, and Henry wanted sons to secure his legacy.
OK, is there any truth about Catherine of Aragon going to war? Well, Catherine was appointed Governor of the Realm and Captain General in 1513 by Henry VIII while he was off fighting in France. And during that time, England dealt with an attempted Scottish invasion. Catherine was hands-on in the sense that she worked directly with the Privy Council and ordered several key preparations for the battle. Here’s where some armor fiction may have come from.
A blog post from the UK’s National Archives explains the situation and cites several entries in the Chamber Book Payments from early September 1513. Specifically: “Item, to Owen Holand upon a warrant for the conveying of 1500 almain rivets northward.” This is from Queen Catherine and she’s ordering up a bunch of armor, called “almain rivets,” plus weaponry from the Tower of London. That month, she attempted to accompany this shipment north, towards the Scottish border, as these documents in the National Archives describe.
So she went to the battle WITH armor. Not WEARING it.
She was taking 1,500 pieces of armor TO THE BATTLE, for, y’know, the soldiers. (Read more.)
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10 comments:
That full body armor is wrong and very misleading. Katherine of Aragon never wore full body armor, and no she never faught in any battle/war. Women in those days where never expected to fight in a war.
Especially not Katherine of Aragon.
And especially putting the life of the future heir to the throne in danger!!
I've heard that Blanche of Castille (mother of St. Louis IX wore armor, as did Isabella of Spain, but they're the only 2 queens that I can honestly see doing it!
Exactly, July. Colleen, many queens wore armor but few actually fought in battle. Childbirth was dangerous enough and they were not expected to do both.
A royal woman that late in pregnancy would have been in the traditional confinement I would think.
The only woman I can think of who fought in battle is Joan of Arc, and we all know how her life ended.
Marissa, absolutely. And Sansa, St. Joan was in the thick of battle although she made it clear that she never actually killed anyone.
So women should have to fight for a country pregnant in labor 8 months 9 months pregnant fighting a war on the front lines do they have special equipment for us to wear
No because it really is not safe for the baby.
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