Catherine Of Valois – Scandalous Queen Who Caused Drama Even After Her Death

David Tee - AncientPages.com - Catherine of Valois learned her behavior from her mother.

It did not help, and it did not really hurt Catherine of Valois (1401 - 1437) to be the daughter of an insane King. King Charles VI of France is said to have contracted schizophrenia and hallucinated while on the royal throne.

Instead, Catherine’s behavior may have been learnt from the actions of her mother who had many public illicit affairs. Also, once Isabella of Bavaria (1370 - 1435) assumed the royal duties over her mad husband, Catherine and her siblings were soon ignored.

Left: The Marriage of Catherine of Valois and Henry V. Right: Portrait of Catherine of Valois. Artist French School. Credit: Public Domain

Catherine was born in 1401 and was one of eight children the royal family had. Even though she was the daughter of a sitting king and an upstart royal wife, Catherine did not have a lot of money as a child and lived in poverty. Her education came from the nuns at Poissy convent in France.

Catherine Of Valois And Her Knight In Shining Armor

It happens to a lot of women but not that often. Catherine was rescued from her plight due to an invasion conducted by King Henry V of England. His claim to the French throne sparked his invasion and after coming to terms with the French, he made King Charles declare him the French heir to the throne.

At this time, Henry V saw and became enamored with the 18-year old princess and married her in France in 1420. In 1421 she was crowned at Westminster Abbey as Henry’s queen.

The good news for Catherine was that before Henry V returned to France to fight more battles, she became pregnant with his only son.  Sadly, at this time Catherine’s fairy tale ended. Her husband died of dysentery while away in France and he was not to see his heir.

Scandals Reigned In Catherine of Valois’ Life

It was Humphrey Duke of Gloucester who stepped in at this time and took an unordinary step in the life of Catherine. Records state that Humphrey was concerned about any influence a step father would have over the infant King.

So, he had a law passed preventing Catherine from remarrying without the new King’s and the council’s permission. This law may have prevented her from marrying, but it did not stop her from having an affair.

Although no records remain of her second marriage it is thought that her first three children from Owen Tudor were illegitimate. Once the affair and children were revealed to the public, the idea of Catherine having children from another man was seen as an insult to her late husband.

This caused such a scandal and when it was found out that Catherine had two more children and a secret marriage to Owen Tudor, the latter was imprisoned and Catherine ‘retired’ to an Abbey.

Marriage of Henry V of England to Catherine of Valois British Library, Miniature of the marriage of Henry V and Catharine de Valois. Credit: Public Domain

This was not the only scandal that came Catherine’s way. Although the second scandal happened after her death. It seems that during the renovations to the building where Catherine’s body was interred, her alabaster tomb was destroyed.

Not wanting to be part of the scandal Catherine brought to the royal family, her Grandson Henry VII had her tomb removed. Unfortunately for him, the lid of her coffin broke and her remains were exposed.

Catherine’s corpse caused a second scandal when it became a popular tourist attraction for generations. It wasn’t until Queen Victoria reached the throne that Catherine’s remains were properly reburied.

Owen Tudor Thrived

In spite of being imprisoned twice, Owen Tudor survived Catherine’s death quite well. Once freed from his second imprisonment, Owen Tudor was knighted by his stepson and he received two titles.

The first title was Warden of Forestries & the second one was Deputy Lord Lieutenant. Owen Tudor served his stepson well and when he led the Lancastrian forces against Edward, Earl of March he was captured and beheaded.

Some Final Thoughts

Although the scandals did not serve Catherine very well, her children were not affected by them. Her son by Henry V made her two oldest sons Earls and helped raise them. This may have been a compassionate move by the king, but an unfortunate one.

Edmund grew up to marry Lady Margaret Beaufort who bore him a son. This child later grew up to become Henry VII, the first Tudor king.

Written by – David Tee - AncientPages.com Staff Writer

Copyright © AncientPages.com All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or part without the express written permission of AncientPages.com