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Primary sourceBookdrafted from 1505, printed 1534

Anglica Historia

Polydore Vergil · drafted from 1505, printed 1534

A history of England by the Italian scholar Polydore Vergil, written at the Tudor court, which narrates Catherine of Aragon's marriages and divorce.

Vergil's court history narrates Catherine's marriages, the dispensation dispute and her divorce from Henry VIII.

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About this source

What it is

This is a history of England written in Latin by Polydore Vergil, an Italian humanist scholar living at the court of Henry VII and Henry VIII. He began the work around 1505 at the king's request; it was printed in 1534.

Why it matters

Vergil was writing from inside the Tudor court, and his history gives a contemporary narrative of Catherine of Aragon's two marriages, the question of the papal dispensation for her marriage to Henry VIII, and the eventual divorce. Because Vergil knew the court and its politics firsthand, his account is valuable, though it also reflects the interests of the Tudor monarchy that employed him.

Look closer

  • Why would a king want a historian to write the official story of his dynasty?
  • How might Vergil's closeness to the court have shaped what he chose to include or leave out about Catherine?
  • What does it mean that this history was written in Latin rather than English?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Catherine of Aragon on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

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