Kiryukhin D.V. Chronicle The Reception of Lady Catherine. Book 1, IV–V; Book 2, II–III; Book 4, V–VI (Translation and Commentary) [Digital resource] // Vox medii aevi. 2018. Vol. 1(2). P. 223–237. URL: https://voxmediiaevi.com/vol-2-kiryukhin-2
DOI: 10.24411/2587-6619-2018-00012
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Dmitriy Kiryukhin
Candidate of Sciences (History), Associate Professor of the Department “Foreign Languages”, Nizhny Novgorod State Agricultural Academy
bagerlock@gmail.com
Chronicle The Reception of Lady Catherine. Book 1, IV–V; Book 2, II–III; Book 4, V–VI (Translation and Commentary)
The anonymous chronicle The Receipt of the Ladie Kateryne in five books details the events that accompanied the marriage of Arthur, Prince of Wales, the first son of the founder of the Tudor dynasty King Henry VII, and the Spanish Princess Catherine of Aragon. The unknown author describes Catherine’s journey to the English shores, the first meeting with the future husband and his father, the entry into the city of London, numerous dramatic performances, the main characters of which are Arthur and Catherine, masquerades, feasts and tournaments organized by the court. The chronicle ends with information about the funeral of the Prince after his sudden death from sweating fever on April 2, 1502. Reporting on the actions of Arthur, Henry VII or Catherine, who is the central figure of the script of festivities, the chronist presents the reader historical materials in the form of a medieval novel. No other source of the time preserved such a full and vivid account of secular history, fine arts and drama in England at the beginning of the 16th century. The chronicle clearly illustrates the main themes utilised for the power representation of the new dynasty: the Welsh roots of the Tudors, evidencing the nobility of origin, the personification of the young prince with the legendary King Arthur and the constellation of Arcturus. Moreover, the precise arrangement of the princess’s encounters with the actors in six staged scenes recreates the metaphorical journey of Catherine from the earth through the spheres of the cosmos to the apotheosis on the Throne of Honor in heaven.
Key words: the First Tudors; Chronicle “The Reception of Lady Catherine”; Court Culture; the Royal Court.