Catherine of Aragon
In 1507, Catherine, the daughter of Queen Isabella I of Castile, became the ambassador for the Spanish Court in England, which made her the first female ambassador in European history. Her marriage in 1509 to King Henry VIII was her second marriage; her first husband died just six months after their wedding. Her badge depicted a pomegranate -- the ancient symbol for the sign of Christ's resurrection.
Catherine was a supporter of the Renaissance arts. In 1523, she commissioned Juan Luis Vives to write the controversial book The Education of a Christian Woman. The text claimed that women had a right to an education, which Catherine desired for her daughter Mary.
Her denouncement of Martin Luther's Protestant Reformation caused her confessor to nominate Catherine for the title of "Defender of the Faith."
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