Was Catherine of aragon rich

Answer 1

It depends. She was the daughter of Kind Ferdanand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castille (who were wealthy) and was married to Prince Arthur of Wales and later his brother Henry VIII. However, during this time, women had little to no personal wealth, as all inheritance passed to male heirs and once married, women were part of the husband's family. After the death of Prince Arthur she was remained in England awaiting her fate. Her father refused to pay the rest of her dowry and her father in law kept what was given and dispensed it in a small allowance. There was a time where she could not pay her servants.

After she was married to Henry VIII, she was given the status expected of the Queen of England. However, after their marriage deteriorated and Henry divorced her, she was given the title of "Dowager Princess of Wales." This title was in honor of being Arthur's widow, not Henry's wife. While she must have had a generous allowance at that point, she spent the later years of her life confined to a single room, spending her time fasting and in prayer, only leaving the room for mass.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catherine_of_Aragon