#oviedo

Catalina, born in Motril, Granada, was presumably from a Moorish Muslim family, though she would have had to convert to Christianity to become part of Katherine’s household. In all likelihood, she was one of the two ‘slaves to attend on the maids of honour’ listed in Katherine’s entourage in 1500. It was her duty to ‘make the Queen’s bed and attend to other secret or private services of her Highness’s chamber’. She was in attendance on both of Katherine’s wedding nights, in 1501 and 1509, making her a sought-after witness when Henry VIII began divorce proceedings and the question of whether the first marriage, to Arthur, had been consummated became a live issue. Catalina was one of a handful of people who knew the answer. By this time, she had gone back to Spain, where she married a Moorish crossbow-maker named Oviedo. After his death, she returned to her native Motril with their two daughters.