Events held in Peterborough to mark life of Katharine of Aragon

Far more than just a wife of Henry. An important woman in her own right.

A cathedral and museum are coming together to celebrate the life and times of Katharine of Aragon, who was buried at Peterborough Cathedral.

Events are being held this weekend across the historic heart of the city.

The festival commemorates 29 January, 1536, when Katharine was buried. She was the Queen of England as the first of Henry VIII's six wives.

Laura Hancock, of Peterborough Museum, said: "It's a chance to see the city in a different light."

Born in Spain, Katharine of Aragon, was Henry VIII's first wife and was buried at Peterborough Cathedral

On Friday, the museum will offer Tudor tours of the city centre, while the cathedral holds a formal commemoration service at 11:00 GMT following Roman Catholic Mass.

On Saturday and Sunday, families can travel back in time to the 1500s at the museum and find out more about life for ordinary people in Tudor times.

At Home with the Tudors. Discover the life in the city of Queen Katharine's time

Ms Hancock said: "We are trying to give an insight into Tudor times and what the city would have been like then.

"It's a little-known side of our history and a lot of people don't know there was a Tudor manor on our site."

She said the festival was also a chance to look at Katharine in a new way.

"People think of her as only being Henry VIII's wife but she was far more than that," said Ms Hancock.

"She had lots of connections and was important in her own right and not a push over by any means."

Katharine died at Kimbolton, Cambridgeshire, on 7 January 1536. Henry VIII ordered that she be buried at Peterborough Abbey and her tomb lies in the city's cathedral.

Paul Stainton, head of marketing at Peterborough Cathedral, said: "This year we mark the 488th anniversary of the burial of Henry VIII's first wife at the cathedral.

"She is our Queen and we celebrate her life and legacy with events that bring that legacy to life."