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"I, the Queen"

with Dr. Mona Garcia

February 10, 17 and 24

7pm, Memorial Room

Main Library

register for one or all of the programs

Please join us for "I, the Queen," a three-part program which highlights the lives of three queens of Spanish ancestry: Isabella of Castille, Catherine of Aragon, and Mary I, Queen of England. Isabella ruled Spain with her husband, Ferdinand. Their daughter Catherine of Aragon was the first wife of Henry VIII. Mary, the daughter of Catherine of Aragon and Henry VIII, was England's first reigning queen. These three queens were not only bound by family ties but also by the fact that they had to fight for recognition that each one was truly "I, the Queen."

The program will be presented by Dr. Mona Garcia. Dr Garcia taught European history at the college level and is on staff as a Reference Librarian in the Fairfield Public Library system. She has presented papers at academic conferences in the United States and Great Britain, and has publications in her field of English history, one of which has been included in the Royal Historical Society Bibliography .

	~~February 10, 7 pm~~ Cancelled due to weather. This program will be incorporated into the program on February 17. Ferdinand and Isabella: Union of the Crowns Register online or call 203-256-3160 Isabella through her intelligence and determination asserted her right as her brother's heir to the kingdom of Castille. Through her marriage to Ferdinand of Aragon she helped unify Spain. Not content with leaving their mark on Spain alone Ferdinand and Isabella left their mark on Europe through their descendants who married into the reigning families of Europe

	February 17, 7 pm Catherine of Aragon: The Spanish Bride Register online or call 203-256-3160 Catherine of Aragon, the youngest daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella, twice played her part in creating an alliance between Spain and England marrying Arthur, Prince of Wales, and after his death marrying his brother, Henry VIII. When Henry VIII decided to end their marriage, Catherine fought not only for her right to be queen, but also for her daughter's right to the throne.

	February 24, 7 pm Mary I, Queen of England: "The Spanish Tudor" Register online or call 203-256-3160 After years spent as Henry VIII's illegitimate daughter, Mary Tudor fought for her right to become England's first reigning queen. Showing the same determination as her mother, Catherine of Aragon, and her grandmother, Isabella of Castille, she completes this trio of women who, with their backs to the wall, show the grit and determination to assert their claim of "I, the Queen."