HistoryExtra Home of Britain’s bestselling history magazine and award-winning podcast 2025-02-12T13:11:51.000Z https://www.historyextra.com/people/katherine-parr/feed/atom HistoryExtra <![CDATA[Katherine Parr: life of the week]]> https://www.historyextra.com/membership/video-katherine-parr-life/ 2025-02-12T13:11:51.000Z 2024-07-23T11:45:25.000Z She was the most-married wife of England's most-married king, but there was so much more to Katherine Parr. Speaking to Kev Lochun, Tudor historian Elizabeth Norton explores the circumstances that brought the twice-widowed Katherine to the attention of Henry VIII, how she almost lost her head, and why her greatest legacy is not as a wife, but as an author and stepmother.

View Green Video on the source website]]> Derek Wilson <![CDATA[All you need to know about Katherine Parr – the truth about the wife who 'survived']]> https://www.historyextra.com/period/tudor/katherine-parr-marriage-henry-viii-husbands-death-writing/ 2025-02-12T13:11:58.000Z 2024-06-14T15:45:23.000Z Of all the wives of Henry VIII, the one most often misunderstood, if not largely ignored, is Katherine Parr.

Her story, as usually told – when told at all – lacks the romance of 'sex-bombs' Anne Boleyn or Catherine Howard; the heroic fortitude of Catherine of Aragon; the political intrigue surrounding the lives of Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves.

Wife number six is famous for 'surviving'. She was the twice-widowed, matronly bluestocking who patiently, submissively (and boringly?) tended the sick, aged, irascible king through the painful last years of his life and then disappeared from the 'front page' of history.

The truth, however, is much more complicated. For my money Katherine was the cleverest, most devout and – yes – passionate of Henry VIII's bedfellows.

Who was Katherine Parr?

In 1543 when Henry proposed, Katherine was no middle-aged frump. She was probably 30 years of age, had been born into a courtier family and held a place in Tudor high society.

She loved fine clothes, jewels and intelligent company. She was in many ways an excellent choice to be England's 'first lady' – or so the king thought, and he was, by now well experienced in such matters.

Katherine also had about her the radiance of a woman in love – more of that anon. For the moment let us try to gain a clear impression of the woman who was coming to terms with a royal offer of marriage.

Why was Katherine Parr chosen by Henry VIII?

Portrait of Katherine Parr by William Scrots.

The first point to note is that Katherine Parr, aka Lady Latimer, was Henry's choice. Former spouses had been urged upon the king by politicians, diplomats and ambitious aristocratic clans: the Howards, the Boleyns, the Seymours and Thomas Cromwell had dangled their candidates before Henry and each had their own agendas.

But there is no evidence of any faction pushing the recently widowed Katherine into the king's presence. Indeed, the common view in elite circles seems to have been that Henry would not risk a sixth disappointment.

Then there is the issue of sex. Everyone knew that marriage number four had been a fiasco because Anne of Cleves failed to please the king in bed. It's not difficult to imagine the sniggering tales that would have been going around the royal court about the so-called ‘Flanders mare’ who was supposedly ugly and looked like a horse.

By contrast, marriage number five suggested a different kind of challenge. Henry had felt rejuvenated by nights spent with the teenage Catherine Howard (whom he married in July 1540). Therefore, to accept the royal proposal Katherine Parr would have to match up to the sexual fantasies of an overweight invalid whose nights were often plagued by anguished insomnia.

In this regard Katherine had been well prepared by her two previous marriages, both of which had been with men who enjoyed good health. Documentary evidence is scanty, but what there is suggests a woman who used clothes, milk baths, perfumes, chamber furnishings, food, drink and conversation to provide the right ambience when her husband came to her chamber.

Katherine made a success of her marriage to Henry because she brought to it a combination of intelligence and passion – she spared no effort to make her marriage work.

We might well argue that she had no real option: to turn Henry down could have had dire consequences for herself and her family. To say 'yes' would mean carefully avoiding all the pitfalls that had been the undoing of her predecessors. Her narrow career path lay before her and all she could do was walk it with cautious steps.

But Parr was no mere pragmatist – she enjoyed all the obvious perks of her exalted position and was careful not to jeopardise that position by putting a foot wrong. We can make this bold assertion because, unique among Henry's wives, Katherine left a volume of letters and extremely personal writings that reveal, in detail, what she thought and believed.

The passions of Katherine Parr

These writings reveal, first of all, that Katherine embarked on her marriage to Henry at great emotional cost: she was in love with someone else.

Thomas Seymour, the king's brother-in-law and uncle to Prince Edward, the heir to the throne, was in his mid-30s and one of the most dashing bucks of the Tudor court. Katherine later wrote to Seymour to tell him that as soon as her husband Lord Latimer had died in February 1543:

“As truly as God is God, my mind was fully bent… to marry you before any man I knew. Howbeit, God withstood my will therein most vehemently for a time and, through his grace and goodness, made that possible which seemeth to me most unpossible… to renounce utterly mine own will and to follow His will most willingly.”

Katherine asked Henry for time to consider his proposal and gave herself to earnest prayer. The modern historian runs into difficulties when explaining 16th-century attitudes to 21st-century readers.

A secular age may find it difficult to understand Katherine’s zeal for her faith. In the spiritual autobiography Queen Katherine published for all the world to read, she declared:

“Neither life, honour, riches, neither whatsoever I possess here… be it never so dearly beloved of me, but most willingly and gladly I would leave it, to win any man to Christ, of what degree or sort soever he were.”

Did this last clause suggest that she hoped to win over the king to her way of thinking?

We cannot wholly avoid speculation when we relate Katherine’s conscience-searching in the summer of 1543, but the country’s extremely tense religious situation must surely have played a part in her thinking.

On 12 July 1543, Katherine Parr and Henry VIII were married quietly at Hampton Court. And Thomas Seymour? He was appointed to a succession of diplomatic and military positions that kept him out of the country for most of the rest of Henry’s reign.

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What were Katherine Parr's religious beliefs?

With the execution of Thomas Cromwell in July 1540 the Reformation had stalled. The reactionaries had regained the initiative and a major part of their campaign was the removal from office of those they considered to be tainted with heresy.

At the very time that Katherine was weighing her options, a witch hunt begun in Windsor had brought to the stake members of the royal household.

More importantly, a widespread plot was underway aimed at destroying the leading reformer, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer. The intriguers had to tread carefully because the king was always wary of the purge getting too close to the court and his own personal attendants.

Katherine, whose own sympathies lay firmly with the reformers, was well aware that, as queen, she would be entering dangerous territory.

Several religious radicals looked to Katherine for patronage and were delighted to learn that she was about to become Henry's consort.

One of them, Francis Goldsmith, compared her to Esther, the Old Testament Jewish heroine who became queen to the Persian King Ahasuerus and used her position to alleviate the sufferings of her people. It is not all that far-fetched to think of Katherine pondering the question put to Esther, “who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?” (Esther, 4, 14).

The new queen certainly turned out to be a veritable Esther. As David Starkey has pointed out, “Henry's sixth marriage marks a watershed in religious policy” because Katherine was “a woman with a mission”.

During the crucial three-and-a-half years the pair were married the balance swung in favour of the reformers. This was not entirely due to Katherine – for example, the plot against Cranmer collapsed largely because the plotters (led by Stephen Gardiner, Bishop of Winchester) overplayed their hand.

However, without the day-to-day influence of the queen it would have been difficult (perhaps impossible) for the evangelicals of court and council led by Thomas Seymour's brother – Edward, Earl of Hertford – to have gained the controlling influence which proved decisive when Henry died in 1547.

Broadly speaking, Katherine's contribution rested on two pillars: she proved herself to be an exemplary consort, and she used every means at her disposal to spread that brand of Christianity that, within a few years, would come to be called 'Protestant'.

Katherine Parr as a stepmother

A portrait of the young Princess Elizabeth.

In her relations with the king Katherine was young enough to interest him sexually and mature enough to perceive and cater to his other needs. Dressing his suppurating sores can't have been pleasant and diverting his attention from his pain with stimulating conversation must have been mentally taxing.

But the queen went further – notably in reconnecting Henry with his children, whom he rarely saw. The future Mary I (who was 28 in 1544), Elizabeth I (11) and Edward VI (7) lived in various royal manors in the home counties. The girls had both been bastardised and were excluded from the court, while Edward, as the sole heir, was kept far away from the plague-ridden capital.

Katherine set out to be a means of drawing the royal family together – within a few months she arranged for Henry's children to pay visits to their father and thus provide him with some semblance of the home life he had never had.

Extant letters, written between 1544 and 1547, bear witness to a very warm relationship between the royal children and their stepmother. Whether sending a court musician to perform for Mary or correcting the Latin exercises of Edward and Elizabeth, Katherine took a keen interest in their wellbeing.

The queen also played a prominent role in state affairs. When Henry was absent on campaign in France between mid-July and late September 1544 he left Katherine to oversee a regency council headed by Cranmer (who was now fully restored to favour). She attended assiduously to her duties, meeting daily with her advisers.

And her loyal support for the military adventure was not confined to administrative activities in camera. A remarkable, recently-discovered religious anthem by the leading composer Thomas Tallis was written for a service at St Paul's aimed at uniting the nation behind the invasion.

The words were written by Queen Katherine. None of Henry's wives played a more prominent and constructive role in the affairs of court and kingdom than wife number six.

Katherine Parr, the author of The Lamentation of a Sinner

Katherine's contributions to the spread of her faith was well in excess of that of her predecessors. Not only did she study the Bible and listen to favoured preachers with her ladies in the seclusion of her own chambers; and advance the careers of favoured clergy – all that was common enough.

Katherine did something quite novel, something that women at the time simply did not do: she ventured into print. Her first forays, published in 1544 and 1545, were devotional books – prayers and reflections on the Psalms.

Then, in 1546, she began an intensely personal testimony, The Lamentation of a Sinner, in which she chronicled her journey from the traditional Catholicism of the pope, the “persecuter of all true Christians”, to the justification by the only faith of which Luther spoke.

The Lamentation of a Sinner was not published until after Henry's death in January 1547 and until then Katherine had to be very circumspect about her theology.

Why did Henry VIII almost execute Katherine Parr?

There was a time in the summer of 1546 when Katherine came within a whisper of being executed for her faith.

Bishop Gardiner and his associates were growing increasingly anxious as the end of Henry’s reign drew nigh. Henry was a semi-invalid in constant pain from the festering sores on his legs, and was only able to move with the aid of servants. Everyone knew what no one dared say – that the king's days were numbered.

Leading councillors and courtiers were discreetly making plans for the accession of a minor. If the prince's uncle, Edward Seymour, grabbed the reins of power, England would be carried farther along the road of religious reform. Gardiner and his conservative associates needed to prevent that at all costs.

Thus a campaign was launched against the queen using a formula that had been well tried in the past. They brought to trial a notoriously outspoken heretic with court connections by the name of Anne Askew, subjected her to fierce and unprecedented torture and promised that her sufferings would end if she would but name members of the royal court (including the queen) who shared her heretical beliefs.

Had they succeeded, Henry would probably have sanctioned a thorough search of Katherine's quarters, which might have revealed copies of William Tyndale's English New Testament and other banned books. But Anne did not break under pressure.

Katherine was warned of the plot by her physician, Robert Huick, who 'found' a paper revealing the Catholic scheme. Or, perhaps, the discovery was engineered by Henry himself, who never lost his sense of theatre. Either way, the queen hastened to Henry's chamber and threw herself on his mercy, thus enabling him to make a great show of support and affection.

For the traditionalists this was the last throw of the dice. Their failure left the advocates of reform in power when the Tudor tyrant eventually breathed his last. Katherine Parr, therefore, holds an important place in the history of the English Reformation.

Katherine Parr's life after Henry VIII

We may hope that Katherine was aware of this fact and took satisfaction from it, particularly because the brief remainder of her life was decidedly tragic.

She was, at last, able to marry her true love, Thomas Seymour, but it did not bring her happiness. The wedding was a clandestine ceremony and one that provoked scandal: the Seymour clan tore itself apart in rivalries and competing ambitions.

Thomas, having been granted no place on the regency council, tried to ingratiate himself with the young king and to undermine the influence of his brother, Edward, now Lord Protector and Duke of Somerset.

The duke's wife bitterly resented Katherine's presence in the family, seeing it as a challenge to her own pre-eminence.

The tomb of Katherine Parr.

The family feud escalated rapidly. In one letter to her husband Katherine confided about a meeting with her brother-in-law, Protector Somerset: “It was fortunate we were so much distant, for I suppose else I should have bitten him”. But the dowager queen's anger was soon turned against Thomas himself.

She had brought the 14-year-old Princess Elizabeth to live with her but Thomas soon began indulging in intimate horseplay with the teenager and the behaviour became more outrageous after Katherine became pregnant at the end of 1547.

He would visit Elizabeth, clad only in his nightshirt, and tumble with her on her bed. For a while Katherine was tolerant, even at times joining in the horseplay, but when on one occasion she came upon her husband and her royal ward embracing, she sent Elizabeth away.

The death of Katherine Parr

On 30 August 1548 Katherine gave birth to a daughter, Mary, but immediately succumbed to puerperal fever. Eight days later Katherine died. In her last moments of consciousness, she accused Thomas of poisoning her.

It may well have been the delirium speaking, but Seymour was outrageously ambitious and it is quite possible that he entertained hopes of picking up his relationship with the princess where it had left off.

This article was first published by HistoryExtra in September 2018

]]> Lauren Mackay <![CDATA[The wife who not only survived, but thrived: why Tudor queen Katherine Parr was a firebrand]]> https://www.historyextra.com/period/tudor/katherine-parr-firebrand/ 2025-02-12T13:11:58.000Z 2024-06-14T15:21:15.000Z During late summer 1544, Katherine Parr, sixth and final wife of Henry VIII, wrote a letter to her husband. Imbued with passion, love and a profound sense of duty, each line of Katherine’s missive is a testament to her devotion to the king. “Thus love maketh me in all things to set apart mine own convenience and pleasure, and to embrace most joyfully his will and pleasure whom I love,” Katherine declared. “God, the knower of secrets, can judge these words not to be written only with ink, but most truly impressed on the heart.”

Henry received the letter while laying siege to the town of Boulogne, during what would be his final military campaign in France. Here was a leader embroiled in the great affairs of state. Yet so, too, was his queen. For, in his absence, Henry had appointed Katherine regent of England, an honour he had only bestowed on one of his previous five wives, Catherine of Aragon, decades earlier.

Born in 1512, Katherine could not claim a royal upbringing, but she carried out her role of queen consort (1543–47) to perfection. She was a devoted wife, a loving stepmother, a unifier and a role model. Above all, as the responsibility she was given in the summer of 1544 demonstrates, she wielded influence – and commanded the respect of the king. Beneath her royal mantle of dutiful wife, she was a fiercely spiritual woman, of passionate religious and personal convictions.

However, Katherine has not captured our imagination to the same degree as Henry’s first two queens, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Historian Susan James argues that Katherine has been marginalised primarily due to a lack of research into her life, as well as our lack of understanding of her role in the politics of Henry’s final years. Perhaps it is also a question of timing.

The dramatic personal, political and religious events that engulfed the first three tumultuous decades of Henry’s reign shaped our view of the era for centuries to come, leaving little interest in the later part of his life. Our impressions of Katherine are also influenced by our knowledge of Henry’s ill-health, which led many 19th-century historians to diminish Katherine’s role, arguing that Henry chose a nursemaid for his wife.

This version of Katherine was as a fitting companion for the ageing king, by then so corpulent of body and tyrannical of mind. She was a “sophisticated bluestocking”, a mature wife and confidante who cleaned the sores and changed the bandages on Henry’s ulcered legs, reading to him before bed – a maternal, soothing presence. It sounds like a dull story indeed, complete with history’s epithet for Katherine, that of “survivor”, as if to suggest that her sole achievement was to outlive Henry.

The myth of the dull 'survivor'

In recent decades, however, historians have challenged these old myths, most notably Katherine’s biographers, Linda Porter and Susan James, who have rejected the indifferent views of previous eras to rescue Katherine from obscurity. Moving away from the stereotype of the dutiful nursemaid, they have successfully demonstrated that her story is not simply one of survival.

They present Katherine as an attractive, intelligent woman with a love of finery, dancing and music; as an influential queen, who actively engaged in and promoted religious reform; as a scholar and the first English woman to write and publish her own works under her own name; as a dedicated stepmother who shaped the lives and views of her royal stepchildren.

Most married queen meets most married king

Katherine Parr’s marital tally was only two short of Henry VIII’s notorious six. She married for duty as well as for love but, as her life after Henry’s death proves, could sometimes be blinded by the latter. She could be impulsive and irrational, human traits that make her all the more accessible to us today.

Katherine enters the royal sources late in Henry’s life, but her family had been part of the Tudor social fabric for many years, and her parents were actively engaged at the court of the young Henry VIII. Her father, Thomas, was part of the king’s circle; her mother, Maud, was a close friend and lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon; and her uncle, William Parr, served as chamberlain in the household of Henry’s illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond.

Katherine Parr as a stepmother to Mary

Her influence on the king's eldest daughter was not as a mother, but a role model

Henry’s decision to annul his marriage to Catherine of Aragon upended the life of his elder daughter, Mary. Once Henry’s “pearl of the world”, Mary was now exiled from her father, and forbidden to see her mother. Katherine campaigned for Mary’s restoration to the succession. With only four years between them, she never tried to be a mother figure to Mary. Instead, she was a role model, and Mary would have observed how Katherine used her power as a regent. The two women shared a love of music, with Katherine sending Mary musicians she might enjoy. They also held similar intellectual interests, and Katherine supported Mary’s scholarly pursuits. Both Mary and Katherine admired the philos pher Desiderius Erasmus, and Katherine encouraged Mary to translate his work and publish under her own name. Tension crept into the relationship, not because of their religious differences (Mary was devoutly Catholic), but because of Katherine’s choice to remarry so hastily following Henry’s death. As time progressed, however, warmth seeped back into their correspondence, especially when Katherine became pregnant.

In 1529, at the age of 17, Katherine was married to Sir Edward Burgh, but the union was short-lived, with Edward dying in 1533. Just over a year later, Katherine married the twice widowed John Neville, Baron Latimer, from one of the most influential families in the north. She was now a woman of position and influence.

The loyalty of the Latimers to the king was tested during the rebellion known as the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536, which ignited in Yorkshire and spread to other parts of the country. The young Katherine witnessed a mob of religious rebels ransacking their residence, taking Latimer with them in an attempt to coerce him into joining the pilgrimage. They later went so far as to hold Katherine and her stepchildren hostage in Snape Castle, threatening to kill the family if Latimer did not comply.

While no violence came to pass, in the aftermath Latimer felt it prudent to attend court with his wife often, to prove his loyalty to the crown. Latimer’s health declined in late 1542, and in February 1543 (a month before Latimer’s death), the king emerged as a potential suitor.

Henry was then two decades older than the 30-year-old Katherine and, to complicate matters, she had already fallen in love with Thomas Seymour, the brother of Henry’s third wife, Jane. The two had even discussed a mutual life after Latimer’s death. By now, however, Henry was determined to marry Katherine.

Parr's relationship with Henry VIII was not that of a nurse-maid

In her, he sought the full package: a companion who would share his bed, as well as his own interests; a wife who could take care of him; and a dignified queen who would also be a mother figure to his children. His attachment put an end to Katherine and Thomas’s relationship. She chose duty over love. She married Henry in the Queen’s Closet at Hampton Court Palace on 12 July 1543, in the presence of Henry’s three children, Mary, Elizabeth and Edward.

Her letters to Thomas Seymour, however, following Henry’s death in 1547 speak of the emotional turmoil she felt even as she accepted her fate: “As truly as God is God, my mind was fully bent the other time I was at liberty, to marry you before any man I knew. Howbeit, God withstood my will therein most vehemently for a time and, through his grace and goodness… made me to renounce utterly mine own will and to follow His will most willingly.”

Despite her feelings towards Seymour, there is ample evidence to suggest genuine love and affection between the royal couple, even a physical attraction. Moving behind the doors of the bedchamber, we know that the marriage was consummated, perhaps assisted by Katherine’s penchant for black satin nightgowns, similar in style to those that Henry had once gifted to Anne Boleyn.

How Katherine Parr channelled the five queens before her

It is also clear that Katherine’s deeply held religious beliefs surpassed all else, and she genuinely believed that her new position as queen had been divinely guided, bestowing on her a spiritual purpose. Katherine chose the motto “To be useful in all I do”, a promise she took to heart. Whether by design or not, she embodied some of the more admirable traits of her five predecessors.

Katherine commanded the respect of the court, just as Catherine of Aragon had done. Echoing Jane Seymour, she sought to strengthen the bonds between Henry and his children. Like Anne of Cleves, she could be tactful in expressing her views and understood when to capitulate. Much like Catherine Howard, she had a lively disposition, and was fond of music, dancing, fashion and jewellery. And like Anne Boleyn, she had a burgeoning interest in religious reform and used her royal position to promote it.

Katherine Parr as a stepmother to Edward

Loving and attentive, she was the mother he never had

Edward had grown up without a mother, and Katherine, to a certain extent, fulfilled this role, taking charge of the young heir’s education and upbringing. Katherine certainly helped shape his religious beliefs, appointing reformist and humanist tutors for both him and his sister, Elizabeth. Katherine’s correspondence with her stepson clearly shows their close and affectionate bond. Edward was only nine years old when he took the throne in 1547, and there is some indication that Katherine had hoped to remain as regent until he was of a more suitable age to rule by himself. Instead, Henry appointed a regency council, and the young boy was surrounded by ambitious men with their own agendas, in particular his uncles, Edward and Thomas Seymour. King Edward was close to his uncle Thomas, and when Katherine married Thomas secretly, the couple petitioned the king to shield them from the anger of the royal council, and Edward Seymour, Lord Protector. While Edward knew the marriage would cause scandal, his letter to Katherine demonstrates his love for his stepmother, concluding: “Wherefore, if there be anything wherein I may do you a kindness, either in word or deed, I will do it willingly.” We do not have evidence of Edward’s reaction to Katherine’s death, but he likely mourned the loss of the woman who had been such an important presence in his life.

The religious rift between Katherine Parr and Henry VIII

The queen’s rooms were a place to engage in spirited theological debates, where she hosted sermons by leading reformers and promoted the study of evangelical texts. She believed that scripture was the sole authority for the Christian faith. In 1544, she published anonymously an English translation of Latin psalms.

Katherine was emboldened by her success and heartened by Henry’s confidence in her, as evidenced when he entrusted her as regent. Her 1545 publication, Prayers or Meditations, was an English compilation of devotional texts, which made clear her intention to publicly champion reform.

In the final years of Henry’s reign, especially as his health began to fail, factional politics was rampant and religious policy became contradictory, often due to the king’s ever-changing whim. Conservative spheres at court were clawing back whatever religious authority they could, and Katherine attracted their attention when her religious views moved beyond her own chambers.

She took delight in engaging her husband in religious debate, often directly encouraging him to continue what he had begun when he broke from Rome in order to marry Anne Boleyn. This, however, was a misstep. Henry’s anti-papal stance was for the most part political, but at his core, Henry was conservative in his faith, and would not tolerate being lectured to on matters of religion.

His increasing irritation allowed the conservative faction to move against Katherine and those close to her, until finally the queen herself was alerted that a warrant had been drawn up for her arrest, with the king’s permission. This was a pivotal moment for Katherine, and her course of action very likely saved her life. She visited her husband’s rooms, and a conversation about religion arose.

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But she would not allow herself to be drawn in to the discussion and conceded that her opinions were those of a mere woman, whereas it was best that she was guided by her husband, “a prince of such excellent learning and wisdom”. Henry had “much mistaken the freedom she had taken to argue with him”, she stated, which she had only done to learn from him, and in which she engaged in the hope that it would provide a distraction from his pain and illness.

The queen knew every note to hit and by the end of the night they were reconciled. However, Henry’s council, unaware of the update, interrupted the royal couple the next day to arrest Katherine, and were given a very public dressing down. Henry’s authority over his wife as well as his councillors was re-affirmed in a most public fashion.

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The one who “survived”: life after Henry VIII

Katherine was wise enough to bide her time before promoting her religious cause again. She did not have to wait long, as Henry’s health began to decline in 1546, and on 28 January 1547 he died. Katherine became queen dowager to lead the nation in mourning. She had indeed outlived Henry and negotiated her own survival. Throughout, she had showed remarkable clarity of thought.

In fact, only one man seemed to bring out her more impulsive nature, and would prove to be her undoing, tainting her reputation for centuries to come. That man was her fourth husband, Thomas Seymour. We do not know exactly when Katherine married Thomas, but we do know that she caused a scandal at court, and risked her close relationship with her stepchildren by cutting the traditional mourning period alarmingly short.

Katherine Parr as a stepmother to Elizabeth

The two formed a deep and strong relationship, threatened by Katherine's new husband

Of all her stepchildren, the bond between Katherine and Elizabeth was especially strong. Elizabeth was not even three years old when her father executed her mother, Anne Boleyn, and Katherine genuinely adored her stepdaughter as if she were her own child. There is some evidence that Katherine wanted to honour Anne Boleyn and keep her memory alive for her daughter. Katherine recognised in Elizabeth a keen intelligence and aptitude for learning, and she appointed tutors of whom Anne Boleyn would have approved. Elizabeth was a keen student; for a new year’s day gift in 1545, the 11-year-old translated the theological work The Mirror of the Sinful Soul, written by Marguerite of Navarre, the sister of the French king, Francis I, and a woman Anne Boleyn knew well from her time in France.

Elizabeth also embroidered the cover, and dedicated it to Katherine, writing: “To our most noble and virtuous Queen Katherine, Elizabeth her humble daughter wisheth perpetual felicity and everlasting joy.”

Following Henry’s death, Elizabeth came to live with Katherine and her husband, Thomas Seymour, at Sudeley Castle. Scandal erupted in the household when Thomas attempted to seduce the young Elizabeth under his wife’s nose. There was clearly a breakdown in what had been a close and loving relationship, and Elizabeth was sent away while a pregnant Katherine prepared for her confinement.

Letters between the two repaired their bond to some extent, but they would never see one another again, and with Katherine’s death, Elizabeth lost one of the most influential women in her life. Elizabeth would feel the absence of Katherine’s guidance for years to come, but in Elizabeth’s reign, we see elements of Katherine’s influence.

Katherine had gambled everything on a marriage for love, but it would be far from happy. Seymour was ambitious and reckless, inviting even more scandal when accusations of gross impropriety were lodged against him regarding his behaviour towards Katherine’s 14-year-old stepdaughter, Elizabeth, who lived with them at Sudeley Castle.

The scandal caused deep rifts between the couple, but they seemed to reconcile. In late 1547, Katherine fell pregnant and gave birth at Sudeley on 30 August to a daughter named Mary.

Katherine Parr's happiness was short lived. Likely suffering from puerperal fever, she died on 5 September 1548, aged 35 or 36.

Following her death Katherine’s commitment to reformed religion became clearer than ever, as hers was the first Protestant burial conducted in English. Her place in the story of the English Reformation was assured.

Katherine’s life is rich with passion and scandal. Yet it’s seldom told – long eclipsed by the men in her life. However, we are now seeing a shift in the trend, with the popular Starz series Becoming Elizabeth depicting a younger and far more vibrant Katherine. The 2024 movie Firebrand will be the first to feature Katherine as the main protagonist.

It seems that our attention is at last turning to this fascinating woman, with all her imperfections and complexities. After almost 500 years, Katherine Parr deserves to step out of the shadows and take centre stage.

This article was first published in the March 2023 issue of BBC History Magazine

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]]> Dr Nicola Tallis <![CDATA[Queens of bling: the importance of jewellery to Henry VIII's six wives]]> https://www.historyextra.com/membership/queens-of-bling/ 2024-03-07T16:21:32.000Z 2023-05-22T07:07:56.000Z Listen to a version of this article:

 

Catherine of Aragon: symbols of salvation as a public display of piety

The jewels worn by the first wife of Henry VIII not only say a great deal about her status but, more significantly, her character and values. In keeping with the fashion for low-cut gowns, Catherine’s is lined with pearls and diamonds set in goldsmith’s work. But it was her necklace and brooch set that drew the most interest. Attached to the necklace of gold beads and clusters of pearls is an ornate tau cross – a T-shaped cross symbolic of salvation. Interestingly, Catherine’s daughter, Mary, was later painted wearing a similar cross, as were Jane Seymour and Katherine Parr, reflecting each queen’s piety.

Queens were expected to be pious, but Catherine of Aragon’s faith was personal too. Her jewels reflect a genuine and heartfelt devotion to God, and the tau cross was also associated with her favourite religious order, the Observant Franciscans. Her commitment to the Franciscans was reinforced by her choice of the IHS brooch pinned to her chest (IHS is an abbreviation of the Greek word for Jesus). IHS had been employed as a peace symbol since the 15th century, and by Catherine’s time, it had become an integral marker of Catholic identity.

Catherine is well known for being a principled woman with a strong religious faith. Her choices of jewellery reinforced this image by providing a platform from which she could make her piety public – and enduring.

Anne Boleyn, by an unknown artist, late-16th century (Photo by: Pictures From History/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

 

Anne Boleyn: an independent woman at the cutting edge of fashion

This image of Anne Boleyn has etched its way into popular memory. Five centuries after it was painted, it remains a source of fascination – and that fascination is largely the product of her jewels, most specifically the gold “B” pendant hanging from her neck. Anne acquired a reputation for great style and sophistication among her contemporaries, so it’s tempting to imagine that the trend for wearing jewels bearing initials originated with her.

The fashion, however, had begun long before, spreading through Europe during the late 14th century. Margaret of Austria, regent of the Netherlands, was extremely fond of initial jewels. Given that Anne had spent a small amount of time at Margaret’s cosmopolitan court in Mechelen in her youth, it is feasible that she was influenced by the trend there. Anne was fascinated by fashion, so it is unsurprising that she set and expressed the latest trends through her choice of jewellery.

She was certainly enthusiastic about initial pieces, for in addition to her “B” pendant she owned an “AB” and an “A”, which her daughter, Elizabeth, can be seen wearing in a portrait. Anne also had a ring which displayed her motto: “The most happy.” Such jewels provided a neat way of showcasing Anne’s pride in her Boleyn roots and her individuality, and at least two of her successors, Catherine Howard and Katherine Parr, owned similar items.

Initial jewellery is a style that has retained its popularity, and Anne’s image is immediately conjured when considering its history. The trend may not have begun or ended with her, but she has doubtless contributed to the fascination and is certainly worthy of the title of fashionista.

Jane Seymour, by Hans Holbein the Younger (Photo by Volgi archive / Alamy Stock Photo)

 

Jane Seymour: projecting power, glory and her magnificence

The imperial ambassador Eustace Chapuys described her as “no great beauty”, but what Jane Seymour may have lacked in looks she certainly made up for in jewels. In her portrait by the great master Hans Holbein, Jane is adorned in some of the most splendid pieces from the queen’s jewel collection. It is possible that some were inherited from her predecessors, and certainly, many of Jane’s items later came into the possession of Catherine Howard and Katherine Parr.

Painted in exquisite detail, the rich pearls and diamonds studded in gold that adorn Jane’s headdress – known as a habillement – form a matching set with those around her neck, waist and the border of her dress, known as a square. Jane’s inventory lists numerous jewelled buttons, so it is unsurprising that the sleeves of her gown show some of the practical jewels that pinned them together. She also owned more than 50 pairs of beads, and several descriptions match those that hang from her waist that were elaborately decorated, probably with enamel.

Jane’s most impressive jewel, however, is the spectacular ouche – a pendant set with jewels – that is suspended from her necklace. Catherine Howard also wore this while sitting for her portrait, revealing not just a link between the two queens but also that this was a high value piece that made a statement of splendour. Jane’s portrait reveals a queen consort who clearly wanted to impress with her magnificence.

Anne of Cleves, by Hans Holbein (Photo by Bridgeman Images)

 

Anne of Cleves: a determination to carve out her own identity in a new home

Henry’s marriage to Anne of Cleves may only have lasted for six months in 1540, but she was determined to make the most of queenship – and the material trappings that came with it. This contemporary portrait shows her dressed in the style popular in the Duchy of Cleves: pearls adorning both her costume and her jewelled coif (a close-fitting cap). Yet the jewels that she bought on becoming Henry’s fourth wife paint a more impressive picture.

As a foreign queen (born in Dusseldorf) yet to make friends and allies in her new country, jewels were glamorous tools that allowed Anne to carve out her own identity. By spending more than £400 in a matter of months – an exorbitant sum – Anne recognised the value of splendour when it came to fashioning a role for herself at court. Her jewels came from several goldsmiths employed by the other wives as well as the king, and her purchases included diamonds, a gold chain and rings that were perhaps similar to those worn in her portrait.

There was also a brooch “garnished with diamonds”, which told the story of Samson (and, as such, could be viewed as a sign of strength, or even romantic betrayal). A similar piece later appeared in Henry’s inventory: could it have been the same? Perhaps most importantly, money was outlaid for “the engraving and making of the queen’s grace’s great seal”, a sign that Anne took her duties seriously. Her jewels served to boost not only her confidence but also her status.

Catherine Howard, a 1540 miniature by Hans Holbein (Photo by CBW / Alamy Stock Photo)

 

Catherine Howard: luxurious objects of desire for Henry’s young bride

When Henry married Catherine Howard in the summer of 1540 at Oatlands Palace, he was infatuated with his new, young bride. So enamoured was he that he showered Catherine with gifts of jewels in tangible signs of his love and affection. A number of these were given “at the time of the solemnisation of their marriage”, but there were many more to follow. At new year 1541, Henry gave his wife eight pieces of jewellery. In a gesture of kindness, Catherine then presented a ring (which Henry had given her) to her predecessor, Anne of Cleves.

Catherine’s opulent jewels are reflected in Hans Holbein’s miniature, which is widely thought to depict Henry’s fifth wife. One of the strongest clues of the sitter’s identity comes from her jewels; an inventory compiled at the time of Catherine’s fall and execution (1541–42) lists 175 items, many of which had probably been owned by Henry’s previous queens. It includes the same diamond and ruby ouche that was worn by Jane Seymour.

Similar rings to those worn in the miniature also appear in the inventory, and the same is true of the jewels attached to Catherine’s rich hood. These pieces were so valuable that it is easy to understand why a contemporary chronicler believed that “the king had no wife who made him spend so much money in dresses and jewels as she did”.

Katherine Parr, attributed to Master John (Photo by © Historical Picture Archive/CORBIS/Corbis via Getty Images)

 

Katherine Parr: a sumptuous costume to secure the royal seal of approval

Almost certainly painted to mark Katherine Parr’s regency in the summer of 1544, Master John’s likeness of Henry VIII’s fashion-conscious sixth queen displays some of Katherine’s costliest jewels. The beads suspended from her waist are decorated with antique faces in keeping with the latest trends, while a dazzling ouche is attached to her beautiful necklace.

This was perhaps a favourite, given that Katherine wore it while sitting for another portrait. One of Katherine’s jewels is particularly striking, for it exemplifies the common theme in her collection: grandeur. Pinned to her dress is an opulent crown brooch, which may have been commissioned on the queen’s orders. Hailing as she did from a non-royal background, throughout her reign Katherine did her utmost to project an image of majesty, and her jewels provided her with rich tools that enabled her to do so.

Several pieces in her collection reflected her interest in royalty, including a brooch featuring her image and that of her royal husband. This symbolised loyalty to Henry VIII. Katherine’s iconic crown brooch passed into the hands of Henry’s daughter Mary I, and it was later owned by both Queen Elizabeth I – who learned much about fashioning a royal image from Katherine – and Anne of Denmark (wife of James VI and I), on whose orders it was broken down.

Dripping in jewels, Katherine’s portrait is undoubtedly one of the most powerful images of a queen consort, and one in which, as intended, she exudes majesty.

This article was first published in the December 2022 issue of BBC History Magazine

]]> HistoryExtra <![CDATA[Snape Castle: Katherine Parr’s prison]]> https://www.historyextra.com/membership/six-wives-explorer-katherine-parr/ 2025-10-24T13:24:09.000Z 2023-04-25T12:45:05.000Z Katherine Parr was living in Snape Castle in 1537, during the Pilgrimage of Grace – one of the greatest rebellions in Henry VIII’s reign.

Her husband, John Latimer, had been participating in the Pilgrimage of Grace, leaving his children and his wife in Snape Castle. But when he was in London, people believed that he had turned his back on the rebels. The rebels in the north-west were so angry with him that they went to Snape Castle and imprisoned his wife, Katherine, and his children, John and Margaret Latimer, in their own home.

That was the hardest period Katherine Parr ever endured. Physically, she was unharmed, but mentally she was really suffering. She was scared for own life, as well as for her step-children’s lives and her husband’s life. She didn't know what was going to happen. Luckily, her husband managed to come back home and save the day, but it was a very hard time.

And so, I would like you to visit that castle and to imagine what it was like to be imprisoned in your own house, and try to link Katherine Parr to this space. I know that usually she is linked to Hampton Court Palace, but here is an opportunity for you to see that, before she became queen, she did not always enjoy an easy and beautiful life. She had to endure real hardship.

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In our six-part series Henry VIII’s six wives: Secrets of the Tudor queens, leading Tudor historians explore each queen's heady rise to power, peeling back the myths surrounding these six women to reveal their true natures. Watch all episodes now.

]]> Ellie Cawthorne <![CDATA[Six wives: Katherine Parr]]> https://www.historyextra.com/membership/six-wives-podcast-series-katherine-parr/ 2024-09-09T14:01:51.000Z 2023-03-25T08:06:41.000Z Katherine Parr was not just the “survivor”. She was also a ground-breaking intellectual, passionate religious reformer and canny political player. In episode six of our new series on the dramatic marital history of England’s most notorious monarch, Dr Estelle Paranque and Dr Tracy Borman join Ellie Cawthorne to share the tumultuous life story of Henry VIII’s final wife.

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On the podcast | Explore the full Six Wives series

The story of King Henry VIII’s six wives is a tale of political crisis and personal tragedy, sacrifice and survival, sex and death, scandal, love and betrayal. But, after centuries of myth have built up around this story, has it clouded our view of the real women involved? We’ll be peeling back the layers of mythmaking to take another look at these fascinating women, who shaped the course of Henry’s reign – and the history of England.

In video | Discover the secrets of the Tudor queens

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In our accompanying six-part video series, leading Tudor historians delve into the fascinating lives of each of Henry VIII’s iconic queens. Could Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard have avoided the executioner’s block? Why can Anne of Cleves be seen as the true survivor? And who was the queen whom Henry loved most?

Find out in this video series exclusively available to HistoryExtra subscribers. All episodes are available to watch now:

Want to learn more about the queens?

]]> Rhiannon Davies <![CDATA[Katherine Parr: Political powerhouse]]> https://www.historyextra.com/membership/katherine-parr-six-wives-video-series/ 2025-02-12T13:12:54.000Z 2023-03-25T08:05:58.000Z Katherine Parr: the truth about the wife who 'survived'Henry VIII’s final wife and widow did far more than simply outlast her tyrannical husband. Talking to Rhiannon Davies, historian Estelle Paranque argues that Katherine used her royal position to push for religious reform – as well as to advance her own power. She may have even, Estelle claims, have looked to her young stepson Edward as a means of releasing her ambitions.

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Dr Estelle Paranque is a royal historian and assistant professor in history at Northeastern University London. Her latest book is Blood, Fire and Gold: The Story of Elizabeth I and Catherine de Medici (Penguin, 2022)

Explore the full video series

Six Wives banners WL

In our accompanying six-part video series, leading Tudor historians delve into the fascinating lives of each of Henry VIII’s iconic queens. Could Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard have avoided the executioner’s block? Why can Anne of Cleves be seen as the true survivor? And who was the queen whom Henry loved most?

Find out in this video series exclusively available to HistoryExtra subscribers. All episodes are available to watch now:

On the podcast | Explore the full Six Wives audio series

The story of King Henry VIII’s six wives is a tale of political crisis and personal tragedy, sacrifice and survival, sex and death, scandal, love and betrayal. But, after centuries of myth have built up around this story, has it clouded our view of the real women involved? In our accompanying six-part podcast series, we’ll be peeling back the layers of mythmaking to take another look at these fascinating women, who shaped the course of Henry’s reign – and the history of England.

Want to learn more about the queens?

]]> HistoryExtra <![CDATA[What happened to Katherine Parr’s daughter, Mary Seymour, after her mother’s death?]]> https://www.historyextra.com/period/tudor/what-happened-to-katherine-parrs-daughter-mary-seymour-after-her-mothers-death/ 2024-10-11T11:36:53.000Z 2021-08-05T06:03:00.000Z Following Katherine Parr's death a matter of days after Mary's birth, the newborn's father, Thomas Seymour, placed Mary in the household of his brother, Edward Seymour the Duke of Somerset. But the brothers’ relationship deteriorated and as Thomas faced death for treason, he appointed the Duchess of Suffolk, Katherine’s close friend, as Mary’s guardian.

The Duchess of Suffolk’s main estate was at Grimsthorpe in Lincolnshire and Mary moved there with her little retinue. Her guardian resented the cost of looking after Mary and petitioned William Cecil, then in Somerset’s household, for additional funds to support her. These were granted in autumn 1549, and in January 1550 an act of parliament restored Mary’s title to her father’s remaining property.

There was, however, very little left. The Privy Council’s grant to Mary was not renewed in September 1550 and she never claimed any part of her father’s estate, leading to the conclusion that she died around the time of her second birthday.

There is a story that Mary survived, cared for by the Aglionbys (a northern family who had once been clients of the Parrs), and married a courtier in the service of Anne of Denmark, queen of James VI and I. In the absence of documentary proof, it seems far likelier that this tragic orphan died very young.

Answered by Linda Porter, author of Katherine the Queen (MacMillan, 2010)

]]> HistoryExtra <![CDATA[Katharine Parr: secrets of a Tudor survivor]]> https://www.historyextra.com/membership/katharine-parr-tudor-survivor-podcast-alison-weir/ 2024-09-06T15:03:58.000Z 2021-05-14T11:32:27.000Z Historian and novelist Alison Weir discusses the life of Katharine Parr – from her relationship with the king to her secret faith and other marriages. Plus, Alison reflects on her recently completed Six Tudor Queens series, discussing how her opinions of Henry VIII’s wives changed during the writing process.

Alison Weir is the author of Six Tudor Queens: Katharine Parr, The Sixth Wife (Headline, 2021)

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