One happy-hour evening, I was having a conversation with a few other history
geek friends, and the talk turned not to who was dating who at the moment, but
which wife of Henry VIII was our favorite. (I was shocked to find out not
everyone has a favorite wife of Henry VIII!!!) Anne Boleyn is my very favorite,
though Queen Catherine Parr, number six on the roster, runs a close second in my
affections. In college, I wrote a paper about the writings of royal ladies in
the Renaissance, and was amazed to learn she was the first English queen to be a
published author under her own name. She had an astonishing life. I was happy to
bring her into MURDER AT
WHITEHALL (even though by this time she had been dead for several years!),
and use Kate Haywood's memories of her own childhood at Queen Catherine's court.
(And Kate is her namesake, as well!)
Catherine Parr was raised by a strong, intelligent widowed mother, Maud Parr,
lady-in-waiting to wife number one Catherine of Aragon (who was possible
Catherine Parr's godmother). Maud had spirit, but not much money, and most of it
went to securing a marriage for her son to the greatest heiress in England (a
marriage that, spoiler, also did not go well). Catherine was married twice
before the king, first to Sir Edward Burrough, who died very young, and then to
John Neville, Lord Latimer, a widower twice her age with extensive land holdings
in the isolated North. The marriage seems to have been reasonably happy, though,
and Catherine raised his two children as her own. After his death, she joined
the household of Princess Mary, where she caught the eye of King Henry. Henry
had recently “lost” his unfortunate fifth wife, the young, pretty, giddy
Katherine Howard, and was looking for someone steady and dignified. The widowed
Lady Latimer, unfortunately for her, seemed to fit the bill, and the fact that
she was being courted by Sir Thomas Seymour made no difference. Catherine
married the king on July 12, 1543.
She was well-suited to the role of queen, being well-read, charming, very
stylish, and practical. Even diplomats from France and hostile Spain sang her
praises, and she brought Henry's three children together as a family for the
first time. (She especially encouraged young Princess Elizabeth, who had been
mostly ignored up to that point, in her educational endeavors). But then she
went too far for Henry's taste (and we all know what happened to wives who
annoyed Henry). She became deeply interested in the Protestant faith and the New
Learning, as Lady Jane Grey had, and gathered a group of like-minded women
around her for studies and discussion. She talked about her studies at length
with anyone who would listen. She published her own works of prayers and
philosophy (including LAMENTATIONS OF A SINNER in 1547). This did not
sit well with the more conservative courtiers, including Stephen Gardiner,
Bishop of Winchester (one of Queen Catherine's best friends, the pert Duchess of
Suffolk, named her spaniel “Gardiner”).
After the king's death, Queen Catherine married her old love Thomas Seymour (a
union that did not end well-for anyone! Not even Princess Elizabeth, as we see
in MURDER AT WHITEHALL).
Catherine gave birth to her only daughter Mary on August 30, 1548 and died six
days later. Mary was sent to live with Catherine's friend the Duchess of
Suffolk, who complained of the expense of the child. Thomas Seymour was
attainted for treason for trying to marry Elizabeth without permission, and was
beheaded on March 30, 1549 (and only Elizabeth's quick wit saved her from
sharing his fate).
Mary Seymour's property was restored to her by an Act of Parliament in March
1550, to help the duchess with her upbringing, but the last that was heard of
her was around the time of her second birthday. Most historians agree she died
as a child, but there have always been rumors she survived to be married off in
obscurity and raise her own family. (I would love to think this was true!)
A few sources I used for the life of the remarkable Queen Catherine (and be sure
to check my website for
more information!):
- Tracy Borman, ELIZABETH'S WOMEN (2009)
- Susan E. James, KATHRYN PARR, THE MAKING OF A QUEEN (1999)
- Linda Porter, KATHERINE THE QUEEN: THE REMARKABLE LIFE OF KATHERINE
PARR, THE LAST WIFE OF HENRY VIII (2010)
- Janel Mueller, A Tudor Queen Finds Her Voice: Katherine Parr's
Lamentations of a Sinner in THE HISTORICAL RENAISSANCE: NEW ESSAYS ON
TUDOR AND STUART LITERATURE AND CULTURE (1988)
- Devotion as Difference: Intertexuality in Queen Katherine Parr's Prayers
or Meditations (1545) in Huntington Library Quarterly 53 (1988)
Amanda has been in love with the Tudors ever since an accidental viewing of
"Anne of the Thousand Days" on TV as a kid! Now she just wishes she could live
with them all the time--but there has to be time for writing about them too.
She also writes as Amanda McCabe and Laurel McKee, and her books have
been nominated for many awards, including the RITA Award, the Romantic Times
BOOKReviews Reviewers' Choice Award, the Booksellers Best, the National Readers
Choice Award, and the Holt Medallion. She lives in Oklahoma with a menagerie of
two cats, a Pug, and a very bossy miniature Poodle, along with far too many
books.
When not writing or reading, she loves taking dance classes, yoga,
collecting cheesy travel souvenirs, and watching the Food Network--even though
she doesn't cook.
Series include:
Elizabethan Mystery
The acclaimed author of Murder in the Queen’s Garden returns to Tudor
England with amateur sleuth Kate Haywood embroiled in court intrigue and a
devastating scandal.
1559. The Twelve Days of Christmas at Whitehall Palace will be celebrated
as a grand affair. But there are those who wish to usher in the New Year by
ending Queen Elizabeth’s reign....
Despite evenings of banquets and dancing, the European delegates attending
Her Majesty’s holiday festivities are less interested in peace on earth than
they are in fostering mistrust. Kate, the queen’s personal musician, hopes she
can keep the royal guests entertained.
But then Queen Elizabeth receives a
most unwanted gift—an anonymous letter that threatens to reveal untoward
advances from her beloved Queen Catherine’s last husband, Thomas Seymour. Tasked
with finding the extortionist, Kate has barely begun investigating when one of
Spain’s visiting lords is found murdered. With two mysteries to unravel and an
unsettling number of suspects to consider, Kate finds herself caught between an
unscrupulous blackmailer and a cold-blooded killer....
Elizabethan Mystery #4
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