Wifes of Henry VIII – Katharine Parr

The Early Life of the Sixth Wife of Henry VIII 1512-1546

Oct 6, 2009

Famous for being the wife that outlived Henry VIII, Katharine Parr only narrowly escaped the same fate as two of her predocessors.

Having already been married twice, Katharine Parr had planned upon marrying her long time love, Thomas Seymour when she caught the eye of the King.

Birth and Early Life of Katharine Parr

It is unknown what year Katharine Parr was born, but it is generally thought to have been around 1512. Katharine's mother had been one of Katharine of Aragon's ladies in waiting and her father was descended from Edward III of England.

In 1529, Katharine married her first husband, Edward Borough, but his health was delicate and she was widowed just three years later.

In 1533-1534, Katharine entered into her second marriage to John Neville, Lord Latimer. Her husband was forty years old and already had two children. In 1536, Katharine and her step children were taken hostage by rebel in the Pilgrimage of Grace (a Catholic rebellion against the dissolution of the ministries), although all escaped unhurt, her husband never fully recovered from the stress of the situation and passed away in March 1543.

While nursing her sick husband, Katharine began a relationship with Thomas Seymour, although there is no evidence to suggest the two became intimate during this period. It was during this time that Katharine caught the eye of the ailing Henry VIII, who began to send her gifts about a month before her husband died.

Although Katharine clearly intended to marry Thomas Seymour, her sense of duty compelled her to accept the King's proposal, and the couple were married on 12th July 1543.

Marriage to Henry VIII

As Queen, Katharine quickly established an affectionate relationship with her step children, Mary (his daughter with Katharine of Aragon), Elizabeth (the daughter of Anne Boleyn) and Edward (the son of Jane Seymour) and was largely responsible for reconciling the King with his daughters.

Embarking upon a military campaign in France in 1544, Henry appointed Katharine as Regent in his absence, a title he had only previously bestowed upon his first wife. When he returned in October, the King was said to have been extremely impressed with her.

Having previously nursed her first two ailing husbands, Katharine played the same role in her third marriage (Henry had become extremely ill, suffering recurrent headaches and an ulcer on his leg which required daily draining), often sitting with the King's ulcerated leg on her lap and talking to him for hours.

The couple seemed to enjoy an affectionate relationship, with the two of them frequently exchanging gifts and throwing lavish parties, at which the King would enjoy watching his Queen dancing.

Religious Beliefs

While Katharine was known for enjoying fine clothes and music, she was also pious and studious, seeming to enjoy the study and debate the "New Faith" encouraged. Her rooms soon became known for their theological debates and this caused several within the court (notably Catholic Bishop Stephen Gardiner and Thomas Wriothesley, Lord Chancellor who was particularly interested in detecting heresy) to become worried by the Queen's religious persuasions.

During May 1546, the Protestant martyr Anne Askew was arrested and tortured in an effort to implicate the Queen in Protestant activities, although Katharine was never named. However, convinced that she would be arrested, the Privy Council ordered that all Katharine's possessions be confiscated.

Added to this, during one of her evenings sitting with the King, she had dared to debate theology with him, making her beliefs known and disagreeing with some of his opinions, using this to their advantage, Gardiner and Wriothesley attempted to persuade the King to issue a warrant for her arrest. Had this taken place, Katharine would certainly have been charged with heresy and executed.

The Six Wives of Henry VIII, David Starkey, (Vintage; New edition edition, Mar 2004)

Six Wives: The Wives of Henry VIII, Antonia Fraser, (Phoenix; New Ed edition, Aug 2002)

Letters of the Queens of England, ed. Anne Crawford, (Sutton Publishing Ltd; New edition edition, Aug 2002)

The copyright of the article Wifes of Henry VIII – Katharine Parr in Monarchs is owned by Graidi Taylor-Rose. Permission to republish Wifes of Henry VIII – Katharine Parr in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.