historicall.y

In 1547, Henry VIII died and his nine year old son became King Edward VI of England. As he was not yet an adult, Edward's uncle Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (brother of the king's dead mother-  Jane Seymour ) became Lord Protector, ruling the country on behalf of Edward VI. He was Lord Protector between 1547 and 1549. Thomas Seymour (young Edward's 'favourite' uncle) had been promoted to Lord High Admiral, this gave him the power to control the royal navy. Seymour took advantage of this power and tried to lead a rebellion on the throne. Now, the officials had there eye on the scheming uncle... Jealous of his brother's high position in the country, Thomas Seymour  snuck into the palace one night in an attempt to kidnap his nephew. Whilst breaking into the palace, one of Edward's favourite pets, a spaniel began barking. Afraid that the dog would alert the guards, Seymour shot it. On 28th March 1549, Thomas Seymour was beheaded for high treason. ...

Henry VIII is probably most famous for marrying six wives:  Catherine of Aragon , Anne Boleyn , Jane Seymour , Anne of Cleves ,  Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr .  But not everyone can remember them just like that, so here's a few ways to remember it. 1. The rhyme This doesn't tell you the names of the wives however it dose tell you what happend to them. Divorced,  Beheaded,  Died,  Divorced,  Beheaded,  Survived. 2. A song  I heard this song and loved it! It is really fun and it helps you to remember the basic information about Henry VII's six wives! 3. Get to know the six wives If you want to know a little more detail about King Henry VIII's six wives, then you can take a look at this blog series by us! 1.  Catherine of Aragon 2.  Anne Boleyn 3.  Jane Seymour 4.  Anne of Cleves 5.  Catherine Howard 6.  Katherine Parr 4. A...

When Henry VIII married his sixth wife- Katherine Parr, she was already twice widowed and a step- mother, although she had no children herself. Yet, at the age of fifty- two years, Henry was unhealthy and struggling with his ever increasing weight. He did not really require a wife because it was obvious that he probably wouldn't procreate any more offspring, but, to be honest, he more than likely married Katherine so he could have a nurse. On the other hand it has been recorded that the king and queen did have an intimate relationship. History remembers Henry VIII's sixth wife as a kind, beautiful woman who was a devoted Reformer and highly intelligent scholar, she actually wrote a best seller titled: "Lamentations of a Sinner"! However Katherine also enjoyed pretty gowns, entertainment and was a successful step- mother. During her marriage to Henry, the queen bought together his estranged family. As a child her mother, Maud Green (aka Lady Maud Parr) educated h...

Lady Maud Parr (née Green) was born in Northamptonshire on 6th April 1492. Her mother was Joan Fogge and her Sir Thomas Green. Joan Fogge was the daughter of Elizabeth Woodville's first cousin- Lady Alice Fogge, who was one of Queen Elizabeth's five ladies- in- waiting. Maud's mother died when she was an infant.  When she was about sixteen, Maud was married to Sir Thomas Parr, son of Sir William Parr. The couple had three surviving children, one of which was Catherine Parr who went on to be the sixth wife of King Henry VIII. In 1512 Maud gave birth to her first surviving child, a daughter whom she named Catherine, quite possibly after her mistress Catherine of Aragon, who also became the baby's godmother. During a sweating sickness epidemic of 1517, Thomas Parr passed away leaving Maud a widow at twenty- five with three young children.  In the court of Henry VIII, Maud was a favourite and trusted lady- in- waiting to Catherine of Aragon. When the queen establ...

Catherine Parr died a few days after the birth of her daughter Mary on 30th August 1548. Mary's father, Thomas Seymour, was sent to the block after being charged for high treason less than a year later.  Seymour knew he would face execution, so shortly before his death, he appointed his late wife's friend the Duchess of Suffolk as his baby daughter's guardian.   Mary moved to her guardian's family's estate but the Duchess was annoyed at the cost of Mary therefore she wrote to Lord Cecil asking for funds to support the orphan. Cecil granted these in 1549 and the next year Seymour's lands were granted to his infant daughter. However, because Mary never claimed her father's lands, it has lead to the belief that she died around the time of her second birthday. She then disappears from history.  It is likely that she died in 1550 but there are theories that Mary grew up and married a courtier of James I's wife- Anne of Denmark's court. Unfo...

Recently the historian Lucy Worsley (historian and chief curator of Hampton Court Palace, London) completed a documentary/ historical re-enacment program for the BBC, it is currently available on BBC iPlayer. This series is titled: 'Six wives with Lucy Worsley'. The series consists of three episodes, each focusing on a few of Henry VIII's wives at a time. The first is about Catherine of Aragon, the second is about Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour and the third is about Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr. During the series, Worsley dresses up as a servant and a courtier and re- visits historic events that usually get forgotten but are key events in the downfall of his unfortunate wives. Personally, I really enjoyed it and I hope you do too.  Beth