historicall.y

Katherine Parr By the time Henry VIII married his sixth and final wife- Katherine Parr, he had been previously married five times and she had been married two previous times. When the king married Katherine, he didn't really need a wife. The majority of his court, they knew that he was nearing the end of his life, but to say it publicly, was treason and you could even die for suggesting the death of a monarch! To be absolutely honest, he needed a nurse. However the royal couple did grow to love each other, and Katherine was a wonderful stepmother to Henry's three children: Mary, Elizabeth and Edward.  Katherine was the daughter of the Tudor knight Sir Thomas Parr and his wife Maud Green . She was the eldest surviving child of Thomas and Maud and she was born in the year of 1512, probably in August. Katherine had two little siblings- William and Anne. In 1517, her father died, more than likely due to the sweating sickness. With their mother in charge of the royal ed...

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...

Portrait of Catherine Howard by Hans Holbein the Younger Despite the ridiculous age gap, King Henry VIII, who was aged forty- nine, took nineteen year old Catherine Howard to be his fifth wife on 28th July 1540! Henry doted on his young wife and presented her with beautiful gifts and tokens of love. Catherine was Henry's 'rose without thorns' and a 'perfect jewel of womanhood'. However, after no more than two years marriage, Catherine was laying her fragile neck upon her husband's chopping block. Upon arriving at court in 1540 from her step- grandmother's residence, Catherine was to serve the king's German wife: Anne of Cleves. She quickly attracted attention from the king because of her confidence and cheerful personality. Her paternal uncle: the Duke of Norfolk urged on his niece, as he had with his other niece the late Anne Boleyn (!) (Catherine's first cousin). Her one flaw which would assist in leading her to the executioner was her fl...

On 6th January 1540 Henry VIII married the German princess Anne of Cleves, in a politically arranged marriage. The king's advisor Thomas Cromwell persuaded the him to re- marry because it had been three years since Jane Seymour had passed away after succeeding giving Henry the thing he wanted most: a son.  Hans Holbein the Younger was sent to Cleves in Germany with the orders to paint the Duke of Cleve's daughters. Two very flattering images were sent back to the king but he chose the older sister- Anne above the younger sister- Amalia. Henry was about 49 years old whereas Anne was about 25 and a year older than Henry's eldest daughter Mary! Thankfully, unlike most of the other candidates to be the queen, Anne's family had already agreed to let Henry wed there daughter!  Henry first met Anne at Rochester Abby where she was standing by a window watching the bull- bating in the courtyard. With a group of friends, he disguised himself and entered the room. Accord...

Less than a month after the execution of Anne Boleyn, Henry VIII of England married her former lady- in- waiting: Jane Seymour. Historians believe that Jane was the notorious king's favourite wife because she gave him a son, unfortunately she died twelve days after his birth. Jane Seymour caught the eye of the womanising king when the was the maid of honour to her predecessor as Henry's wife. Apparently she was noticed whilst the royal party were staying at her place of birth- Wulfhall in the summer of 1535. Around that time, Henry began to privately court the woman. When Anne found out, she was outraged as she was jealous of her servant, who was receiving attention, letters and gifts from her rightful husband. Jane did receive gifts but she reportedly sent the majority of them back. Once the French ambassador noticed the romantic couple, the courting became public and Jane's siblings were moved up in court. I imagine that this did not go down too well with Anne Boleyn...

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