The sixth wife of Henry VIII was also the most married queen of England, outliving three
husbands before finally marrying for love. Catherine Parr was enjoying her freedom after
her first two arranged marriages when she caught the attention of the elderly Henry VIII.
She was the most reluctant of all Henry’s wives, offering to become his mistress rather than
submit herself to the dangers of becoming Henry’s queen. This only served to increase
Henry’s enthusiasm for the young widow and Catherine was forced to abandon her lover for
the decrepit king.
Whilst Catherine was reluctant to be a queen she quickly made the role a success,
providing Henry VIII with a domestic tranquillity that he had not known since the early days
of his first marriage. For Henry, Catherine was a satisfactory choice but he never stopped
considering a new marriage, to Catherine’s terror. Catherine is remembered as the wife
who survived but, without her strength of character it could have been very different. When
informed that the king had ordered her arrest for heresy, she took decisive action, defusing
the king’s anger and once again becoming his ‘own sweetheart’. It was a relief for Catherine
when Henry finally died and she secretly married the man she had been forced to abandon
for Henry, Thomas Seymour. During her retirement, Catherine’s heart was broken by her
discovery of a love affair between her stepdaughter, Princess Elizabeth, and her husband.
She never recovered from the birth of her only child and, in her fever accused her husband
of plotting her death.
Catherine Parr is often portrayed as a matronly and dutiful figure. Her life was indeed one of
duty but, throughout, she attempted to escape her destiny and find happiness for herself.
Ultimately, Catherine was betrayed and her great love affair with Thomas Seymour turned
sour.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Elizabeth Norton gained her first degree from the University of Cambridge, and her Masters from the University of Oxford. She is currently writing England’s Queens: The Biography, also for Amberley. She lives in Kingston Upon Thames.
BIBLIOGRAPHIC INFORMATION
| Publication:
| January 2010
|
| Availability:
| In stock
|
| Format:
| 234 x 156 mm
|
| Binding:
| Hardback
|
| Page Extent:
| 352 pages
|
| Illustrations:
| 40 mono
|
|
| 20 colour
|
Downloads:
| Available Soon
|
BOOKS BY ELIZABETH NORTON
|