Catherine was born circa 1512 at Kendal Castle in northwest England. She was the eldest child of Sir Thomas Parr, Sheriff of Northamptonshire, Master of the Wards, and Comptroller to King Henry, and Lady Maud Green, an attendant of Henry’s first wife, Catherine of Aragon.
Catherine was the most married of the English queens. She married a total of four times. In 1529, when she was seventeen, she was married to Edward Borough, the 2nd Baron Borough of Gainsborough. He died four years later. The next year, Catherine married John Neville, the 3rd Baron Latimer, and became a stepmother to Neville’s two children.
Baron Latimer died in 1543, leaving Catherine a widow for the second time at the age 31. By this point, she had attracted the interest of Henry. She also began a relationship with Thomas Seymour, the brother of the late Queen Jane Seymour. Catherine ended the relationship when Henry asked for her hand in marriage. Catherine and Henry were married on June 12, 1543, in the Queen’s Closet at Hampton Court Palace. Catherine was the first queen to be given the title of Queen of Ireland.
Queen of England
As Henry’s wife, she helped Henry reconcile with his two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth. She also became close to Henry son, Edward. In July 1544, Catherine was made regent while Henry embarked on a military campaign in France. She was only the second of his wives to receive this honor. The first was Catherine of Aragon. Catherine was a patron of the arts and music. In 1545, she was the first English queen to publish a book under her own name, Prayers or Meditations. A second book, Lamentations of a Sinner, was published after Henry’s death.
At some point, Catherine became interested in Protestantism, which made enemies of the conservatives at Henry’s court. In 1546 they led a plot against Catherine. Catherine and her ladies-in-waiting owned banned books. This was grounds for arrest and execution on charges of heresy. A warrant was issued for the Queen’s arrest. Someone found the warrant and brought it to Catherine. She went to the king and convinced him of her loyalty. The warrant was rescinded.
Life After Henry
In January 1547, Henry VIII died. A few months later, Catherine secretly married Thomas Seymour. Despite the scandal that ensued, Catherine began the guardian to Princess Elizabeth and Lady Jane Grey, the new king’s cousin. In 1548, at the age of 37, Catherine became pregnant for the first time. On August 30, she gave birth to a daughter, Mary, at Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire. Catherine died six days later. She is buried in the chapel at Sudeley Castle.
Less than one year later, Thomas Seymour was beheaded for treason. Mary Seymour was sent to live with Catherine Willoughby, Dowager Duchess of Suffolk. The last mention of Mary on record is on her second birthday. Many historians believe she died shortly after.
Selected Bibliography:
Fraser, Antonia. The Wives of Henry VIII. London: Random House, 1993.
James, Susan. Catherine Parr: Henry VIII’s Last Love. Charleston: The History Press, 2009.
Starkey, David. Six Wives: The Queen of Henry VIII. New York: Harper Perennial, 2004.
Weir, Alison. The Six Wives of Henry VIII. New York: Grove Press, 1991.
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