Catherine Parr

Catherine Parr was the sixth and last wife of Henry VIII, king of England. She was born in Blackfriars, London, around 1512 to Sir Thomas Parr, an official of the royal household, and Maud Green, a lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon. She was twice widowed before she married Henry in 1543. She was a learned and devout woman who had a keen interest in arts and literature. She was also a patron of many scholars and artists, such as John Leland, William Cecil, Hans Holbein the Younger, and Anne Askew. She wrote three books on religious topics: Psalms or Prayers (1544), Prayers or Meditations (1545), and The Lamentation of a Sinner (1547). She was the first English queen to publish under her own name. She also supported the Protestant Reformation and advocated for the education and welfare of women and children. She had a close relationship with Henry's three children: Mary, Elizabeth, and Edward. She helped persuade Henry to pass the Third Succession Act in 1543 that restored his daughters to the line of succession after his son. She also acted as regent in 1544 when Henry was away on a military campaign in France. She managed the affairs of the kingdom with efficiency and skill. However, she also faced opposition from some conservative factions at court who disliked her religious views and influence over the king. In 1546, a plot was hatched to arrest her for heresy and replace her with Henry's former wife Catherine Howard's niece Catherine Howard Duchess of Norfolk. However, Catherine managed to avoid arrest by convincing Henry of her loyalty and obedience. After Henry's death in 1547, she married her fourth and final husband Thomas Seymour, the uncle of King Edward VI and the brother of Jane Seymour (Henry's third wife) and Edward Seymour (the Lord Protector). She gave birth to her only child Mary Seymour in 1548 but died shortly after from childbed fever at Sudeley Castle. She was buried at St Mary's Chapel there with a Protestant funeral service.¹