Katherine Parr

Get Out of Jail Free Cards: The Many Annulments of Henry VIII (Guest Post)

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By Jillianne Hamilton Everyone knows Henry VIII was unlucky in love. Not nearly as unlucky as many of his wives, of course, but Henry would certainly have considered himself the most unfortunate man in England when it came to his married life. The excuses he used to get out of his marriage varied from wife to wife. But he and his advisors were able to come up with excuses that never put the king at fault. Ever. His first marriage was the most complicated to end [More]

The Differences in the Wives of Henry VIII

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Raised as the second son, or "spare", Henry Tudor, Duke of York was never intended to be King of England. When his older brother Arthur, Prince of Wales died unexpectedly in 1502 Henry was thrust into the spotlight as heir to the throne of England. His training began immediately and Henry despised the fact that his father controlled everything around him. He went from being raised with his sisters to being separated from the world. When there were discussions by Henry VII [More]

Interesting Life of Elizabeth Brooke, Lady Northampton

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As the daughter of George Brooke, 9th Baron of Cobham and Anne Bray, Elizabeth grew up familiar with court politics. Being born on 25 June 1526, during the reign of Henry VIII, she would have been around ten years old at the time of Anne Boleyn's execution in 1536. Being at an impressionable age this should have been a great example to Elizabeth of what not to do as a woman at Tudor court, or one would think. Maybe she didn't understand what was going on at the time. It is [More]

Book Review: “The Bastard Princess” by G. Lawrence

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After much time on the back-burner I was able to read this wonderful book - Book One, of the Elizabeth of England Chronicle by Gemma Lawrence: The Bastard Princess. I'm always interested in reading books about Elizabeth's early years since it helps me see other writer's view-point on her relationship with Thomas Seymour and her mother. This book did not disappoint. Book Summary: February, 1603… In Richmond Palace, London, the last Queen of the Tudor dynasty [More]

Similar Fates: Anne Boleyn and Thomas Seymour

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This will not be the first time I mention this idea and it won't be the last - Anne Boleyn and Thomas Seymour had very similar fates. The thought came to me one day when I was reading one of my many primary sources about Thomas Seymour. If you did not know already I've been researching and writing a book about Thomas Seymour since 2016 - a book to show a side of Thomas Seymour that no other author has dared to write about. I've even started a separate website and Facebook [More]

Tudor Queens Come to Life with Portraits, Wax Figures and Descriptions of Appearance

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All six of Henry VIII's queens were beautiful in their own way. Whether it was their physical beauty or their nature, there was something about each of them that the King was attracted to. Here we take a look at some wax figures of his wives and descriptions of their appearance - we are attempting to bring the Tudor queens to life. -- Katherine of Aragon Just after her marriage to Henry in 1509, Katharine was described, perhaps somewhat partially, by her Confessor, [More]

Narrative of Funeral and Burial of Katherine Parr

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This is an anonymous account of the funeral of dowager queen Katherine Parr. It should be noted that her husband, Thomas Seymour did not attend his wife's funeral and burial. One could believe that his grief was too great to be present. Lady Jane Grey was the chief mourner. This is believed to have been the first Protestant funeral of a royal in England, happening on the 7th of September 1548, two days after her death. -- A short account of the interment of [More]

Two Days Before the Death of Kateryn Parr

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At the end of her life, dowager queen Kateryn Parr was married to Thomas Seymour, Lord Admiral; She had just given birth to her only child, a daughter named Mary, on the 30th of August, 1548. Unfortunately, as happened often in Tudor England, Kateryn Parr got an infection after giving birth causing puerperal fever. The infection occurs when bacteria infect the uterus and surrounding areas after a women gives birth. Elizabeth Tyrwhit was a lady-in-waiting and friend of [More]

Thomas Seymour: Prisoner to Greed

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Thomas Seymour had a way with women - his charisma so great and his looks so good that even Katherine Parr couldn't help but fall for him. He was described as "...fierce in courage, courtly in fashion, in personage stately, in voice magnificent."  Yet with all those wonderful attributes he did not marry until he was nearly forty years old. In 1547, after the death of King Henry VIII, his son Edward succeeded him as King Edward VI of England. Young Edward's mother, Jan [More]

Elizabeth: To Honor Thy Father

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Honor Thy Father: After being proposed to by Thomas Seymour and rejecting his request, Elizabeth must have felt torn. It appears she would have accepted the proposal had it not been so soon after her father, Henry VIII's death. There was, of course, a required mourning period and Elizabeth intended on honoring her father properly. On the other-hand, Elizabeth's step-mother, Katherine Parr didn't appear to worry about honoring her late husband the way any queen consort was [More]