‘Firebrand’ tells the story of how Katherine Parr became the final wife of King Henry VIII and how her new role as queen put her in danger. Here, we recount how a woman with no royal status of her own became Queen of England.
King Henry VIII was notorious for having many wives. On 12 July 1543 he would marry his sixth and final wife, Katherine Parr.
A year after his fifth queen, Catherine Howard was executed at the Tower of London, the 52-year-old King was seen as a dangerous prospect as a husband. But as he got older and his health declined, he felt betrayed by Catherine’s infidelity and was hesitant about marrying again. However, Henry was a romantic and enjoyed the chase of love.
Henry’s reservations didn’t last long as he met Katherine Parr. According to Historic Royal Palaces, it’s unclear how Henry met his final wife. Some say he met her on his frequent visits to his daughter Mary’s household in early 1543. Meanwhile, some historians believe Katherine was a lady-in-waiting. Another possibility is he may have met her through her husband, John Latimer, or her siblings at court. Victorian historians claimed Katherine petitioned the King in 1540 on behalf of her uncle, Sir George Throckmorton.
What is known is that by February 1543, Katherine had been widowed for a second time. She came to court where Lady Latimer, as she was then known, made quite a stir.
It is often said Henry married Katherine as he needed someone to nurse him as his health continued declining. She was well-versed in marriage and medicine. Her interest in herbs as a treatment is explored in Firebrand. But he probably didn’t expect her to nurse him as much as he had his own medical team. Henry wanted a consort and he wanted to be in love.
In comparison to Catherine Howard, who was a teenager, Katherine was older and more experienced when they met. He would trust her with his country and children throughout their marriage. Katherine didn’t want to marry Henry at first. She knew what happened to her five predecessors and she was also rumoured to have started a flirtation with Thomas Seymour, brother of Henry’s lost third queen, Jane, and uncle to the king’s only male heir, Edward.
But Katherine relented and she married henry on 12 July 1543 in The Queen’s Closet at Hampton Court Palace. The wedding was a small and intimate affair with family and close friends. Henry’s daughters Mary and Elizabeth were in attendance. Katherine took as her motto, ‘to be useful in all I do.’
Henry would die at the age of 55 on 28 January 1547. Katherine would marry again, to Thomas Seymour, who proved an unhappy choice. Katherine died on 5 September 1548 after she gave birth to her only child, Mary Seymour. It’s believed she died from ‘childbed fever.’, an illness that is common due to a lack of hygiene around childbirth.
Katherine’s story is also explored in the book ‘The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr‘ by Royal Central’s editor, June Woolerton.
