Birth: 1512Katherine Parr was the sixth and last wife of Henry VIII. She was different than Henry’s other wives in that sense that she had a caring and motherly nature, which is exactly what Henry needed during his aging years. Henry was 51-years-old when Kathryn Howard was executed; he was getting sick and suffering from an ulcerated leg. Katherine acted as a nursing companion during Henry’s remaining years.
Katherine’s parents, Sir Thomas Parr of Kendal and Maud Greene, were courtiers for Henry VIII during his early reign. Sir Thomas was knighted at Henry’s coronation in 1509 and Maud was a lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon.
Katherine was known as the Queen with the most marriages, having 4 marriages total in her life. When she was 15, she married Edward Borough in 1529, the son of a lord in Lincolnshire. She bore no children during this marriage and he quickly died in 1532. Katherine next wed John Neville, Lord Latimer, in 1533, who was twice the age of her; he was 40 years old and already had a son and daughter. He eventually got sick and Katherine aided his dying husband by nursing him with great care.
It was most likely when Katherine was in London taking care of Lord Latimer that she fell for Thomas Seymour, brother of Queen Jane Seymour and uncle of future Edward VI. However, Henry had his eye on Katherine and he showered her with extravagant gifts. Lord Latimer passed away in March of 1543; Katherine had wanted to take Seymour as her next husband. However, Seymour knew of the King’s interest and wisely did not interfere.
Katherine, doing her duty once again, married Henry at Hampton Court on July 12, 1543. Katherine was the perfect wife and a loving stepmother to the royal family; she nursed Henry’s poor health and provided the best education for her stepchildren. Katherine was responsible for bringing Cambridge tutors John Cheke and Roger Ascham to court, who gave Edward and Elizabeth a well-learned education.
Katherine’s only flaw proved to be her evangelical Protestantism. Although she was brought up as a Roman Catholic, she later became interested in the Reformation and the “New Faith.” She was a devoted scholar and felt that theology’s most important issues should be questioned and debated among the people, and not in the hands of the church. The central idea behind this new faith was that everyone should think for himself or herself, and that each person should personally study the bible. This was a revolutionary idea, but this also made the church less powerful. Not surprisingly, Katherine’s religious beliefs made it much easier for enemies to call her a heretic.
Bishop Stephen Gardiner and Chancellor Thomas Wriothesley were just among the few who were envious of Katherine’s influence over the King and tried to turn him against her. However, when confronted by Henry, Katherine was quick to show her submissiveness, which saved her head from the fate of the block.
Henry died in January 28, 1547, leaving Katherine a widow for the third time. However, now Katherine was free to marry Thomas Seymour, her old flame. While she had no children from her previous marriages, Katherine did give birth to a girl, Mary Seymour, on August 30, 1548. Unfortunately, she died shortly on September 5, from puerperal fever, which was what also killed Queen Jane Seymour.
Katherine is buried at St. Mary’s Church at Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire.