Katherine Parr, the sixth wife of King Henry VIII, was a champion of girls’ education and a political shrewd. She survived several attempts to remove her from power as queen and was the most married English queen. She died after a disastrous fourth marriage, leaving behind a legacy of devotion to learning and championing girls’ education.
Katherine Parr was the sixth and last wife of King Henry VIII of England and one of only two survivors of his reign. With four marriages in her life, Katherine Parr was the most married English queen. A champion of girls’ education and political shrewd, Katherine has survived several attempts to remove her from power as queen. She survived her royal husband only to have a disastrous fourth marriage which some believe resulted in her death.
Born in 1512, Katherine Parr was married at the age of 15 to the elderly Baron Gainsborough. He died in 1533 and Katherine was quickly courted and married to another elderly noble, Lord Latimer. For nearly ten years, Katherine nursed her husband, until her death in 1543. Finally free to pursue her own interests, Katherine concentrated heavily on her education, studying with Lady Mary, Henry VIII’s eldest daughter. Although she had a brief affair with Thomas Seymour, brother of the late Queen Jane Seymour, Henry VIII soon expressed an interest in the intelligent and patient woman and Katherine Parr married the king in July 1543.
By this time, Henry was aging and constantly suffering from an infection in his leg. Katherine, unlike most of her predecessors, was a confidant and nurse instead of an object of lust. But intelligent Katherine, unable to stay out of politics, was arrested and nearly lost her mind when she attempted to meddle in politics on behalf of the Protestant Church. Wisely, Katherine threw herself at Henry’s feet, begging his forgiveness. Henry relented and Katherine’s place as queen remained secure.
One of Katherine Parr’s most legendary achievements was getting Henry to reinstate his two daughters in the line of succession. Henry had removed them as his heirs many years earlier, as punishment for the behavior of their mothers, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Under the rule of Katherine Parr, both Mary and Elizabeth were restored to court and given their rightful title of princess. Katherine developed close relationships with both girls, even taking her Elizabeth into her family after the king’s death.
When Henry VIII died in 1547, Dowager Queen Katherine retired to her estates in Chelsea and secretly married Thomas Seymour. Records say Katherine was deeply in love with Seymour and she felt he ultimately deserved a husband of her choice of hers. While pregnant with Seymour’s child, however, Katherine discovered that the ambitious Seymour was courting 14-year-old Princess Elizabeth in an attempt to gain power over her. Horrified, Katherine sent Elizabeth away, never to see her again.
A few days after giving birth to a daughter, Katherine Parr died in September 1548. Delirious with fever, Katherine signed a will leaving all her possessions and fortunes to her husband. Experts disagree, but a strong faction believes Thomas Seymour forced Katherine to sign the document, refusing to send medical help until she signed.
Katherine Parr is remembered for her devotion to learning and her championship in girls’ education. Under her guidance, Princess Elizabeth was educated by her best tutors, preparing her for life on the throne of England. Katherine’s farsighted insistence that Henry reinstate the princesses as heirs prevented a bloody and possibly catastrophic war of succession when Henry’s son King Edward VI died in his teens. The life of this highly educated and wise woman was filled with personal disappointments, but she played an important role in the ascension of Queen Elizabeth I, widely regarded as one of England’s greatest monarchs.
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