#Katheryn Parr

[queencatherineparr]

FIREBRAND (noun): A person who is very passionate about a particular cause.

[earlymodernbarbie]

Me and My Dog by boygenius x Katherine Parr attributed to Master John and Katherine Parr also attributed to Master John

[earlgodwin]

As they are the period drama King and Queen, if you could cast David and Natalie as any historical couple who would you cast them as?.

interesting question!! i would DEFINITELY love to see them play elizabeth i and robert dudley. both actors are immensely talented and have such electrifying chemistry. they would absolutely nail it and they'd portray bess and robbie's intriguing bond that frustrated both the historians and the people in her court in the slayest way possible lol. so yeah <3

[kingedwardvi]

One more… Whoa! Is that Jude Law as Henry VIII?! Looking great! Better than I had hoped tbh.

[mary-tudor]

Well, we have a new Katheryn Parr. Here’s a register of Alicia Vikander as Queen Katheryn of England in the upcoming psychological thriller based on “Firebrand” which has Jude Law as King Henry VIII of England. The upcoming movie is based on Elizabeth Fremantle’s best seller.

[emmaofnormandy]

~The salvation of the sinner: a queen and her knight [a world where there’s no Thomas Seymour]~ [part I]

28 January 1547. Palace of Whitehall.

Once again, Katheryn Parr was left a widow. Three husbands went to the grave, leaving a vast inheritance for her and great responsibilities to lead. For the first time since 1483, England had a Dowager Queen of England. But beneath the title and the official grieving, there lied a woman who ached for something she did not know. 

Or perhaps she did. Though dutiful as she was, she remained a woman with needs and sentiments. But it’s been so long she knew duty that by now duty was all she knew. She had little time to think about it. She may not be queen anymore, she could breathe out of relief now that the king she feared lives no more, nonetheless... there were duties (as often were) expecting to be performed.

That year promised to be tough for Katheryn. The former queen of England was treated with respect and all honours to her position. Yet, something seemed amiss... She felt unhappy, and could hardly mask her sentiments, also used for political reasons. To many, she was not merely a grieving queen, but a grieving wife.

She leaned on her duties as a widow and as queen, giving space to her stepson fulfill his role as king in spite of his age. Katheryn was aware that some close to him--and she suspected this would be in the person of the Duchess of Somerset--saw her with suspicious: as a dowager queen, young and beautiful, could she remarry? 

Staying at the court was too much for her, though. Katheryn wanted nothing to do with politics. So that way she announced to king Edward her wishes of departing to her inheritance at the north, right at the castle of Sudeley. Her heart seemed to break when she saw the disappointment in Edward’s eyes. 

He wants me to stay. I wish I could, but I cannot.

When she stepped towards him, she knelt so she could match his height even though Edward was growing taller for his age.

“Your Majesty, I’ll never be far from you. I assure you that when you need me, I’ll be here for you to serve and obey.” Katheryn smiled. She was genuinely fond of the boy. “Write me as much as you wish, but be mindful of your duties. Always. To God, to England and to your conscience.”

“Of course, my lady. May He bless you.” There were unspoken words, choked by formalities that, nonetheless, reached those piercing blue eyes. Katheryn embraced him fondly. 

But before she was ready to depart with her retinue, the king told her he’d not let her to move north without good men to protect her. That was how she was introduced to this knight, a loyalist named Anakin Skywalker.

***

Anakin had been sent by the Jedi Council in order to prevent the Planet Earth to suffer further attacks by the Separatists. In that manner, he was instruced to spend one or two years in each part of that region in order to make sure they were seized and sent to jail. But after a while, Obi-Wan contacted him to instruct his Padawan another mission he was to take: to protect the Dowager Queen of England and make sure she’d not fall victim to the enemies’s hands.

“I thought most of them had been destroyed”, said Anakin, rather out of surprise.

“Unfortunately, some of them are still yet to be found”, lamented Obi-Wan. “When I get more information, I’ll send those to you. But in the meantime, do as you are told. Be careful, Anakin. This planet, as far as I know, is a very odd one in matters of costumes and thoughts.”

The younger Jedi snorted. “As if spending almost three years and a half here had not showed me that. But I’ll be careful, Master, do not worry about that.”

After that, much against his will, he went to this England kingdom where, as everything was arranged, he was expected to meet it’s new king. To his surprise, Anakin was met by a youngling. 

Could younglings rule with the authority of a king? My, Obi-Wan was right in saying this is a very odd planet. 

Even though Anakin could tell there was a council to respond for the king’s actions and rule in his behald until he reached majority, it was difficult for him to take the words of nine year old seriously. Yet, he could not dismiss the task he was assigned for. So he waited.

“My lord, I am glad your journeyed to us safely. I pray you came with no trouble whatsoever?”

Anakin had little patience to deal with politics and all that formalities due to the position they occupy, but when looking at the youngling standing right in front of him, the Jedi came to know this was a child who would never know the delights of infancy, whose innocence was being stripped away by the heavy burden he was expected to carry until the day he died. When coming to this perspective, Anakin pitied him. 

So his featured softened as he addressed the boy king:

“I did, yes, Your Majesty. I appreciate your concernings. I pray to find you well this day too, my lord. One can only think of all the duties that have been taking your day.”

Edward seemed to sympathize with him and Anakin smiled as he perceived it through the Force. 

“Indeed, sir. A king is expected to attend meetings and bring many solutions to a realm’s issues.” A reply that got Anakin’s eyebrows lifted. “The reason why we fetched you to us is that we require your services to protect our mother, the dowager queen of England. She has informed us her desire to depart to the north but we fear for her security.”

“I will do as Your Majesty commands”, vowed Anakin, bowing his head. 

“We appreciate it”, said the king, looking relieved.

Anakin wondered if there was another reason why he’d feel this way, but one could only especulate.

“Do you have a date, Majesty?”

It was when he heard the voice of the king’s regent for the first time.

“As soon as possible”, said the duke of Somerset. “We sincerely wished she’d stay in order to follow the proceedings to His Majesty’s governing, becoming the point where the last regime is supplanted by a new one.”

Anakin glanced at the regent with suspicious eyes, but dared not to speak his mind. I’m here to fulfill my duty, that is all.

“I’m staying here until I am further needed then”, informed the Jedi.

The duke of Somerset stared at him cooly, almost as if he was foreseeing the future.

“I’ll make sure to inform you the date, my lord.”

***

So there they were. The former queen entered the carriage with lady Elizabeth and Anakin as her ladies would come in a different vehicle. Katheryn had found Anakin pleasant to her eyes, not expecting a knight to be possessed with such...handsomely features.

Nonetheless, she masked her perceptions well, even though the Jedi Knight could tell something was going through her mind. But out of respect he decided not to investigate.

“You are a quiet man”, said the queen after a while. They were sitting in front of each other and as gallops began the pace, the journey out of the court she detested relieved her spirits. “My daughter and I were wondering what kind of knight you may be.”

Anakin turned his storming eyes to the red-headed young princess that took the queen’s side. Her dark eyes, a contrast to Katheryn’s light brown eyes, were staring curiously at him. The Jedi could tell he was being avaliated as if he was worth of the royal presence’s trust. He almost found that amusing.

Looking back at the mistress he was expected to protect and serve, he could not help but feeling captivated by her ginger locks and coy smile. But I know my place.

“I am a man of actions, my lady. I fear I am not one very much of words”, said he simply.

“On that case, I should be the judge of that”, remarked Katheryn with a sly smirk. “But between us, sir, why would a widow like myself be in danger in this country, enough to have a knight as yourself as a protector?”

“I am but a knight, Your Majesty, not a politician”, said Anakin, though a small smirk could be seen twitching upon his lips.

“Even so, a knight has opinions. We all have”, she insisted. “What could I possibly offer to earn a great deal of protection? Is it because of the title fairly bestowed to me?”

“You ask me difficult questions, Majesty. A knight who serves does not dare to questions the duties he’s been assigned to.” 

It was when lady Elizabeth intruded in the conversation:

“You speak like an Arthurian knight. Surely a man like yourself must be familiar with the doings of Lancelot or, better yet, William the Marshall.”

Anakin did no respond her right away. All these years spent in that Planet, especially with the nobility, told him how proud of their ancestors those people could be. Sometimes he missed the Galactic Republic where these things were far less perceptible. A voice in the back of his mind wondered whether duchess Satine would ever praise those who came before her in such a manner.

But, however homesick he may be, he knew it was not his place to judge these people. He actually remembered Ahsoka, his Padawan, and how she liked to point his knightly virtues whenever Obi-Wan criticized him. A memory ever so cherished almost brought a smile to his lips.

“Indeed. Although I do not think I mirror myself in Lancelot this much, Your Highness.”

“Oh. Why not?”, inquired lady Elizabeth, rather baffled for meeting someone who does not look up to Lancelot. 

“Knights who betray their masters to love their queens are not worthy of praising. It’s dishonest if I may speak freely”.

“That is a concept few discuss upon”, said Katheryn, observing the conversation. “But a king ever so cold should leave his queen unloved?”

Anakin had no answer to matters of love. In fact, as Obi-Wan liked to point out to him, he was far too judgemental where he lacked experience. Hence the silence.

“You should not be afraid to speak your mind, my lord. We are friends here”, she assured him. “Besides, we are merely discussing a novel we all enjoy ourselves reading, are we not?”

But was it really? Not even Katheryn had the response, perhaps fearful of what it might be. As the three of them began to grow quieter and lady Elizabeth fall asleep, she was reminded of the days she was queen. Afraid of what her fate would be, how often wasn’t she found praying for safety? How often wasn’t she... afraid, fearful for her life? 

It feels strange to be released of my marital vows. To be alone once again. A widow one more time. I’m free. But freedom has a different taste to my tongue.

As if he was capturing her thoughts, Anakin broke the silence, intrigued by her presence:

“What was it like to be his queen?”, the Jedi knight inquired, surprising Katheryn by his sudden interest.

“It was...”, she hesitated. Could she trust him with the truth? Though in his eyes, she knew she could, Katheryn would rather protect herself. “...a privilege. I was content. He was a good husband.”

Neither believed in the lies that rolled out so naturally of her tongue.

“I wish I could have given him children”, said she, more to herself. “Then I would have fulfilled the role I was expected to perform. Being a queen, my lord, is more than wearing fine robes and exhibing jewelry. It is more than being a dutiful wife.”

She smiled, but it was devoid of joy. Anakin felt her pain.

“But God willed me to be barren, I suppose.” 

“And yet you survived him”, the words he spoke came naturally. He should regret it, but he did not.

Katheryn smiled at his blunt words, but this time her smile was more sincere.

“As God wanted me to. Who are we when He calls us home? Who are we before his will?”

“Forgive me for being rather cheeky, Your Grace, but do you not have any doubts? Have you never...questioned?”, Anakin found himself unable to part the gaze that so suddenly held them both captive of one another.

He asks me if I have questioned my faith. Katheryn stared at him in silence. I could reprehend him, but... when I was chosen to be queen, did I not question Him? Did I not falter before the great test He put me to proof? 

And Anakin’s words (”and yet you survived him...”) continuously hammered against her mind.

“When you have faith, master Skywalker, adversities come to test you. But even when we are surrounded by storms of every kind, we ought to be thankful and praise the Lord for the opportunity of showing Him why He chose us.”

The Jedi said nothing else as he reclined back against the wall and with a sigh, looked away. Through the window, he observed the rise of twilight, watching the sunset and the rise of stars. Soon the moon would come. The journey seemed to weight on him.

“Did you ever come to good terms with your conscience upon the doubts that haunt you?”, inquired Katheryn.

As Anakin looked back at the queen, he was baffled by how easily she read him. And yet I don’t feel the force in her.

She smiled.

“I have come to other men like you before. It is natural that when we come across some trauma, we respond it with questions. My... my late husband was not different. Do not put so much pressure on you. Soon, He will give you the answer you are looking for, whatever that may be.”

The Jedi did not say nothing for a long time. Yet, suddenly he heard himself saying:

“Do we all deserve salvations, Your Majesty?’

To which Katheryn, giving him a knowing glance, responded:

“We do, Master Skywalker. As sinners we all may be, God does not turn away from those He chooses. Something tells me you are soon to find a salvation yourself.”

Anakin chuckles softly, but a sort of sadness glinted in his eyes.

“I pray you are right, Your Majesty.”

Katheryn offered her hand to take and as he reluctantly did so, she closed her eyes and prayed. The simplicity in the words that the Jedi heard soothed the darkness that not so long ago threatened to choke his light side. It all seemed that, by her side, he found the balance he needed all along...

(to be continue)

[anne-the-quene]

🔥

I just think some people are way too fucking sensitive about these historical people. Don’t get me wrong, I love to write my little AUs, but at the end of the day, at least I know the difference between fact and fiction and I don’t treat these real people like fictional characters.

Yes, Henry VIII murdered two of his wives and that’s a totally psychotic thing to do, literally no one is denying that…now can you just shut the fuck up about it please? There are some people that just like to keep rehashing the same old bullshit over and over as if these real people who lived hundreds of years ago are suddenly gonna change. You can’t cancel someone whose been dead for 500 fucking years.

Maybe it’s just the writer in me, but I think the idea of Henry as the monstrous tyrant/psychopath is just boring.

I’m just fucking tired of people treating this historical time period as a ‘fandom’ and these real people as fictional characters. Some of y’all have never taken a proper, academic history class and it shows.

[margueritedanjou]

Favorite royals who were devoted mothers.(4/5)

Katheryn Parr, Queen of England.

[adderstones]

All Henry VIII Wives together

Tumblr really doesn't like this one. Click for higher res.

[lwkshrav]

Anne Boleyn saying "maybe he just really liked my head" is so iconic I don't think u understand

[queencatherineparr]

Jude Law as KING HENRY VIII with Alicia Vikander as QUEEN CATHERINE PARR

(Firebrand Promotional Material)

[earlymodernbarbie]

Memes

[earlgodwin]

I am dropping by to release a hot take.

So we all agree Francois as Cesare just exudes sexiness and we were obsessed and could not get enough. Logically you would assume we would all be attracted to Francois the actor and find him with that much charisma and hold in other roles, the thing is when he appears in other shows it is hardly a blip on what he excluded in The Borgias (don't get me wrong he's still good looking in an Indie way). Like that hold was real.

Whereas, David takes characters that might not be everyone's cup of tea and Juan definitely was not the first few watches so you were less attracted to him. But irl he's a sweetie and endearing and the more you watch him the more you love him and see his attractiveness.

Might not have gotten my whole point across but it is an interesting observation.

you're actually cooking something! i see your point, but let me give you what i think about them:

as someone who has watched most of françois and david's filmography and interviews, david is the one who did it for me the most! i fear you'll never find a dorkier guy. i must admit, at first, i didn't find him attractive, but as you mentioned, he has such an endearing personality and it made me love him and recognize his attractiveness; an adorable animal-loving ecologist with a great sense of humor and wit. even when he plays characters that are not meant to be "likable" and don't have the writing on their side (like juan, for example), he plays them tremendously and delves deeper than what his character was supposed to be on the show (also one thing about me is that i'm gonna prefer the black sheep and always sympathize with a child who feels inferior comparing to his siblings lol). moreover, he is articulate and intelligent in providing insights and interpretations about characters, which is very important to me. such a fantastic actor with so much love for art and passion for his characters. (not to mention his soothing voice lol). a delightful individual through and through.

while with françois, he's absolutely perfect as cesare! it's such a timeless role for the actor in his career because i don't think i'll ever be that invested and obsessed with a male lead—an amoralist with all that charm, sassiness, leather, charisma, angel face, and divine curls... his character is so iconic and will always be special to me. but the thing is, he always had the writing on his side, and everything for him was handed on a silver plate. and this is where i was more compelled into david's juan. sure, françois obviously and undeniably did such a fantastic job as cesare, but david had to do the extra work for juan. in the end, he did impress neil jordan, despite expressing that he disliked juan and even wanted to write him off in season 1. françois is conventionally attractive; he's so beautiful and has such an awkward yet lovable personality. he's bilingual, which makes him extra hot. he seems down-to-earth, but unfortunately, he has such a weak filmography, which is sad because he is immensely talented, but the industry just didn't know what to do with all that handsomeness and talent, and there was nothing in his career that he did that gave me the buzz like cesare did.

overall, both of them are great, charming actors, but i had no choice but to lean toward david. he always portrays complex, nuanced characters with questionable morals, yet there is an understanding of why they behave the way they do, a theme that i do find very enjoyable. also, he has a captivating demeanor, so sentimental, and deeply loves his co-stars. it's impossible to watch his interviews without smiling. he comes across as highly educated and very straightforward. everything about him is so intriguing, lol.

[kingedwardvi]

Will we see Edward and Jane, I wonder?

[mary-tudor]

Letter written by Lady Elizabeth Tudor to Dowager Queen of England, Katheryn Parr.

“Although I coulde not be plentiful in giving thankes for the manifold kindenis received at your hithnis hande at my departure, yet I am some thinge to be borne with al, for truly I was replete with sorowe to departe frome your highnnis, especially leaving you undoubtful of helthe, and albeit I answered litel I wayed [weighed] it more dipper [deeper] when you sayd you wolde warne me of al evelles that you shulde hire of me, for if your grace had not a good opinion of me you wolde not have offered friendship to me that way, that al men iuge [judge] the contrarye, but what may I more say than thanke God for providinge suche frendes to me, desiringe God to enriche me with ther [their] longe life, and me grace to be in hart no les thankeful to receyve it, than I nowe am glad in writinge to shewe it. And although I have plentye of matter, hire I wil staye [stop] for I knowe you ar not quiet to rede. Frome Cheston this present saterday.”

Link: national archives.gov.uk for

[katharinepar]

Anyway 👀 I did some AI reconstructions of the Six Wives. I’m new to this software, so some specific details were left untoggled (ie eye color, proportions) because of… general ineptitude. If you are curious to see more, I post this and more Tudor nonsense to my Instagram! 💖