#Queen Katheryn Parr

[kingedwardvi]

•Edward VI’s relationship with his father, King Henry VIII.•

We are more than aware that Henry VIII’s relationship with his daughters, queens Mary I and Elizabeth I, were turbulent, affecting not only their queenships but their own relationship. However, what is not often discussed is the impact Henry VIII’s relationship with his son Edward left on him.

More than often we think that, because Edward was his father’s favourite child, he earned his attention more often. However, this is not true. Henry VIII rarely saw his “precious” and noble son, over whom he expected to carry on the Tudor dynasty. This is too much a pressure to rely on a child, even so to one born in royalty. Edward played a double effort to outstand his peers in education and not rarely did he try to make his regal father proud. The future young king also wrote him letters—letters that were not answered because his father was often away to write him back. We are also told that, through his education, he was not only instructed to emule Henry VIII’s virtues, but also to avoid his vices. Overall, this is a boy trying to earn his absent father’s praises, trying to look at his image in order to be not good, but excellent in every subject—whether being in Latin or in other fields of life.

Skidmore, thus, presents how this relationship impacted deeply in Edward VI’s years before king, an impact that left unseen scars as we come to know whenever we study Mary I and Elizabeth I’s lives and their respective reigns. As we see on the following excerpts of his biography of Edward VI:

“But it was the ever-dominant figure of his father who left him truly awestruck. Whilst Henry had been absent on campaign in France, Edward worried whether to write, lest he disturb him with his 'boyish letters'. Eventually he summoned the courage, writing how he hoped his letter would bring Henry refreshment after his weary campaign, 'For, seeing you are a loving and kind father to me ... I hope I shall prove to you a most dutiful son’. A week later he wrote again, this time wishing peace, 'because I should hope to visit you sooner, and because you would have rest and recreation'. 

All these were no doubt genuine expressions of a son's love starved of affection by his absent father. He was anxious, he told Henry, 'to be assured that you are safe and well; for, though I have some reliance on the hearing of the ear, yet I have more confidence in my own eyes'.

Henry did not reply, but wrote to Katherine instead to relay the news of his successful siege at Boulogne, adding, 'I am too busy to write more but send blessings to all my children’.  When Henry finally returned from France, Edward wrote to his father overjoyed: 'I have heard that I am to visit your majesty ... I now obtain my second wish. My first wish was, that you and your kingdom might have peace; and secondly, that I might see you. These done, I shall be happy.’ 

There is no evidence that Henry ever bothered to reply, but in the only expression of affection he knew, he continued to lavish his son with expensive presents, which Edward gratefully acknowledged, writing: 'You have treated me so kindly, like a most loving father, and one who would wish me always to act rightly. I also thank you that you have given me great and costly gifts, as chains, rings, jewelled buttons, neck-chains, and breast-pins, and necklaces, garments, and very many other things; in which things and gifts is conspicuous your fatherly affection towards me; for, if you did not love me, you would not give me these fine gifts of jewellery.’

Henry's magnificent tastes were fashioning Edward's own lifestyle. The prince had grown up surrounded by splendour and beauty; the walls of his rooms were hung with Flemish tapestries depicting classical and biblical scenes that Henry had confiscated from Cardinal Wolsey; he ate only from the finest quality cutlery, set with precious stones (...). His clothes were fashioned only from the best materials - delicate cloths of gold embroidered with silver that sparkled with pearls, emeralds, diamonds and rubies, so much so that one French observer later recalled how when Edward moved through the court, entire rooms sparkled. Even the buttons of his clothes were made from solid gold and his caps were garnished with diamonds and sapphires, but perhaps his most prized possession was a dagger of gold that he wore hung from a rope of pearls, its sheath garnished with dia-monds, rubies and emeralds, with a large speckled green stone embedded in the hilt.

It is probably this dagger that Edward holds in a portrait painted at Ashridge around 1546. Standing between a windowsill and an ornate classical styled column, Edward's puffed up poise is as entirely contrived as that of his father's. One can almost imagine the artist directing the prince to hold his shoulders high and breathe deeply, staring straight at the easel. To create the effect, the many layers of Edward's clothes seem too large for him, heavy and burdensome. 

But the symbolism of the picture rides above the implausibility of the situation, for its message is that Edward will inherit Henry's mantle as king to continue the Tudor dynasty. No more clearly is this highlighted than in the position of Edward's left hand, directing the viewer's attention to his modest but nevertheless prominent codpiece, a symbol of his increasing virility and power as he approached adolescence and adulthood.

In fact, few could have realized then that within a year Edward would have taken his father's place as king. In August 1546 Henry decided that Edward, not quite nine years old, should perform his first official duty, receiving the French Admiral on his arrival for a state visit at Hampton Court. It was to be his first royal rite of passage and Edward's induction into the ceremonial life at court. 

He prepared assiduously, nervously writing to Katherine - did the Admiral understand Latin? 'For, if he does, I should wish to learn further what I may say to him’. Above all, he did not want to let his father down.

He had prayed to God, he told Katherine, that he would be able to satisfy his expectations.”

SKIDMORE, C. “Edward VI: The Lost King of England”.

[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! 💖

[kaspenhoward]

Six The Musical Headcanons - Kathrine Howard:

-AroAce, don’t fight me on this, I can totally understand and see the other head canons about this but to me thinking about Kat being in a romantic relationship in her second life or having crushes just does’t sound right because of all the romantic and intimate relationships she was pressured into in her past one (no I’m not saying she’s AroAce cause of the trauma, although it could possibly push her towards repulsed, I think it’s because she never really wanted a romantic intimate relationship all she cared about was just having a bond with someone or feeling loved or important or a place in life)

-Once she was reincarnated, I totally head canon that it wasn’t Anne she got close to first but rather Jane (not counting Anna who she already knew), Anne was probably a little too overwhelming for Kat first also including all the screaming matches she probably got into with Catalina. Jane with her maternal instincts probably slowly but surely drifted to the scared 17 year old to offer some help and Kat who was still shy and scared quickly got attached to the maternal figure

-Anne definitely got close to Kat just later when everyone ended calming the frick down, or in Annes case finally letting the chaotic side. Very common conception but Anne makes the chaos and Kat helps her out with it, the beheaded cousin just became the trouble and chaos cousins

-PTSD, I know no one will argue me on this one, the repeated reoccurrence of such traumatic events for Kat having happened to her by 4 different people, definitely made the girl come with scars into her next life.

-Nightmares, I know I also won’t be argued about this one, most of the queen household is commonly plagued by nightmares especially Kat, who commonly ends up in Jane’s or Anne’s room in the middle of the night if the other queens don’t find her first

-History nerd, with all the historical facts she knows in the musical, I like to imagine in my head that when it’s her turn to chose something to watch for queen movie nights, she chooses this intense historical documentaries with the guy with the British accent in the background

-She hides behind Jane or a different queen if Jane isn’t present when she’s anxious (or if a man is too close for her comfort)

-Hates being treated like a child, sometimes the queens can mistake her need for extra help as a need to smother her which Kat hates. But all the queens have a talk about this and they agree to give her space and remember that she’s an equal. (Although Kat doesn’t complain about all the extra attention she gets from Jane)

-Really enjoys hot chocolate, Jane makes sure to always keep it stocked because the last time when Kat ran out it was not pretty

-Yes I’m all about mother figure Jane to Kat, but I’m also all about Older sister Figure Anne, and other mother Catalina to Kat because Kat deserves all the love and positive older figures

-Kat has everyone wrapped around her finger even though she doesn’t completely understand it, she cried once in front of everyone and magically a pile of stuffed animals appeared in her room (they were from Cathy and Catalina)

-Kat also enjoys reading (though not nearly as much as Cathy) but will sometimes have little book clubs or talks with Cathy cause Cathy wants someone to talk about the books with and Kat is more than happy to indulge

-Once Kat warms up to everyone she becomes the resident cuddler, clinging to any unsuspecting queen in the household, even Catalina, who the first time initially almost shoved Kat off but with the look of adoration in Kat’s eyes didn’t have the heart to do it

-During Six performances for All You Wanna Do, the first time a swing performed with them, Kat shoved them off before the given beat and almost had to run offstage from the panic (although was able to last until Mega Six, where she got lots of Hugs, reassurances, and help after from her family and the swing even)

Thats all for today about the pink queen 🩷🩷🩷

[mary-tudor]

First look of Alicia Vikander as Katheryn Parr.

[hyacinths-cottage]

Comment why below!

[acrossthealternateuniverse]

AU Master List

This is a list of all the AUs I’ve posted and will be updated as more get posted. Please consult this list before making a request.

Henry VIII and his six wives as Anglo-Saxons.

Anne Boleyn marries Francis I.

Anne Boleyn marries Henry Percy and James Butler.

Anne Boleyn becomes the second wife of Charles V.

Modern Boleyn family + Elizabeth I

All of Anne Boleyn’s historical pregnancies are daughters.

Anne Boleyn and Anne of Cleves become friends.

Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon become allies after Henry starts finding a way out of their marriage.

Elizabeth I marries Eric XIV of Sweden

Henry VIII marries Claude of France instead of Catherine of Aragon.

Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn have more living children after Elizabeth

George and Jane Boleyn unexpectedly get pregnant with twins.

Love triangle between Anne Boleyn, Henry, Duke of York and the son of Arthur, Prince of Wales and Catherine of Aragon

Anne Boleyn marries Henry Percy.

Anne Boleyn marries the son of Arthur, Prince of Wales & Catherine of Aragon.

Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII are each other’s second spouses.

Modern Tudor family.

George and Jane Boleyn adopt Katheryn Howard.

Anne Boleyn marries the twin brother of Mary I, but has an affair with Henry VIII.

All of Henry VIII’s wives outlive him and make peace with each other.

All of Catherine of Aragon’s, Anne Boleyn’s, and Jane Seymour’s pregnancies are carried to term and healthy, but they’re all daughters.

Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, and Jane Seymour are the respective wives of Arthur, Henry, and Edmund Tudor.

Anne Boleyn marries Henry, Duke of Cornwall.

Anne Boleyn and Henry VIII marry in 1527 and have lots of healthy children.

Anne Boleyn marries the son of Arthur, Prince of Wales & Catherine of Aragon. (alternate version)

The son of Anne Boleyn and James Butler falls in love with Mary I.

Anne Boleyn is actually a witch.

Anne Boleyn is exiled and meets Catherine of Aragon again.

Anne Boleyn marries Charles Brandon after Henry VIII divorces her.

Marguerite of Angoulême is Henry VIII’s first wife and Anne Boleyn is his second.

Modern AU where Anne Boleyn falls in love with Francis III, Duke of Brittany.

Anne Boleyn raises Elizabeth I in a French convent.

Modern AU where Anne Boleyn and Catherine of Aragon are a couple.

George Boleyn isn’t executed and raises Elizabeth I.

Mary I gives birth to a daughter in 1555.

Mary I marries Phillip, Duke of Palatinate-Neuburg

Henry VIII divorces Anne Boleyn in 1536, but then the two have an affair after he marries Jane Seymour.

Henry VII marries Catherine of Aragon.

Mary Tudor marries Charles V.

Anne Boleyn marries Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor.

Anne Boleyn dies from her miscarriage in 1536.

Katheryn Howard gives birth to a son in 1541.

All of Henry VIII’s children with Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn survive to adulthood.

Francis I and Eleanor of Austria have a son.

Kathryn Parr has a son with Henry VIII.

Mary Tudor becomes Queen regnant of England and Queen consort of France.

All of Henry VIII’s and Catherine of Aragon’s children survive to adulthood.

Catherine of Aragon is Queen regnant of Spain.

Elizabeth I marries Robert Dudley during Edward VI’s reign.

Catherine of Aragon lives a couple of years longer.

Kathryn Parr has a daughter with Henry VIII.

Anne Boleyn is Queen regnant of England.

Mary I is the second wife of Charles V.

All of Henry VII and Elizabeth of York’s children survive to adulthood.

[inky-duchess]

If you were able to time travel, who would be the top 1-10 people you'd want to meet and why? What would you talk to them about?

Julius Caesar - we would just get on so well, I think. Both disaster bisexuals with socialist leanings.

Freddie Mercury - Also my bisexual icon. The energy of him singing Bohemian Rhapsody could lift me from the grave

Augustus - I would prolly fangirl. I love this man.

Michael Collins - I want to meet Ireland's sexiest rebel I'd fuck that man

Mary I - somebody has to hug her

Anne Boleyn, Anne of Cleves, Katheryn Parr, Catherine Howard, Katherine of Aragon - we would have cocktails

OTMA & Alexei - I would tell them sorry

Edward V & Richard, Earl of Shrewsbury - I want to know to know what happened them

Queen Victoria - to beat her to death with a sack of potatoes

Margaret Thatcher, Robert Peel & Winston Churchill- I would beat them to death with my bare hands 😊

[edmundhoward]

“anne boleyn had no choice in becoming henry’s queen, nor did anna von kleefes, katheryn howard, nor kateryn parr. jane seymour, however, actively chose to walk into the arena with the lion. maybe she thought she was different. maybe she thought she was clever enough to tame him where anne had failed. maybe she thought the power of henry’s ‘love’ would be enough to change him — she wouldn’t be the first woman to make that deadly mistake. whatever she thought, she looked this killer in the eye and said, ‘you need me’. she wanted to be his wife, and accomplished that goal, knowing full well what kind of person he was.”

you people girlbossify jane more than her stans ever could

[sammygems]

ok this is the most important poll i got for y'all /hj

[ladiesoftheages]

What is rex factor and where can I watch it? I looked it up but their last update is 4 years ago and they only have a hand full of videos

Yeah they’ve sort of abandoned their YouTube channel (and their website I think and basically all their social media lol)

Rex Factor is a podcast where they review all the Kings and Queens of England. It started with the English monarchs from Alfred the Great to Elizabeth II. Then, when they finished reviewing all of them, they did the Scottish monarchs from Kenneth MacAlpin to James VI & I. And when they finished that, they moved onto the English consorts from Eahlswith to Prince Phillip and they’re currently on Katheryn Howard and will be releasing their Kathryn Parr episode within the next few weeks. They also do other special episodes about all sorts of things from the Roman general Sulla to Chateau Gaillard to Aragorn from Lord of the Rings. The podcast has been going since 2010 so there are a couple hundred episodes to sink your teeth into. The first several episodes don’t have great sound quality but I promise it does get better. It’s really well researched but it’s also funny and entertaining—it’s one of my favorite podcasts and it’s the only one I actually financially support. I would definitely recommend it if you like podcasts.

[mediaevalmusereads]

Prize for the Fire. By Rilla Askew. University of Oklahoma Press, 2022.

Rating: 3/5 stars

Genre: historical fiction

Part of a Series? No

Summary: Lincolnshire, 1537. Amid England’s religious turmoil, fifteen-year-old Anne Askew is forced to take her dead sister’s place in an arranged marriage. The witty, well-educated gentleman’s daughter is determined to free herself from her abusive husband, harsh in-laws, and the cruel strictures of her married life. But this is the England of Henry VIII, where religion and politics are dangerously entangled. A young woman of Anne’s fierce independence, Reformist faith, uncanny command of plainspoken scripture, and—not least—connections to Queen Katheryn Parr’s court cannot long escape official notice, or censure.

***Full review below.***

Content Warnings: sexual assault, abuse, miscarriage, death of a child, disease, blood, torture

Overview: To be very blunt, I picked up this book because a friend asked me to. Tudor England is a little outside my area of expertise, but because my friend knows the author and we generally like to discuss books by and about historical women together, I agreed and gave it a go. Overall, I didn't find this book to be bad by any standards; the prose flows nicely, and I appreciated the subject matter, especially since we are inundated with stories about Henry VIII and his wives. My middling rating is thus reflective of my personal tastes and my desire to have seen this story told a little differently, preferably with more focus on what exactly made our protagonist, Anne Askew, so interesting and powerful.

Writing: Askew (the author) writes with a prose style that flows very well while also being very evocative. I found that I could get through this book fairly quickly, even though the prose wasn't the pulpy style of some of the pop fiction I've read (not knocking that prose style at all - just describing). I also think the author balanced telling and showing well, and the shifts between first and third person were handled deftly, without producing a jarring effect.

Plot: The plot of this book details the life of Anne Askew from the time of her marriage to her death in 16th century England. Historically, Anne was notable for a number of things: for being a highly educated woman, for her plain-speaking interpretations of the Bible, for being possibly the first woman to seek a divorce in England, for being the first known woman to compose poetry in English, and for being one of the only women to be tortured in the Tower of London. All of this means she's a good candidate for a story to be written about her, and I'm glad the author chose her to be the subject of her work. A lot of authors seem to focus on Henry VIII and the split from the Catholic Church, so for Askew (the author) to choose Anne, who wasn't directly attached to the court per se, was refreshing. I further liked that the court was on the periphery, with the king being a looming figure but not one who takes up space. This made the book feel like it was about "real" people, but also, it made room for more female characters to occupy the spotlight.

That being said, I think the author could have told Anne's story with a bit more focus. As it stands, I think Askew (the author) wasn't quite sure if she wanted Anne's story to be about sexism, religion, or some combination of the two, and as a result, it kind of felt like it was about neither of those things. Let me elaborate.

The first 200 or so pages focus on Anne's unhappy marriage to Thomas Kyne, a Catholic. While all well and good, these pages are full of physical and sexual abuse, and Anne has very few people who are sympathetic to her. During this time, Anne is somewhat religious, but faith doesn't seem to be the root of the marital problems, and neither does it seem to function as a comfort in times of distress. As a result, it didn't feel like Anne was being driven to evolve into her more religious personna, nor was there a strong message about patriarchy in law or something - it just felt like we were watching Anne be miserable to make her more sympathetic as the narrative went on.

Later in the book, Anne gets into trouble for "heretical" treachings, and while I liked that Askew (the author) made Anne zealous without being too insufferable, the way the plot evolved felt a little unfocused. Anne moves among religious revolutionaries but also among the queen's inner circle and "common" folk with ease, so when she is ultimately arrested, I didn't quite know the motivation. The author also seemed to want to have it all, too: Anne is arrested for her heretical theology, but we are also told the "real" reqson was to ensnare the queen. There's also an element of sexist backlash, and so, with all of these justifications floating around, I felt like the arc of Anne's story was spread a little too thin. It felt like there was no cumulation of events, and to make that even more apparent, fairly important players are relegated to the background; we never meet Gardiner or Cranmer, two people who are suppisedly at the center of this mass of arrests, and Anne's business with the queen is brief. We never see antagonists plotting to take down the heretics or rumblings of dissatisfaction with the queen, and so, I often felt like key events happened "off page," which made Anne's arrest and interrogation feel somewhat random and incidental, not purposeful.

To sum up, I think I could have appreciated this book more if work had been done to show what the "message" of Anne's story was. Perhaps this is just an error in how I read the book, but I didn't quite feel like Anne was a martyr for a cause (at least, not one that the reader is invited to sympathize with). Her story is kind of about endurance, but it seems like it's less about endurance under patriarchy and more about Protestant righteousness? Maybe it's about class and education and accessibility, but the debate about transubstantiation kind of occluded that? I don't really know.

To give Askew (the author) the benefit of the doubt, part of the problem might be that I think it's really hard to make religious figures likeable. It's also really hard to make theology accessible and a cornerstone of a compelling narrative. For these reasons, I don't exactly blame the author; she did what she could.

Characters: Anne, our protagonist, is sympathetic, but in my opinion, she's kind of hard to root for as her only "cause" seems to be Protestant righteousness. I definitely felt sorry for her when she was enduring her husband's abuse, and I was angered when her family seemed uninterested in doing anything to help her. However, Anne could be a bit frustrating because of her stubbornness. At times, it was admirable, but when it got other people in trouble, it felt rather self-centered. As a result, I went through periods when I really liked Anne and periods where I didn't much care for her.

Supporting characters seem to fall into two camps: those that adored Anne and those who opposed her. Anne's maid, Beatrice, and her friend John Lascelles are two that adore her. Beatrice, for her part, is incredibly loyal and puts up with a lot of abuse all to keep her mistress safe. Sometimes, I would be angry on Beatrice's behalf for all that she was made to endure, but she was so devoted and motivated by goodness that it was hard to dislike her. Lascelles, on the other hand, was just ok. He was loyal in his way, but I wouldn't call him an interesting character.

Anne's antagonists were... not really present, save for her husband, Kyme. Kyme was irritating in that he was merely a sexist, abusive piece of shit, and I was even more frustrated by him because everyone seemed to be on his side. While I understand that Tudor England wasn't a feminist utopia, the fact that no one seemed to care that Anne was beaten (or, at least, her well being was no one's priority) was unsettling.

Other antagonists didn't quite feel like full characters because they weren't really present. They show up at Anne's arrest, but before that, they kind of lurk in the background. We don't see them scheming or see the tangible threats to their power, so their motivations mostly seem to be that they hate women.

TL;DR Prize for the Fire is an ambitious novel that seeks to tell the story of a forgotten woman from Tudor history. While there are some things I wish the author had done differently, I appreciate that the focus was not on the royals of the time period, and I think more stories should be told about historical figures that challenged the burns of both the past and our present day.

[kingedwardvi]

Curiously enough, I’ve only recently watched “Becoming Elizabeth” as I’ve concomitantly read Edward VI’s biography.

It is hardly a surprise to observe there were great differences between the show and the book, specially concerning Katheryn Parr and Thomas Seymour’s own relationship.

Admittedly, though I know little of this matter myself, came across the excerpt below which gave me a lot to think about. For those who are little familiar with the first Dowager Queen of England in an almost a century (the last being Queen Elizabeth Wideville), the following content might actually come a surprise—or not.

What matters here is to promote not only a healthy discussion about their union, but showing that whereas Katheryn did love the man, she was not his first option to marry and she was not a “fool” completely blinded by her affection for him: she hesitated at first, unwilling to remarry in at least two years before becoming Lady Seymour out of respect for the king of England. However, Lord Thomas was a persuasive man, writing as far as a poem to claim the dowager queen’s heart—and he eventually succeeded it, as we are seeing next.

“Katherine moved into her dower house at Chelsea - away from the eyes at court, it was the ideal setting for Seymour to pay secret visits by night. Letters were sent and received, their contents, upon Katherine's urging, were quickly burnt: 'Your letter being finished ... I remembered your commandment to me’, Seymour wrote, ‘wherewith I threw it into the fire, be minding to keep your requests and desires’, yet the survival of both their letters suggest that neither was quite so willing to part with these tokens of love and affection.

Katherine confided her feelings to her friend Lady Paget, who urged marriage. But Katherine was hesitant. She wished 'it had been her fate to have him for a husband' but she was mindful of her position as queen. She had even kept the affair secret from her sister Anne who, when Katherine finally revealed the news, 'did not a little rejoice'.

As a growing number of friends discovered the secret of the affair, it became increasingly difficult to keep it hidden and rumours soon abounded. Meeting Seymour in St James's Park, Princess Elizabeth's servant Katherine Ashley challenged him over his marriage plans. Seymour boasted 'he would prove to have the queen', to which Ashley retorted that she thought this 'was past proof as I had heard he was already married to her'.

Ashley was right, for sometime between mid May and the beginning of June the couple had wed in secret, with one commentator believing the marriage had taken place as early as thirty-four days after Henry's death.

If this was true, then Katherine was playing a dangerous game - if she had become pregnant, there would have been no certainty that the child was Seymour's or Henry's. Katherine remained unwilling to commit herself, having doubts to the last.

She claimed she was his 'loving wife in her heart' but was determined 'never to marry, and break it when I have done, if I live two years'. Nevertheless, Seymour got his way. News of their marriage could not stay secret for long.

'I wish the world was as well pleased with our meaning as lam well assured [of ] the goodness of God's’, Katherine had lamented, 'but the world is so wicked that it cannot be contented with good things’. Instead she suggested that they find support for their union amongst the most powerful members of the council and court.

Seymour tested Princess Mary's reaction. It was not good. Mary considered it 'strange news', writing that if Katherine was keen, there was little she could do. In any case, 'being a maid' she was 'nothing cunning' about 'wooing matters'.

Instead, Mary appealed to her dead father's memory: if Katherine was not willing, certainly she would not 'persuade her to forget the loss of him, who is as yet very ripe in mine own remembrance’. Privately Mary was horrified at the prospect, and blamed Katherine for the affair. She possibly even appealed to Elizabeth to discourage the queen, but her half-sister, not wishing to stir up trouble, told her that they lacked any influence at court and should suffer with patience what was impossible to prevent.

Seymour would have to look elsewhere for support and he knew precisely whom to turn to. His confidence rested in the fact that he had managed to remain in regular contact with Edward through John Fowler, a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber, whom Seymour gave a bribe of £10 (£3,000) shortly after the coronation and before long was in his regular pay. Despite being almost continually in the presence of other gentlemen of the chamber, Fowler was soon able to converse with Edward and soon struck up a close friendship with the king, speaking to him alone.

It was not long before Seymour was calling in the favours. At the end of February he had met with Fowler over a drink and asked whether Edward had mentioned him - and in particular whether the king had ever wondered why he had remained unmarried. Would Edward be happy for him to marry? And who should he take as his bride?

Without asking too many questions, Fowler approached Edward a few days later, somewhat unsubtly repeating Seymour's queries. Edward's first reply was to suggest Anne of Cleves, but then, giving the matter more serious attention, answered that he thought Mary to be the best choice, if only 'to change her opinions'.

When Seymour heard, he laughed. 'I pray you, Mr Fowler, if you may soon, ask his Grace if he could be contented I should marry the Queen.’ He also wanted to know if Edward would write a letter on his behalf in support of the marriage.

It was at this time that Seymour, without Fowler's knowledge, began to visit Edward in private. It was not long before he had persuaded him to write a letter to Katherine, dated 25 June. Despite Edward writing to Katherine at the end of May urging her to 'continue to love my father', now the king seemingly endorsed her relationship with Seymour, since the letter ingeniously made their marriage appear as Edward's personal request to Katherine.

Moreover, it gave specific assurance that Edward would safeguard Katherine against any reaction from Somerset, who the couple knew would be furious at their secret union: 'Wherefore ye shall not need to fear any grief to come, or to suspect lack of aid in need; seeing that he, being mine uncle, is so good in nature that he will not be troublesome ... if any grief shall befall, I shall be a sufficient succour.'

The entire letter was no doubt composed by Seymour, who probably dictated it to the king.(…) When news of his brother's marriage leaked out, Somerset was furious. Edward's blessing made Somerset all the more enraged, and the king was not immune from the brunt of his anger, noting in his journal that 'the Lord Protector was much offended’.

But it was his wife Anne, the Duchess of Somerset, who took the greatest offence to the union. Described as 'a woman for many imperfections intolerable, and for pride monstrous, subtle and violent' who held Somerset under her sway 'by persuasions cunningly intermixed with tears', she detested Katherine.”

SKIDMORE, C. “Edward VI: The Lost King of England”.

[queencatherineparr]

12th of July 1543 - Catherine Parr marries her third husband Henry VIII, King of England and Ireland making her his sixth wife and Queen Consort. 

Catherine became the first English Consort of Ireland on her marriage while her predecessors only held the title of Lady of Ireland. She also holds the title of the Queen of England with the most marriages. 

[kaspenhoward]

The Queens Birthdays:

_Catalina, December 16th_

Catalina, peacefully sitting the living room at 7 AM enjoying her coffee:

Anne holding a box at the top of the stairs: Lina! Happy Birth- [Proceeds to tumble down the stairs and land at the bottom face first]

Anne: [Proceeds to stay still, appearing unconscious face down]

Catalina: [Slight concern about to get up to check on Anne]

Anne springing up on her feet suddenly okay again, holding out the box: -day! Happy birthday! This is for you.

Catalina: [Sigh of relief and disappointment] Thank you.

Catalina taking the box: Lord almighty it is going to be a day…

_Anne, November 19th_

Anne peacefully sleeping in her room:

The Queens, bursting open the door all holding presents: HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNE!!!

Anne disturbed and annoyed from being awaken from her slumber, standing upon her bed and grabbing pillows: THOU SHALL NOT PROCEED WITH ANY EMOTIONAL THOUGHT TOWARDS SUCH A GESTURE, THOUST DOES NOT CARE OF TODAY NOR THE PLACEMENT OF TIME. THE SUN HAS NOT YET RISEN SO NOR HAVE THOU!!!! EXIT MY CHAMBERS!! [Throws a attack of pillows at the queens until they exit the room]

[2 hours later]

Anne rushing downstairs in a panic: Oh my goodness, Queens I am so sorry! I didn’t go to sleep til late last night and I was really tired!

The Queens: [Holding out presents to Anne with a decorated house behind them]

Anne: [Tearing up] You guys-

_Jane, July 17th_

[The queens take Jane out to a restaurant as per her request, Jane ends up drinking too much wine, and gets very drunk]

Jane, suddenly very sad as she’s dragged into their home with her Arm around Anna to stay standing: You guys love me right?

[Very quickly]

Aragon: Yes.

Anna: No one I’d rather carry home while she’s drunk.

Kat: You’re literally my mom. You’re my favorite.

Anne: You feed us and you haven’t poisoned me yet, so yes.

Cathy: We would literally be dysfunctional and hysterical 24/7 without you.

Jane smiling at the sweetness, and getting teary eyed: I love you guys so much! [Starts sobbing]

The rest of the Queens hugging her: We love you too Jane.

_Anna, September (June? July?) 22nd_

Anna: [Walks into the house, holding six puppies in her arms, looking very proud of herself]

The Queens: [Holding a bunch of presents in their hands, all wearing the funny german stereotype hats that Anna loves because she finds them funny]

Anna:

The Queens:

Catalina: Is that six puppies-

Anna, running upstairs quickly with her puppies: I love you guys so much but it’s my birthday so you can’t be mad at me and I can keep them! I’ll be down in a second!

The Queens: . . .

_Kat, [Birthday so freaking unknown it’s a literal guess what year she was born]_

The Queens busting into the living room, as Kat is napping on the couch: HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Kat very sleepily, sitting up: Uhhh, I don’t know when my birthday is you guys. Nice try at guessing though.

Jane: We decided to make today your birthday silly! You deserve a birthday as well love.

Kat still waking up: Deserve Birthday? I’ve never had a birthday celebration before.

The Queens: [Really shocked and sad but this revelation]

Jane, suddenly angry but doing her best to hide it from Kat: Well! Screw all of this historical jerks! You deserve a birthday and it’s gonna be the best birthday ever!

The Queens: YEAH!!!!

Kat, more awake and more emotional: Yeah I uhm- Okay. That sounds great. I really love you guys.

The Queens: We love you too Kat! [Proceeds to all give Kat hugs and presents]

_Cathy, August 26th_

Cathy: [Napping in the kitchen, facedown on the counter top, and abandoned half full cup of coffee next to her]

Cathy: [Stirs at a tap on her shoulder, puts her head up blinking the sleep away]

Cathy, now confused: [Notices the blanket around her shoulders, and the pillow her head was under that she did not fall asleep on when she first fell asleep]

Cathy, noticing the mass of presents in front of her on the counter top: ????

The Queens behind her: Happy birthday Cathy!

Cathy turning around in confusion: ???

Kat rushing up to hug her: Look at the clock silly!

Cathy: [See’s the time is 0:01 in the morning (12:01 AM)]

Cathy, smiling and slightly emotional from that fact they remembered: Thanks you guys. [Invites the rest of them for hugs]

[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.

[hyacinths-cottage]

My casting of the Queens! Yes, I know...most of these are from the House of the Dragon/Game of thrones world, but I just think they'd be perfect. So, my casting as follows, respective of the images in order left to right, top to bottom.

Emily Carey / Catalina de Aragon Sai Bennett / Anne Boleyn Emilia Clarke / Jane Seymour Alicia Von Rittberg / Anne of Cleves Milly Alcock / Katheryn Howard Olivia Cook / Catherine Parr

What do you think?