Katherine Parr?

[Eddie_uk]

Hey - I've finished my first Tudor book, Starkeys six wives! It was heavy going at times but a good read! Catherine of Aragons intelligence made me laugh, she was very crafty!!

What I was wondering was, how likely do you think it is that Katherine Parr would have been executed if she hadn't talked her way out of her arrest and Henry hadn't died so soon after? It appears he was getting tired of her and she was very religious. I wonder to myself if she would have been the 3rd wife to face the block....

[Prince_Lieven]

Interesting topic. 

Robert Hutchinson says a bit about this in his wonderful 'Last Days of Henry VIII' - Katherine's enemies at court were very quick to move against her once they saw Henry was getting tired of her. I do think Henry was ruthless, but he forgave her so readily (and called Wriothesley, the Chancellor, a 'knave' for even considering arresting the Queen  ) that sometimes I think he never seriously intended to execute her - scare her, maybe. I think Henry really, REALLY didn't like being 'lectured' by women, which is why Katheirne's theological discussion annoyed him so much. I'm sure Wriothesley et al were highly bemused by his sudden change of attitude. 

[Kimberly]

I think she was one very lucky lady and quick witted to boot. I understand that Henry had his eye on Catherine Willoughby as a potential number 7 at one point.

[Prince_Lieven]

Really? That's interesting! Wasn't he upset when Brandon married Katherine W. so soon after the death of Mary Rose? 

[lady]

[jehan]

Well, I suppose it's a bit like the DNA testing (see FS/AA threads!). It establishes that it is probably that person, but of course you can't rule out that someone borrowed the jewellery, in the same way that it can't be ruled out that someone swapped the samples.

I think Katherine Parr must have been a wonderful person if she did indeed allow Jane Grey to wear her jewellery.

Katherine Parr would have been long dead by the time Jane was painted in that portrait (if it was indeed Jane).  Jane was about 10 when Katherine died.  It is possible that she left some jewellry to Jane when she died- I suppose, and Jane wore it in the portrait.  Has this possibility been considered?

[Romanov_fan]

I am pretty sure he never would have gotten rid of Catherine Parr; He didn't really have any good reasons, and I think he was just trying to scare her, agreed. But she was an mature woman, with much experience behind her, and was not as easy to scare as some young thing. I think he did get sick of being lectured about religion, though. She should have known better, but that wasn't enough for him to behead her

[Kimberly]

I am pretty sure he never would have gotten rid of Catherine Parr; He didn't really have any good reasons, and I think he was just trying to scare her, agreed. But she was an mature woman, with much experience behind her, and was not as easy to scare as some young thing. I think he did get sick of being lectured about religion, though. She should have known better, but that wasn't enough for him to behead her

I cannot agree with this. The only reason he got rid of Anne Boleyn was because she didn't provide him with a son and he was fed up with her firey nature. If he had been in good health when KP had her "troubles", her head would have been off her shoulders and number 7 would be waiting in the wings
And I'm sure KP was absolutely terrified by what happened.

[bell_the_cat]

I also think that if he had even suspected that she was thinking of marrying Thomas Seymour (his son's uncle!) as soon as he had popped his clogs, he would have sent her to the block. This scenario was surely very dangerous to Henry. 

[Romanov_fan]

Well, if he knew she was thinking of remarrying, I can see him sending Katherine Parr the way of certain other of his wives. Fidelity to him ( if you were his wife) was an all important virtue, and that's the reason Catherine Howard breathed her last. Katherine Parr would not have had to be physically unfaithful to him then to warrant a bad reaction, just knowing she intended to remarry might well have been enough. But he didn't know that, and had no proof. He would not have exceuted her for being a bit if an argument or annoyance when it came to talking religion.

[Kimberly]

Sorry Imperial Angel but I don't understand your last sentence in your last post. Can you explain it please because I don't know how to answer you.

[Romanov_fan]

I typed if when I meant of. I was saying that he would not, in my opinion, have beheaded her for being argumentive about religion as she was being. One scare, and Henry knew Katherine Parr would realize that she could not discuss religion like that without risk, despite her extreme Protestant views. It did have a serious point, for just a scare.

[Kimberly]

OK thanks for that Imp. I thought that was what you mean't

[ilyala]

wasn't catherine parr more of a nurse than a wife? i'm pretty sure that henry's desire for her was not as passionate as it was for anne boleyn and therefor it had much less of a chance to turn into hate. anne boleyn was executed because henry hated her. catherine howard was executed because she embarassed him by cheating on him. catherine parr didn't. i don't think he wanted to execute her.

[Kimberly]

Kate Parr was well educated and very much a religious radical, along with Catherine Willoughby, Anne Askew, Anne Boleyn and Jane Grey (according to Paul Zahle).
David Starkey states that there are no sources to support the claim that Katherine Parr acted as Henry's nurse......"The notion would have been absurd and even indecent".