The Six Wives Of Henry VIII (WOMEN IN HISTORY)

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As Queen, Jane proved herself to be entirely subservient to the King's will, but to nearly everyone else she was proud and haughty, and strict over protocol and the courtesies due to her. To her credit, she did encourage a reconciliation between the King and his elder daughter, Mary, and she was kind to the motherless Elizabeth, who was not quite three when Anne Boleyn was beheaded. Catherine suffered another miscarriage in 1518, but one year later Henry had a son by a mistress named Elizabeth Blount. The boy was named Henry Fitzroy, and is Henry’s only confirmed illegitimate child. Blount was not, however, Henry’s only mistress during his marriage to Catherine. Many of the key events described in Alison's book occurred at Hampton Court. Prince Edward was born here, and christened in a midnight ceremony in the Chapel Royal. Less happily, much of the plotting and scheming of the rival factions that vied for influence over the King took place at Hampton Court too. And it was in this Palace, according to legend, that Katherine Howard tried to interrupt the King at his prayers to plead for her life; her ghost is still said to haunt the palace corridors. The story of England`s second Tudor monarch and his rather sordid married life has been told often. But never has it been told as well. Alison Weir has combined impeccable research and a first-rate literary tone... [She] has given us an entertaining work that combines the accessibility of a popular history with the highest standards of a scholarly thesis." ( Detroit News) Well researched and... beautifully written... This work unquestionably is the finest exercise in collective biography focusing on Henry`s wives." ( Library Journal)

Catherine Parr (1512–5 September 1548), also spelled Kateryn, was the sixth and last wife of Henry VIII, 1543–1547. She was the daughter of Sir Thomas Parr of Kendal and his wife, Maud Green. Through her father, Catherine was a descendant of John of Gaunt, son of King Edward III. Through John of Gaunt's daughter Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmoreland (Henry's great-great-grandmother), she was Henry's third cousin, once removed. By Henry's paternal descent from another of John of Gaunt's children, John Beaufort, 1st Earl of Somerset, the two were also fourth cousins once removed. [ citation needed] The cathedral was vandalized during the English Civil War. Almost all the stained glass was destroyed, and the altar and reredos [reerdos] were demolished, as were the cloisters and Lady Chapel. Some of the damage was repaired during the 17th and 18th centuries. In 1883, extensive restoration work began, with the interior pillars, the choir and the west front being completely rebuilt. In the 1960s new figures were added to the West Front and in the 1970s the spectacular hanging cross was added to the nave. Since a disastrous fire in 2001 a massive cleaning and restoration program has been undertaken. On 1 November 1541, Henry was informed of her alleged adultery with Thomas Culpeper, her distant cousin; Henry Mannox, who had given her private music lessons while she lived with her step-grandmother; and Francis Dereham, the Duchess's secretary, with whom had she apparently had a sexual relationship. [29] Catherine was stripped of her title as Queen in November 1541 and was beheaded in February 1542 on the grounds of treason for committing adultery.On Saturday I saw that your e-book, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, hit the number 1spot in the Teen section of theBarnes and Noble Nookstore. Congratulations on your achievement! In a few sentences, tell us what your book is about. The Royal Arms, impaled with that of her own as granted by the King. The arms allude to those of her family and the titles of her father Sir Thomas Parr. The blazon: [40] [48] [49] The third daughter, Maria (1482-1517), married her sister Isabella`s widower, Manuel I, King of Portugal, in 1500. Maria was the only one of the four sisters to enjoy a full and happy life. She gave her husband eight healthy children as heirs to his kingdom. Hans Holbein (Public Domain) conquest, referring to Catherine as his 'rose without a thorn' (Ralph Lewis, 110). The king gifted his wife diamonds, rubies, pearls, and furs as they openly cavorted in court. Ultimately, though, the queen suffered the same fate as Anne Boleyn when she, too, was accused of having an extramarital affair with a member of the court, one Thomas Culpeper, and an incriminating love letter was produced at her hearing before Parliament on 16 January 1542 CE. Never mind that Henry had himself started to have an affair with Catherine while he was still married to Anne of Cleves.

An entertaining account,... full of interesting detail... Alison Weir`s treatment of this perennially fascinating subject is a beguiling one." (Anne Somerset, The Literary Review) Historic England. "West Bower Manor with barn (1058940)". National Heritage List for England . Retrieved 1 May 2017.

5. Catherine Howard

The author provides a very helpful chronology and several appendices, including family trees charting the genealogy of each of Henry's wives, and a comprehensive bibliography for those thirsting for more knowledge on this subject. This is an excellent book and well worth buying. (Reviewed by Andy Smith) Jane's great achievement was to bear the King a son. On 12 October, 1537, the future Edward VI was born at Hampton Court after a gruelling labour lasting three days and three nights. There is no truth in the stories that the infant was born by Caesarian section or that the King, asked to choose between mother and baby, opted for the child, as other wives could easily be found; these tales were fabrications by later writers hostile to the King. Henry wept for joy as he held his son for the first time, and the country erupted in celebration. But a few days later Jane contracted puerperal fever, and on 24 October, to Henry's great grief, she died. Of all his wives, she was the one he chose to lie beside in death at Windsor, the only one to have given him a living son.

The noted antiquarian and heraldist Charles Boutell commented that the: "Arms of Queen Anne Boleyn are the first which exemplify the usage, introduced by Henry VIII, of granting to his Consorts "Augmentations" to their paternal arms. It is a striking illustration of the degenerate condition of Heraldry under the second Tudor Sovereign." [35] The dexter supporter was intended to represent the leopard of Guyenne (Aquitaine). The sinister supporter was a heraldic creature from the badge of the Boleyn, as descended from Earls of Ormond (Butler). [42] The falcon badge was granted to Anne as Countess of Pembroke, this badge was also used by her daughter Queen Elizabeth I. The authenticity of this letter has since been questioned, and it has been dismissed as part of the Catholic hagiography of Katherine of Aragon, yet it appears in Lord Herbert of Cherbury's biography, and he was no Catholic apologist, and had access to documents lost to us, so I see no reason to doubt Katherine's authorship. Themundane details in the letter would surely not have featured in a forgery. If I were to name the one historical personage whom I most admire and who has influenced me greatly, it would be Katherine of Aragon, first wife of Henry VIII, King of England. I admire her character so much that I named my daughter after her.Hans Holbein's portrait reveals that Jane Seymour was no beauty; she had a very white complexion, a pursed mouth, and an over-large nose. People doubted whether, hav­ing been at court for so long - she had served Katherine of Aragon as well as Anne Boleyn - she was still a virgin. The King's courtship of her had been encouraged and manipu­lated by Anne's enemies, and she had played the part of a virtuous maiden, yet there is no doubt that her placid exterior hid a tougher streak. As queen, she was very much on her dignity. She was kind to the King's daughters and a meek and dutiful wife to her husband, who was no longer the Adonis he had been in youth. Rather, Henry was developing into a tyrannical colossus with firm convictions of his divinely delegated authority. When Jane dared protest against the Dissolution of the Monasteries, he brutally reminded her that his last Queen had died for meddling in af­fairs that did not concern her. Yet Jane gave Henry the son he wanted, and for that he remained enduringly grateful. When Prince Ed­ward was born in October 1537, his happiness was complete. Twelve days later, however, Jane died of puerperal fever, and he plunged into very genuine grief, shutting himself away for a time. Neverthe­less, political reality intruded: the Prince was but one fragile life and needed a brother. Before Jane had been buried at Windsor, where the King would later be laid to rest be­side her, he had opened negotiations for a fourth marriage. In 1539, during the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the great abbey of Peterborough was closed and its lands and properties confiscated by King Henry VIII. However to increase his control over the church in this area he created a new bishop and Peterborough Abbey became a Cathedral.

Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard were first cousins, who were both beheaded due to accusations of infidelity. Jane Seymour was second cousin to both Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. Several of Henry's wives worked in service to another wife, typically as a lady-in-waiting. Anne Boleyn served Catherine of Aragon. Jane Seymour served both of her predecessors, Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Catherine Howard also served her predecessor, Anne of Cleves.

6. Catherine Parr

Anne was previously betrothed to Henry Percy, but this engagement had been broken off when it did not gain the support of his father, the fifth Earl of Northumberland. Henry VIII, himself, had formerly taken Anne’s sister, Mary, as a mistress. Catherine suffered multiple miscarriages and stillbirths. She bore the king’s first child, a boy, only to see him die 52 days later. Her only child to survive to adulthood was a daughter born in 1516, Mary; who went on to become queen.