Katharine Parr The Sixth Wife

Bestselling author and acclaimed historian Alison Weir brings her Tudor Queens series to a close with the remarkable story of Henry VIII's sixth and final wife, who manages to survive him and remarry, only to be thrown into a romantic intrigue that threatens the very throne of England. “A superb read and a remarkable end to a brilliant series.”—Historical Novel Society Having sent his much-beloved but deceitful young wife Katheryn Howard to her beheading, King Henry fixes his lonely eyes on a more mature woman, thirty-year-old, twice-widowed Katharine Parr. She, however, is in love with Sir Thomas Seymour, brother to the late Queen Jane. Aware of his rival, Henry sends him abroad, leaving Katharine no choice but to become Henry’s sixth queen in 1543. The king is no longer in any condition to father a child, but Katharine is content to mother his three children, Mary, Elizabeth, and the longed-for male heir, Edward. Four years into the marriage, Henry dies, leaving England’s throne to nine-year-old Edward—a puppet in the hands of ruthlessly ambitious royal courtiers—and Katharine's life takes a more complicated turn. Thrilled at this renewed opportunity to wed her first love, Katharine doesn't realize that Sir Thomas now sees her as a mere stepping stone to the throne, his eye actually set on bedding and wedding fourteen-year-old Elizabeth. The princess is innocently flattered by his attentions, allowing him into her bedroom, to the shock of her household. The result is a tangled tale of love and a struggle for power, bringing to a close the dramatic and violent reign of Henry VIII.

This title presents the turbulent life and loves of Henry VIII's sixth wife. Romantic, chaotic, and terrifying, Catherine Parr's life unfolded like a romance novel. Wed at 17 to the grandson of a confirmed lunatic then widowed at 20, Catherine chose a Yorkshire lord twice her age as her second husband. Caught up in the turbulent terrors of the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536, she was captured by northern rebels, held hostage, and suffered violence at their hands. Fleeing to the south shortly afterward, Catherine took refuge in the household of the Princess Mary and in the arms of the king's brother-in-law, Sir Thomas Seymour. Her employment in Mary's household brought her to the attention of Mary's father, the unpredictable Henry VIII. Desperately in love with Seymour, Catherine was forced into marriage with a king whose passion for her could not be hidden and who was determined to make her his queen.

The Sunday Times top-five bestselling final novel in Alison Weir's spellbinding Six Tudor Queens series. 'A detailed and convincing portrait of an extraordinary life... this series is a serious achievement' The Times 'This brilliant series has brought Henry VIII's six wives to life as never before... will enthral and inspire, just as much as it will break your heart' Tracy Borman 'An absolute delight to read' Reader review ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 'Alison Weir once again weaves fiction and fact to create a beautiful story' Reader review ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ --- Henry VIII's final queen. Her story. A woman torn between love and duty. Two husbands dead, a boy and a sick man. Now Katharine is free to make her own choice. The ageing King's eye falls upon her. She cannot refuse him... or betray that she wanted another. She becomes Henry's sixth wife - a queen and trusted friend. But Katharine is hiding another secret in her heart, a deeply held faith that could see her burn... Katharine Parr. History tells us she survived. This enthralling novel reveals the life she lived. --- PRAISE FOR THE SIX TUDOR QUEENS SERIES: 'This series is a serious achievement' The Times 'This brilliant series has brought Henry VIII's six wives to life as never before' Tracy Borman 'Profoundly moving... lingers long after the last page' Elizabeth Fremantle 'Well researched and engrossing' Good Housekeeping 'Vivid characters and a wonderful sense of time and place' Barbara Erskine 'Hugely enjoyable . . . Alison Weir knows her subject and has a knack for the telling and textural detail' Daily Mail

Delve deep into a superb, fictionalised account of Henry VIII's sixth Queen, the mysterious Katharine Parr, written by multi-million copy and international bestselling author Jean Plaidy. This vibrant and captivating historical page-turner, perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory, is guaranteed to have you hooked from page one... 'Jean Plaidy doesn't just write the history, she makes it come alive.' -- Julia Moffat, RNA 'Plaidy excels at blending history with romance and drama' -- New York Times 'Full-blooded, dramatic, exciting' - Observer 'A must read' -- ***** Reader review 'I could not put this book down once I started reading' -- ***** Reader review 'A pleasure to read' -- ***** Reader review 'She makes history come alive' -- ***** Reader review ************************************************************************************************* Katharine Parr has unwittingly become the last pawn in King Henry VIII's ambitions for an heir. Already twice widowed, Katharine finally dares to hope that she might find love with the dashing Thomas Seymour - but Henry has decided he must have a sixth wife and Seymour's intentions to marry Katharine have not gone unnoticed. Unable to refuse the King of England, Katharine becomes his reluctant bride. Once again it seems only a matter of time before another wife's fate leads her to the Tower of London. Will fate be kind to her...? The Tudor saga continues in The Thistle and the Rose.

Henry VIII is risking his marriage and the political strategies of Cardinal Wolsey in his obsession to marry Anne Boleyn, who does not welcome the king's advances and loathes the cardinal for breaking her betrothal to Harry Percy.

To the extent that she is popularly known, Katherine Parr (1512–48) is the woman who survived King Henry VIII as his sixth and last wife. She merits far greater recognition, however, on several other fronts. Fluent in French, Italian, and Latin, Parr also began, out of necessity, to learn Spanish when she ascended to the throne in 1543. As Henry’s wife and queen of England, she was a noted patron of the arts and music and took a personal interest in the education of her stepchildren, Princesses Mary and Elizabeth and Prince Edward. Above all, Parr commands interest for her literary labors: she was the first woman to publish under her own name in English in England. For this new edition, Janel Mueller has assembled the four publications attributed to Parr—Psalms or Prayers, Prayers or Meditations, The Lamentation of a Sinner, and a compilation of prayers and Biblical excerpts written in her hand—as well as her extensive correspondence, which is collected here for the first time. Mueller brings to this volume a wealth of knowledge of sixteenth-century English culture. She marshals the impeccable skills of a textual scholar in rendering Parr’s sixteenth-century English for modern readers and provides useful background on the circumstances of and references in Parr’s letters and compositions. Given its scope and ambition, Katherine Parr: Complete Works and Correspondence will be an event for the English publishing world and will make an immediate contribution to the fields of sixteenth-century literature, reformation studies, women’s writing, and Tudor politics.

‘Linda Porter has done a marvellous job in bringing Katherine Parr to life. In so doing, she evokes the whole terrifying and exciting world of the Tudor courts, packed with intrigue and danger’ A.N. Wilson, Reader’s Digest In this, the first full-scale biography of Katherine Parr, Linda Porter illuminates the life of the queen history has largely forgotten - or at least misremembered. Twice widowed before her marriage to the king, she was not as well versed in the ways of monarchs and her fervent political and religious views made waves in the treacherous waters of the Tudor court. The queen who 'survived' did so only by the skin of her teeth. And though the story of her life has been curiously neglected, she left an enduring impression on English history. 'Colourful and well paced . . . Katherine's was indeed a remarkable life’ Matthew Dennison, Mail on Sunday ‘[A] nuanced picture of family allegiances and intellectual background’ Jenny Uglow, Financial Times

(Vocal Selections). Six has received rave reviews around the world for its modern take on the stories of the six wives of Henry VIII and it's finally opening on Broadway! From Tudor queens to pop princesses, the six wives take the mic to remix five hundred years of historical heartbreak into an exuberant celebration of 21st century girl power! Songs include: All You Wanna Do * Don't Lose Ur Head * Ex-Wives * Get Down * Haus of Holbein * Heart of Stone * I Don't Need Your Love * No Way * Six.