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1543 – 1547: What would you do if a man who has buried four wives commands you to marry him?
The Taming of the Queen
What you need to know before your trail
What would you do if a man who has buried four wives commands you to marry him and that man is Henry VIII, King of England?
At a time where women had little choice about their path in life, if at all, Kateryn Parr, a thirty year old widow had less still. King Henry VIII takes a shine to her and commands her to be his next wife. He’s already buried four wives and chopped the heads of two of them ….but this is the Tudor Age and Henry rules England and Kateryn is well aware of the danger she is in.
She becomes his Queen but she also is able to carve out a unique role in his life, She unites the royal family which has been broken for some time and creates a radical study circle at the heart of the court.
But this role instead of keeping her safe could be her undoing..
Travel Guide
Tudor England was not the place to be if you were a woman. Women were expected to marry, do what they were told and do whatever their fathers wished in order to ensure their wealth and prosperity. If the King commanded you to marry him, then that’s what you had to do.
Kateryn Parr is in a secret affair when the King commands her to marry. She is twice widowed and has no children, but she loves a man named Thomas Seymour (brother of Henry’s third wife Jane)
This in itself could have led to her death if Henry had found out.
Kateryns’ story is one of a unique and intriguing woman who could read and who ever wrote her own book. Someone which was ahead of her time. She was passionate about the arts and religion and was highly intelligent. Again, not encouraged amongst women at the time. This was a man’s world, and the Royal Court Henry’s world.
But the religious setting was the most rocky. Katheryn was protestant and faced many problems in her life because of it. Religion could get you killed. Even Mary.
Henry’s own daughter had been disowned partly because of her catholic heritage.
Kateryn is on dangerous ground as the gulf between Catholics and Protestants grows. These are dangerous times and if you’re a woman at the Royal Court, even more so.
Streetview Maps
2) Hampton Court Palace
Henry's home
Henry's home
3 ) The Tower of London
The most feared place in Tudor times
The most feared place in Tudor times
Booktrailer Review
Susan: @thebooktrailer
Even if you think you’ve read every Tudor book under the sun. this stands out as a real labour of love. Kateryn Parr is the only woman to have truly survived Henry and her story is one of the most fascinating I’ve read. She was ahead of her time and dared to challenge convention so she fascinated me for that reason. It was the story of how Henry grew so vicious in his later years and tried to tame this woman that I felt was really brought to life. I’m no Tudor expert but I love the way Philippa makes you care for these women despite the life and times being so different to ours now.
Philippa really brings this period to life for me in a way no one else does and she paint such a vivid picture that I too was afraid of Henry appearing in the court or hearing an order come bellowing down the hallowed corridors.
I always want to read books like this next to a roaring fire with a goblet of wine.
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