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Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,222
Registered: ‎11-08-2014

KATHERINE PARR, HENRY VIII'S LAST QUEEN

You might have learned her name as "Catherine Parr";  both were used interchangeably for her in those days of fluid spelling.  She herself used "Kateryn the Quene KP" on some official documents.  I like the medieval-sounding, quirky, "Kateryn" that she herself favored.

 

Anyway, apparently, a number of original sources on her have fairly recently been recovered, and her importance to English history has been revised upward.

 

She's the one who managed to outlive Henry.  She was very interested in reforms, both monarchical and ecclesiastic.  She attempted to be an influence on volatile Henry for the good, and almost got into life-threatening hot water with him for it, but cannily talked her way out of it, and lived to tell the tale!   Most of the time he trusted and valued her counsel, enjoyed their debates, and even had her named Queen Regent while he was absent in war. 

 

She successfully got her step-daughters Mary and Elizabeth put back into the line of succession to the throne-- they had been removed because of their supposedly "disgraced" mothers.  Katherine took a special, maternal interest in all three of her step-children, Edward as well as Mary and Elizabeth.  What a soothing relief that must have been for those neglected, politics-tossed heirs!

 

Very rare for a woman in Tudor times, Katherine wrote books about her subjects of interest--  one was "Lamentation of a Sinner" and the other, "Prayers or Meditations".

 

Katherine encouraged the book publishing industry in general, advocated for her theological reforms, fostered the arts, and through her efforts got the King to found Trinity College at Cambridge.  She's an increasingly fascinating figure, at the heart of the beginning of the English Rennaissance.

 

 

http://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780195399301/obo-9780195399301-0070.xml

Honored Contributor
Posts: 9,739
Registered: ‎05-19-2012

Re: KATHERINE PARR, HENRY VIII'S LAST QUEEN

Fascinating, oznell!  I appreciate your "history digests" tremendously.  I'm so intellectually lazy sometimes.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 36,053
Registered: ‎08-19-2010

Re: KATHERINE PARR, HENRY VIII'S LAST QUEEN

ahhhhhhhhh   You tapped into my interests now. I'm into everything

king and Queenie.

Yep, she outlived Henry, but, unfortunately, got another man who was just out to use her for her status and died in childbirth.

 

Really tragic figure was Lady Jane Grey. I'm reading another book on her at the present. She lasted 9 days till 'Bloody' Mary came in and beheaded her

and made everybody or wanted to make everybody turn Catholic.

 

My fav is Elizabeth I. She wasn't perfect, but, fought the Catholics who were trying to assassinate her and started wars with her all in the name of religion. She never got took in by men and lived her life the way she wanted too.  Elizabeth had to pretend to turn Catholic in order to stay alive, then, when Mary was on the way out she was Queen and dropped it returned to Protestant.

 

I love British history not so much American. LOL

 

Queen Victoria returns tonight. So far it's been pretty factual. I question the scene at the pond where Albert was drowning and she, pregnant, rushed in to save him. I've never read that at all. Not sure about that. All she would have had to do was call out for her servants or probably a bodyguard because , she, too, had numerous attempts on her life. She would have had somebody with her just walking out on her grounds.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,222
Registered: ‎11-08-2014

Re: KATHERINE PARR, HENRY VIII'S LAST QUEEN

So true, @SharkE-- that part of the story kills me, where she gets to remarry, and all that, and then dies in childbirth.  Such a sad end to a life that was packed with momentous events in a short period.  But so many women died in that way then.  At least she lived long enough, brief as it was, to totally make her mark and do some good.

 

I love Jane Grey!  So gifted intellectually, such a remarkable figure.  Very, very brave at the end.  She fascinates me too.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 36,053
Registered: ‎08-19-2010

Re: KATHERINE PARR, HENRY VIII'S LAST QUEEN

Isn't that fascinating that when Eliz I died she had the son of the Catholic Mary, Queen of Scots to be her heir. Thankfully, he wasn't raised Catholic, though.

Took her awhile, but, she took care of ol ' Mary and the threat.

She defeated PHillip of Spain too (Catholic) on the seas who wasn't gonna stop till he got rid of her and turned all of England Catholic.

 

I'm sure you've watched both Elizabeth DVD's with what's her name in the lead.   Great movies ! Daniel Craig, in his early days was one of the people who tried to kill her in the movie.

 

My interests lie in a smattering of French, Russian and mostly English history. Could care less about the Far East/Asian history. I would rather discuss , though, off of the Q boards. LOL

Respected Contributor
Posts: 4,681
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: KATHERINE PARR, HENRY VIII'S LAST QUEEN

thanks for the update, @Oznell   with your interests, did you take in the recent movie "Mary Queen of Scots"?  if so, what was your reaction? 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 36,053
Registered: ‎08-19-2010

Re: KATHERINE PARR, HENRY VIII'S LAST QUEEN

[ Edited ]

don't know if you mean me or oznell, but, I like to talk LOL so, no, didn't see it. Hopefully, library will get it in eventually.

Remember, remember, they work from a screenplay that somebody writes up that isn't an historian and kind of make it up as they go.

 

My big gripe about all these movies on real life events.

Jonathon Rhys Meyers who did Henry the 8th ! Yikes ! that was the worst concoction of lies , ever. It was all I could do to sit and watch it. Been so long ago I can't remember what it was that made me so mad. Guess I've blocked it. Mostly sex scenes I do remember that. Flirtation, sex, sex. Just rent a porno if your not into history LOL

 

In one of the movies QEI and Mary, Queen of Scots has them meeting up in private in a woodsy area.

 

THEY NEVER EVEN MET!! Cousins, yes, but, they never laid eyes on each other and I remember one scene where the Queen went to see her when she was kept prisoner.  No way !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Pleez !!!!!

 

ROFL

Honored Contributor
Posts: 36,053
Registered: ‎08-19-2010

Re: KATHERINE PARR, HENRY VIII'S LAST QUEEN

I just read on Amazon a review of that movie and it confirmed my worst fears

LOL Inaccurate and made up stuff.

 

The person who wrote the first review said it all.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 18,222
Registered: ‎11-08-2014

Re: KATHERINE PARR, HENRY VIII'S LAST QUEEN

No, I've not seen it, @ms traditional.  Have you, and if so, would love to get your thoughts.  Does the "poetic licence" (if that's the phrase, ha) turn you off, as it does @SharkE, or do you get swept into the story, regardless?

Honored Contributor
Posts: 36,053
Registered: ‎08-19-2010

Re: KATHERINE PARR, HENRY VIII'S LAST QUEEN

I just now read the reviews on 

 

 

'The Favourite' at Amazon, too. Same baloney. Made up fiction stuff.

I mainly watch this tripe to see the clothes, palaces , scenery.