Firebrand: The True Story of Katherine Parr, Queen of England & Ireland

Firebrand The True Story of Katherine Parr Queen of England & Ireland

Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re discussing the life of Catherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII.

Early Life & Learning

Catherine Parr was born in 1512, the eldest of Sir Thomas Parr and Maud Green’s three surviving children. At the time of her birth, the Parr family had two homes, Kendal Castle in Westmorland and a townhome in the Blackfriars neighborhood of London. Both parents worked in Henry VIII’s court. Thomas held different positions, including Master of the Guards and Comptroller to the King. Maud served as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Catherine of Aragon, Catherine Parr’s godmother, and likely, namesake.

After Thomas Parr died in 1517, Maud didn’t remarry. She gave her children a noble education. Catherine grew to love learning and became fluent in multiple languages, including French, Latin, and Italian. In 1529, Maud arranged for Catherine to marry Sir Edward Burgh, though he passed away in the spring of 1533.

Lady Latimer

By the summer of 1534, Parr gained the title Lady Latimer when she married her second husband, John Neville, 3rd Baron Latimer, who was also her father’s second cousin. In October 1536, at the beginning of the Pilgrimage of Grace, Lord Latimer was forced to join the Catholic rebels in the revolt against the English Reformation. However, some believe he was a willing conspirator. During his absence, Catherine and her stepchildren had to survive on their own and were briefly held hostage in Snape Castle, their North Yorkshire home.

Around 1542, Catherine began spending more time with her brother and sister — William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton, and Anne Parr, Countess of Pembroke. Neville died in 1543, leaving Catherine a wealthy widow and the guardian of stepdaughter, Margaret.

Catherine reacquainted herself with Lady Mary, Catherine of Aragon’s daughter, and around February 1543, she was a regular among the household. At the time, she was romantically involved with Sir Thomas Seymour, brother of Henry VIII’s third wife, Jane Seymour. However, once the king took notice of Catherine, she felt compelled to end her relationship with Sir Thomas and accept the King’s marriage proposal.

The Queen Who Survived

Henry VIII and Catherine Parr married on July 12, 1543, making her the first to become both the Queen of England and Ireland. She initiated the reconciliation between the King and his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, daughter of Anne Boleyn. Parr helped Henry pass the Third Succession Act of 1543, which reinstated his daughters to the line of succession behind Edward, their half-brother who later became King Edward VI.

In addition to being a caring stepmother, Catherine Parr was an accomplished author and scholar. On April 25, 1544, she anonymously published her first book “Psalms or Prayers,” an English translation of bishop John Fisher’s Latin work. Her second text, “Prayers or Meditations,” was published in June 1545, under her own name, the first British Queen to do so. She published her third book, “Lamentation of a Sinner” in November 1547.

From July to September 1544, Parr temporarily ruled as regent while Henry VIII was away campaigning in France. She became known for being outspoken and in 1546, Stephen Gardiner, the Bishop of Winchester, and Lord Wriothesley, the Lord Chancellor, suspected her of having radical Protestant views. The two officials tried to have her arrested for heresy. But Parr discovered the arrest warrant, and instead of further pushing her ideas for religious reform, she reaffirmed her devotion to Henry, effectively saving her own life.

The Dowager Queen

After years of struggling with his health, Henry VIII died on January 28, 1547. Days later, the coronation of her stepson, Edward VI, was celebrated and she retired from the royal court. About four months after Henry’s death, Parr rekindled her romance with Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley. The two secretly married in May 1547, but when it finally became public knowledge, the union was a scandal, as expected.

Catherine became pregnant in 1548, around the same time her husband began an affair with Lady Elizabeth, his wife’s stepdaughter. As a result, Elizabeth was sent away in May 1548, from their Chelsea home. A month later, Catherine and Lady Jane Grey moved to Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire, England. Then on August 30, she gave birth to her only child, a daughter, Mary Seymour. As was common back then with childbirth, she suffered from a postpartum bacterial infection, or “childbed fever,” and died on September 5. Her funeral was held two days later.

In the Media

While she’s been portrayed in series such as “The Tudors” and “Becoming Elizabeth,” Catherine Parr is seemingly the lesser-known of Henry VIII’s six wives. But the strong-willed, intelligent woman is at the center of Karim Aïnouz’s film “Firebrand,” starring Alicia Vikander in the lead role opposite Jude Law’s ailing king.

Based on Elizabeth Fremantle’s “Queen’s Gambit,” the historical drama follows the latter years of their tumultuous marriage. The film premiered at the 76th Cannes Film Festival in May 2023 and is set to hit theaters on June 14, 2024.

Are you going to check out “Firebrand”? Let us know in the comments below.