Linda Porter’s ‘Katherine the Queen: The Remarkable Life of Katherine Parr’ is the April update for the site.
Linda Porter’s biography of the life of Henry VIII’s sixth queen is a very readable account of one of his lesser known wives.
Katherine’s dramatic story from being held hostage during the Pilgrimage of Grace to the months spent as regent (while the King fought in France), from the importance of her relationship with the three royal children, to how Katherine negotiated life at the Tudor court with considerable skill, the Queen’s authorship and a fresh look at the circumstances of her fourth and final marriage to Thomas Seymour ensures that Katherine emerges from the shadow of Henry’s other wives.
The author sees Katherine’s regency as having a profound effect on the young future Elizabeth I and that ‘her long reign is Katherine Parr’s abiding achievement.’(p348)
Porter’s biography will make sure that Katherine Parr is more than the wife who ‘survived.’
