Katherine the Queen: The Remarkable Life of Katherine Parr (65 page)

Katherine’s bedchamber at Sudeley.

4.
The grounds of Sudeley Castle, showing the chapel where Katherine is buried.

The Habsburg emperor Charles V, ruler of most of Europe and rival of Henry VIII. He initially viewed Katherine Parr as a useful ally.

5.
A contemporary woodcut showing the martyrdom of the religious reformer, Anne Askew, a gentlewoman uncomfortably close to Katherine Parr.

Thomas Howard, third duke of Norfolk, whose cunning helped defeat the Pilgrimage of Grace in 1536.

Stephen Gardiner, bishop of Winchester, who married Henry VIII and Katherine Parr in 1543. An opponent of further religious reform, he became Katherine’s enemy.

6.
Thomas Wriothesley, later earl of Southampton, was lord chancellor in the last years of Henry VIII’s reign. An able administrator, he is often viewed as a religious conservative, but his major interest was in self-advancement. He was certainly involved in moves to compromise those close to Katherine, including the interrogation and torture of Anne Askew.

Every inch a queen. This full-length portrait shows Katherine Parr at the high point of her time as Henry VIII’s consort.

7.
The queen’s signature. The addition of the initials KP, her family name, was unique among Henry’s wives.

Katherine painted in about 1545, regal, serene and magnificently dressed.

8.
Katherine’s coat of arms.

Henry VIII in about 1540, magnificent but already overweight.

The ageing Henry VIII as he probably looked at the time of his last marriage.