In all my reading of Tudor England, Katherine Parr is someone I've read very little about. This book (originally published in the 70s) was a really great introduction to her. It explores her entire life, focusing on the Humanist education she received as a young girl, how she learned by watching Henry's wives over the years, and how she developed her touch for politics.

I had no idea that Katherine was pretty much raised at court, her mother being a lady-in-waiting to Catherine of Aragon. Katherine and Henry VIII's daughter Mary were contemporaries and spent their formative years together, learning at a Court school with several other girls who would form a block of influential women as they grew up. The author emphasises the Humanist learning the girls were taught, which becomes the bedrock of Katherine's belief system and what she eventually passed on to Elizabeth I. I liked how the obligatory history of Henry VIII and his other wives was seen more through what Katherine learned from the women- if she was at Court how she might have interacted with them and how the other women in her circle also interacted with them. There were also times when the Parrs dealt with Henry, since they were almost taught to see him as a father figure, and he was surprisingly interested in their lives and careers going forward. This may have saved Katherine's second husband when he was caught up in the Pilgrimage of Grace and the author suggests that it may have played a role in the downfall of Thomas Cromwell, after a conversation between Henry and Katherine.

I especially liked how Martienssen looked at the power of women-both as individuals and as a group-in this book. The comparison between Anne Boleyn, who flaunted her power, and Katherine Parr, who largely kept her influence behind the scenes, is striking. I would definitely want to read more on her to see if other authors see Katheirne in similar ways. The book has its weaknesses, the largest one being not including an actual bibliography but just including notations in brief footnotes. But I'm definitely hooked and now planning on looking for many more books on Katherine in the future.

I received an ARC of this edition from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review

This biography chronicles the daring influence of Queen Katherine Parr on Henry VIII's court. A Renaissance humanist raised among scholars, she outmaneuvered Thomas Cromwell and, as Henry's final queen, shaped future monarchs Edward VI, Mary I, and Elizabeth I through her progressive education policies. Parr emerges not as a passive pawn but a shrewd political force who molded history.

I've read a lot of books about the Tudors in general and Katherine Parr in particular. This one offers insights I hadn't heard before. Engaging and easy to understand, this biography is informative and a pleasure to read.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Queen Katherine Parr is a book by Anthony Martienssen about Katherine Parr, the last wife of King Henry VIII. This covers Katherine's life as much as possible, as well as talking about important events in her life such as the Protestant movement and England's wars.
I found this book quite interesting. It gave a great deal of context to the story while also not overwhelming the reader with tangents. The book was also quite easy to read, though the many nobles were difficult to keep track of at times.
However, I did have a couple issues with the book. The biggest issue I had was all the quotations in the book. For example, there would be an entire letter that Katherine wrote to someone. This was helpful at times, but I wish more of the letters were summarised by the author rather than just put in.
I would recommend this book to people who are interested in King Henry VIII's wives. I would recommend a decent amount of knowledge, because the book does not spend much time explaining King Henry or his previous wives.

Queen Katherine Parr by Anthony Martienson

For those that have read many books on the tudor period you may feel that you know most of the history that is available on HenryV111 & his wives . However after reading this I am wrong .
Katherine Parr was quite a complex character , who I feel probably watered down her intelligence from the king to keep her head and her life. She obviously succeeded as she was his last and surviving him queen.
I enjoyed the book inspite of it being re published from the original which was released in the late 70s.