quote:

Plot:

The moive is about the sisters, Anne Boleyn (Natalie Portman) and Mary Boleyn (Scarlett Johansson), who are both fighting for the affection of King Henry VIII (Eric Bana). Although initially reluctant to become Henry's mistress, Mary comes to fall for the King, while Anne is only interested in securing her own status. Their father, Sir Thomas Boleyn, and uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, engineer the sisters' coming to Henry's attention in the first place, capitalizing on his dissatisfaction with his wife, Katherine of Aragon, who has failed to bear him a living son. The ambitious men seek their own gain in having a female relative as the King's mistress. First they select Anne, who is older, more ambitious and unmarried, and arrange for her to catch Henry's eye, but when Henry is injured in a hunting accident, indirectly caused by Anne, they have Mary nurse him.

While Anne is sent to France in disgrace, Mary becomes the King's lover; the Boleyns' fortunes seem secure when she becomes pregnant. When Mary is confined to bed rest to protect the baby, however, Norfolk recalls Anne from France to keep the King's attention from wandering to another rival (such as Jane Seymour). Anne embarks on a successful campaign to attract Henry, showing herself to be more sophisticated and accomplished then she had seemed before. By refusing her sexual favors, she ensures Henry's continued interest, finally making him promise never to bed his wife or speak to her sister in exchange for her giving him hope. She exacts this promise just after Mary gives birth to the much-anticipated son, making her sister's triumph hollow.

The ambitious Anne continues to refuse Henry's advances, until at last he obtains an unpopular divorce from Katherine and marries her instead. A scandel from her brief, secret marriage to a young nobleman (Henry Percy) threatens the alliance, but Mary, out of loyalty to her family, returns to court and vouches for Anne's honesty. A pregnant Anne becomes Queen of England, and Mary stays by her side. Despite the birth of a daughter, Elizabeth, the royal marriage is unhappy. After Anne miscarries her second child, she becomes desperate and asks her brother, George Boleyn (Jim Sturgess), to try to impregnate her. Mary again leaves behind the intrigues of court, but Anne and George are unable to go through with their incest. Nonetheless, George's neglected wife, Jane, sees enough of their encounter to make her suspicious. Her testimony sets off the arrest, trial and, eventually, the execution of both Boleyns. Mary returns to court to plead for her sister's life, and although Henry seems to soften, he permits Anne's beheading to go on. He even warns Mary never to come to court again, because her family's disgrace could result in danger to her, as well. Mary fulfills her last promise to Anne and takes care of her infant daughter, who will grow up, the film's epilogue notes, to be the strong and successful heir that Henry always wanted: Elizabeth I.

quote:

Plot summary:

The story opens in 1521 when Mary's distant cousin, the Duke of Buckingham, is executed on the king's orders. His crime was his daring to suggest that Henry could not produce a healthy son. A year later, Mary's older sister, Anne, returns from the French Court where she has lived as a lady-in-waiting for the last few years. Both the Boleyn girls are remarkable beauties, and Mary (despite being only fourteen years old) is already married to the wealthy courtier Sir William Carey. Mary's life is turned upside down, however, when the 31-year-old King Henry VIII takes an interest in her. Despite being a favorite lady-in-waiting to his wife, Queen Katherine, Mary becomes the king's mistress. She is assisted in this process by her two siblings - the quick-witted George and the scheming Anne. To her father's delight, Mary becomes pregnant with the king's child. She gives birth to two children - Cathrine and Henry. (Not at the same time, one is a couple years older than the other). However, while she is pregnant, Anne sets out to seduce the king and steal him away from her sister. She is successful, and the King flirts with Anne by day and sleeps with Mary by night. In the process he breaks the heart of Mary, who has by now fallen in love with him.

By 1527, Henry has made up his mind to divorce his wife to marry Anne. Mary is pushed into the background and becomes the other Boleyn girl. She is reduced to being Anne's lady-in-waiting. As an act of malice, Anne secretly adopts Mary's son, stealing all legal rights as the child's mother. She becomes consumed by her ambition to be queen, not even bothering to sympathise when Mary's husband dies of the sweating sickness in 1528. Mary comes to suspect that Anne is planning to poise Katherine, and has already attempted to poison a bishop who is opposed to the Boleyn's ambitions.

In 1532, Mary falls in love with a handsome servent, William Stafford, whom she secretly marries. A year later, Anne becomes queen. When she discovers Mary has married a commoner and is pregnant with his child, she immediately banishes her from court. Meanwhile, Mary's brother George is trapped in a miserable marriage to Jane Parker and is seeking solace in a secret homosexual affair with Sir Francis Weston. After Anne gives birth to a daughter, Elizabeth in 1533, she suffers two miscarriages - being forced to abort one with a witches' potion. When Mary returns to court in 1535, she begins to suspect that the King is impotent and that Anne and George have committed an incestuous affair in order to help her conceive again. Her fears are seemingly confirmed when Anne has another miscarriage in 1536, and the fetus is monstrously deformed.

The novel now hurtles towards its conclusion. Anne is arrested in May, and so is George. He and his homosexual lover are executed as Anne's supposed lovers, and Mary is uncertain what to think - knowing that people are telling lies about her sister, but also fearing that they are telling the truth. In an echo of the novel's beginning chapter, The Other Boleyn Girl ends with an execution - Anne's.

Mary lives out the rest of her life in peace, with her common-born husband, William Stafford.

Allusions/references to actual history, geography and current science:

Mary Boleyn was the younger (some people think elder) sister of the more famous Anne Boleyn. As such, she is usually mentioned in the numerous biographies that have been written about Anne, but never in any substantial detail.

Mary, unlike Anne, was the mistress of two kings - François I of France and England's Henry VIII. She was born sometime between 1499 and 1508, probably around 1500. She was considered the more attractive of the two, and was the one member of the Boleyn family who ultimately was able to aviod the controversies that led to the executions of bother her sister Anne and her brother George.

She was married twice, and died in 1543. Philippa Gregory was intrigued by the story of a queen's sister who apparently has been forgotten by history because she lacked the political importance and impact of her sister. Gregory was fascinated by Mary's story nonetheless and sought to write a novel on the "other Boleyn girl." Some of the novel's storyline was loosely based on the work of American historian, Retha M. Warnicke, and the books of British historian, Alison Weir. Others, however, were clear dramatic devices. As a novelist, Gregory also often altered or ignored actual historic events to portray Mary Boleyn in a more positive light, particulary through her portrayal of Mary as a heroine, determined to achieve independence unheard of for an upper-class woman in the mid-sixteeth century.

Questions of Historical Accuracy:

Some areas of disputed historical accuracy include the following:

Birth order of the sisters. Many histories, including Eric Ives's biography of Anne Boleyn, suggest that Mary was almost certainly the elder sister, and the eldest of the Boleyn children, whereas The Other Boleyn Girl presents Anne as the eldest. Philippa Gregory responds: 'No. No-one knows the ages of the Boleyn girls there is no record of their dates of birth. Having examined the evidence I, and historian Alison Weir believe that she is the youngest. Anne was the first Boleyn girl sent to France, Mary followed. Anne is listed in a Boleyn will and Mary is not. Anne is named in a letter as Mistress Anne Boleyn and Mary as Mistress Boleyn which indicates Anne's seniority. Anne was betrothed first (though the marriage fell through which is why Mary was married first). In any event there is probably a difference of two years. (Alison Weir's two published books on the Tudor royals do not back-up this statement: in both The Six Wives of Henry VIII (1991) and Henry VIII: King and Court (2002) she states that Mary was the elder sister. However another historian, Retha Warnicke, believes Mary was the youngest by approximately tweleve months.

Sexuality of George Boleyn. The book depicts George Boleyn as having a homosexual lover, though historians such as Eric Ives suggest he was known as a womaniser. In essence, the historical debate over Boleyn's sexuality has little to do with the history of gay identity, but rather a specific point of argument between those who support Ives's theory that Anne was the victim of a political coup and thus sexual prejudice had nothing to do with her downfall, it was simply a convenient excuse and thsoe who support American academic Retha Warnicke, who also argues passionately in favor of Anne's innocence but believes her destruction had far more to do with the 16th-century's warped view of sexual psychology (centring on a confusing system of prejudices which saw links between miscarriages, fetal deformitaies, homosexuality/bisexuality, witchcraft and Satanishm). Thus Gregory is justified in defending her novel's sub-plot on the grounds that specific evidence about George's sexual preference is inconclusive, he could just as easily have been bisexual and that there is a school of historical thought which would support the idea that he had same-sex affairs.

Paternity of Mary Boleyn's children. It has long been rumored that one or both of Mary Boleyn's children were fathered by Henry, with the rumor originating from a report made in 1531 by an anti-Boleyn prior. Some writers, such as Alison Weir, consider it unlikely that Henry Carey (Mary's son) was fathered by the King. Whereas some others, chiefly Eric Ives, have insisted that it is frankly impossible. As always within history there is some debate, with Sally Varloe, Dr. G.W. Bernard (author of The King's Reformation) and Joanna Denny (author of Anne Boleyn: A New Life of England's Tragic Queen and Katherine Howard: A Tudor Conspiracy) arguing that he may have been Henry Tudor's son.

Role of Thomas and Elizabeth Boleyn. The Other Boleyn Girl depicts Mary's parents as using their daughter and her sexuality as a political pawn. Sources such as Anne Boleyn by Marie-Louise Bruce (1972) suggest that Mary's parents did not encourage her sexual escapades, and were horrified when she was sent home from France in disgrace. Gregory denies there is any evidence of this.

Anne Boleyn's wardship of Henry Carey. Anne Boleyn took on Mary's son as her ward after the death of his father, and supplied him with an education - a common practice in the Tudor nobility and one very similar to the situation faced by dozens of young aristocratic children, including Anne and Mary's cousin, Catherine Howard who was raised by her grandmother when her father was penniless. Anne's actions are usually seen as a kind by contemporaries and historians but in the novel it is re-imagined as a cruel act. The author's response is as follows: 'Anne did adopt Mary's son, but there is no evidence for Anne's motives. She cut off her sister without a pension on the death of William Carey which does not seem very kind. But we simply don't know her motives either way.' (In fact, Anne secured Mary a pension of £100 a year.)

Sexual experience of Mary Boleyn. Mary is depicted as a sexually inexperienced young girl, despite her alleged affair with Francis I of France and subsequent promiscuity at the French court, for which she is generally thought to have been dismissed from the French court, shaming the Boleyn family. The author comments: 'There is no evidence for Mary's sexual activity before marriage and given that she was a Tudor young lady whose marriage would be her fortuen it is extremely unlikely that she would be allowed to have lost her virginity. The only evidence for sexual activity at the court of the king is his boast that she had been 'his hackney' which is unsupported by any other claim or any evidence in France or England and probably was said only to upset Henry VIII. ...Nobody knows that age Mary was when she went to court, but she was probably only 12 when married according to current best calculations. That would mean that she was the French King's lover before puberty which is also most unlikely.' (There is considerable uncertainty over the birthdate of all the Boleyn siblings - many historians including Ives would suggest Mary was much older than 12, probably in her early 20s.)

Motivations and Characterisation of Anne Boleyn. The Guardian newspaper claimed Anne had been presented as "a scheming trollop," expressing incredulity at such a characterisation. There were also some objections from feminist scholars, many of whom praise Anne Boleyn as a feminist icon. As queen, Anne was also a generous patron of charity and she saved many lives from the Inquisition in Europe. Philippa Gregory says 'The only 'savage criticism' I have experienced has been anonymous remarks such as this published without peer review or editing. All reputable reviews have been positive. Calling my verison of Anne a 'scheming trollop' is not savage criticism but fair comment. Anne Boleyn is not a feminist icon to feminist scholars and I have reveived no criticism from feminists but much priase for my history of women.'

Incest between Anne and George Boleyn. Anne Boleyn was charged with committing incest with her brother. At one point in the novel, there there is the implication that this might have been true, in a desperate attempt by Anne to become pregnant with a son. This twist in the story provoked the most outcry, one reason being that Anne had sworn upon the damnation of her soul in 1536 that she was absolutely innocent, leading some to feel that it was incredibly disrespectful to distort such a human tragedy in this manner. None of the sources Gregory listed in her bibliography supported the theory that Anne was quilty of the charges used at her trial. She had used two biographies of Anne - one by the American historian, Retha Warnicke and another by Marie-Louise Bruce. Both these writers insisted that Anne was innocent, as did books by David Loades, Alison Weir and Lacey Baldwin Smith that Gregory had used when researching the story. The author says, 'Anne was charged and found guilty of incest with her brother, the novel suggests that this is show trial and implies that Anne would have done anything to save her life and get a son. This is no distortion of the story. ...There is no suggestion in the book that Anne was definitely guilty of incest but this is the charge she faced - as every historian records, and she was found guilty and so executed. Since the novel is written in the first person it is an account of the trial, the guilty sentence and the execution, it is not a later explanation.'

Interestingly, in one of the noevel's sequels - The Boleyn Inheritance - one of the characters admits that she fabricated the evidence of incest used in the trail against the two Boleyns. This implies that the two were innocent all along and it was simply gossip and innuendo which condemned them. The author responds: 'Yes indeed. This novel is from the point of view of Jane Parker. The Other Boleyn Girl is from the point of view of Mary Boleyn. Both novels are based on the historical record that the reader is supposed to understand that the account comes from their point of view. In the case of The Boleyn Inheritance the journey of the character of Jane Parker towards madness is part of her realization of what she has done. Most readers have understood this.'

quote:

Henry VIII's marital woes led to the formation of the Anglican church in England. One should remember, however, that he stayed married to Catherine of Aragon for 24 years before divorcing her. Only two of his wives were executed, one for good cause. To keep the wives straight, remember their fates:

Divorced, Beheaded, Died
Divorced, Beheaded, Survived

Henry's original divorce was sought after Henry's conscience began to bother him over his marriage to his brother's widow. The following bible verse was interpreted by Henry as grounds for the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon:

If a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an impurity; He hath uncovered his brother's nakedness; they shall be childless.

Henry and Catherine obtained a papal dispensation before they wed to overcome this problematic verse and other religious objections. Catherine insisted that her marriage to Arthur, Henry's brother, was never consummated. Later, Henry reevaluated the verse when their marriage had produced only Mary and approximately 13 pregnancies that ended in stillbirths, miscarriages, and infant deaths soon after birth. It should be noted that the bible also states that if a man dies without heirs his surviving brother should take his wife and their children shall be considered the issue of the dead brother; a biblical commandment that Henry was not troubled over when he sought to divorce Catherine. At any rate, Catherine argued that their marriage was not childles, since they had Mary.

Pope Clement VII had refused to grant an annulment primarily because Catherine's nephew, the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles, was a more immediate threat to the Pope, since he was personally present, along with his army, in Rome. Generally, an annulment would not have been a problem for any king seeking one. Catherine's powerful familial ties were thus particularly infuriating to Henry.

quote:

In 1518, Henry (at age 27) tried Elizabeth 'Bessie' Blount, the daughter of Shropshire knight, Sir John Blount of Kinlet Hall in Shropshire, England. Her mother was Katherine Peshall. Katerine's father fought at Bosworth with Henry VII. John and Katherine Blount had a total of eleven children. Bessie was eighteen years old at the time Henry met her, and was said to be a real beauty. In the summer of 1519, Bessie gave birth to Henry's son in Blackmore Manor (alias 'Jericho') in Essex, England. Jericho was one of two houses of pleasure where Henry kept for his whores. The child, Henry Fitzroy (1519-1536) was made the Duke of Richmond on June 15, 1524 (at age 6) and one week earlier he was made Knight of the Garter.

The title of Duke of Richmond was the title Henry VIII's father had before becoming King of England. Henry Fitzroy was raised as the son of Bessie's husband, Gilbert Tailboys at Rokeby Manor in Warwickshire.

Another mistress was Lady Elizabeth Fitzwalter (Henry's second cousin) who married Robert Fitzwalter.

Mary Boleyn, who Francois I, of France, dubbed 'whore' was Henry's next love interest. He married her to: William Carey and she became Lady in Waiting to Catherine of Aragon. Their affair lasted two years.

Some think that Henry might have fathered one of her children. However, Henry never acknowledged her children as his.

quote:

Anne Boleyn's family was of middle-class origins. Henry VIII, like his father, surrounded themselves with men of humble origins. The Boyelns, as well as the Seymours and the Howards, owed their succuess, and thus their loyalty, to the crown alone. Anne's father, Thomas, held a succession of positions in Henry's court. Anne's sister Mary, was most likely Henry's mistress prior to his involvement with Anne. It has been suggested that Anne learned a lesson from this tryst and at one time said to Henry:

My Lord, your wife I cannot be because you have a Queen already. Your mistress I will not be.

With these words, Anne shrewdly laid her cards on the table. Anne held Henry at bay until the ties with Catherine were well on their way to being truly dissolved. She did not, however, wait for her wedding night, since evidence suggests that she was pregnant with Elizabeth when she wed.

Henry's reasons for dissolving England's ties with Rome are more complex than the love of a woman. In a time of absolute monarchy, Henry believed that he embodied England. To die ensuring a peaceful succession was unthinkable. The War of the Roses, with all of its bloodshed over the crown, had shown how detrimental instability was to the country. To Henry, failing to provide a heir was truly an indication from God that he was sinful. The fact that he had a healthy son by his mistress, Bessie Blount, further confirmed for Henry that God was displeased with his marriage to Catherine. Henry took the unprecedented step of declaring Bessie's son to be legitimate and bestowing the title of Duke of Richmond on him.

Cardinal Thomas Wolsey (1475-1530) was also a man of humble origins and was Henry's chief religious council. Although a servant of Rome, in reality Henry pulled his strings. He needed to please Henry and to please Henry he had to find a way to get rid of Catherine. Wolsey exhausted all avenues withini the Catholic church but did not provide Henry with an out. As a result of this failure, Wolsey did not live to see the reformation revolution. He was convicted of high treason but died before reaching his London execution. On his death he was heard to say, "I have not served God as I have served the King."

Cardinal Wolsey's successor was Thomas Cromwell. It was Cromwell who originally proposed to Henry that he renounce the pope by convincing him that England had two rulers when it only needed one. The Act of Supremacy was issued to severe England's ties with Rome and make Henry head of the English Church.

The Reformation Parliament was summoned to sever England's ties with Rome. The Parliament was made up primarily of middle class men, many of whom had grudges against the tyranny of Rome. These men were not heretics, but they did covet the power and wealth controlled by the Catholic church. It was Henry's good fortune that his desires coincided with the jingoistic and anticlerical mood of England. The parliament and Henry did not see themselves as protestant reformers but rather were moved to cleanse the church of its corruption. Among the reforms that occurred in the span of 6 years were the following: (1) fees that the Church could charge for services were limited, (2) Henry was proclaimed Supreme Head of the Church of England, (3) the monasteries were dissolved and the riches disbursed, and (4) latin was replaced by the vernacular.

Henry's marriage to Anne lasted only 3 years. Her first pregnancy resulted in a healthy but unsatisfactory girl. Her second pregnancy resulted in the miscarriage of a male fetus. It is likely that the fetus of this pregnancy was deformed in some way, which led to her conviction as a witch and adulteress. At the time, miscarriages and deformities were often considered linked to evil spirits or sin on the part of the mother. Anne was accused of sleeping with 5 men, including her brother, George, but none of the charges appear to be credible. At her execution, May 19, 1536, Anne is reported as have said:

Good Christian people, I am come hither to die, for according to the law, and by the law I am judged to die, and therefore I will speak nothing against it. I am come hither to accuse no man, nor to speak anything of that, whereof I am accused and condemned to die, but I pray God save the king and send him long to reign over you, for a gentler nor a more merciful prince was there never: and to me he ws ever a good, a gentle and sovereign lord. And if any person will meddle of my cause, I require them to judge the best. And thus I take my leave of the world and of you all, and I heartily desire you all to pray for me. O Lord have mercy on me, to God I commend my soul.

To Jesus Christ I commend my soul; Lord Jesu recieve my soul.

The legend that Anne Boleyn had six fingers is a fabrication that originated in the Victorian era. Aside from the fact that there are no contemporary references to what would have been a eminently noticeable deformity, had Anne actually possessed the sixth digit, she would never had been queen. Such occurrences were viewed as evil omens, and Henry would never had been able to accept such a deformity in the potential mother of his children.

quote:

Jane Seymour was a maid of honor in both Catherine and Anne's court. Her mousy disposition and plain looks set her far apart from Henry's first two wives. She married Henry just 12 days after the death of Anne. As mother to Henry's only legitimate son, she had secured her position as Henry's queen but died only 14 days after Edward's birth, probably because of puerperal fever, which was a common cause of death following childbirth. It is next to her that Henry was buried upon his death.

Before her death, Jane wrote to the Privy council to announce the arrival of her son, Edward.

Right trusty and wellbeloved, we greet you well, and for as much as by the inestimable goodness and grace of Almighty God, we be delivered and brought in childbed of a prince, conceived in most lawful matrimony between my lord the king's magesty and us, doubting not but that for the love and affection which you bear unto us and to the commonwealth of this realm, the knowledge thereof should be joyous and glad tidings unto you, we have thought good to certify you of the same. To the intent you might not only render unto God condign thanks and prayers for so great a benefit but also continually pray for the long continuanace and preservation of the same here in this life to the honor of God, joy and pleasure of my lord the king and us, and the universal weal, quiet and tranquility of this whole realm. Given under our signet at my lord's manor of Hampton Court the 12th day of October.
Jane the Quene.

quote:

The succession settled with the birth of Edward, Henry's next marriage was made primarily for political reasons, although the ability to provide additional heirs was also an important consideration. Anne of Cleves was selected to ensure an English alliance with northern German protestants. Anne has been said to have not met the expectations of beauty that were based on a Holbein portrait. It is more likely, however, that Henry was concerned that a previous marriage commitment made Anne a married woman. No contemporary of Anne's ever suggested she was anything but an attractive and virtuous woman. Henry did not, as is often reported, refer to her as "A great Flanders mare." That particular quote was coined by Gilbert Burnet, Bishop of Salisbury, who wrote "The History of the Reformation of the Church of England."

Two factors led to the demise of Henry's fourth marriage. Political winds changed, making the match unnecessary. Henry had feared that the French and the Hapsburgs would ally against him. Finding this to be untrue, a match with Cleves was no longer essential. Henry also was unable to consummate his marriage. Psychologically, Henry was probably primarily effected by his deep-seated concerns that Anne's marriage contract with the Duke of Lorraine remained valid. For a man who considered himself to have been involved in two invalid marriages, the idea of entering a third questionalbe union was understandably unpalatable. When he faced Anne in their private chambers, Henry likely believed he was in the company of another man's wife.

The two divorced quickly and ironically Anglo-Cleves relations were not unduly damaged by the action. Thus the primary loser in the king's divorce was Cromwell, who lost his life as the primary scapegoat, and Anne. Anne assented to the divorce, but it is likely that her failure in marriage was a source of deep humiliation for her.

Her brother, William of Cleves, was not propared to support his sister, leaving Anne with few choices except to reamain in England. At the time of the divorce, she was granted an annual income and property in Sussex, Essex, and Suffolk, as well as Richmond Palace and Bletchingley Manor. She was also given precedence at court, as the king's "sister," before everyone except the king's future Queen consort and his children, a concession that meant little since Anne was rarely asked to court. Henry did, however, treat her kindly during his lifetime, granting her the estates of Kemsing, Seal, and Hever and ensuring that her expenses were met.

After the king's death, however, Richmond and Bletchingley were taken from her and replaced with two smaller estates, Penshurst and Dartford. Anne's alimony was further whittled down over the years to the point that she found it necessary to petition the council for support and warned her brother that she might have to return home. Anne eventually retired with a small income to the former Boleyn home, Hever Castle. She remained, unmarried, in England for the rest of her life.

quote:

Katherine Howard was a cousin of Anne Boleyn and like her cousin, she caught the king's eye when serving in the household of her predecessor. She married Henry just four days after his divorce from Anne of Cleves. Young and beautiful, she has been referred to as Henry's "rose without thorns." Her marriage to Henry was encouraged by her many relatives.

Her conviction and subsequent beheading for adultery was based on substantial evidence, unlike the charges against her cousin. She had been raised in the household of her great-aunt, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk. Accounts of that household suggest that chastity was unlikely to have been a virtue nurtured by Katherine in her youth. Several men were linked to her romantically before her marriage to the king, including Edward Manox and Frances Durham. What was most damning, however, was evidence of continued dalliances once she became queen. When confronted with the evidence, Katherine confessed all, which suggests above all else that she was a foolish young woman who did not understand the implications of her lifestyle.

Katherine was executed on Tower Green on February 13, 1542. When told of her fate, Katherine requested that the block be brought to her so that she might practice laying her head upon it gracefully.

quote:

Henry was Katherine Parr's third husband. Her first husband had been Sir Edward Burough and her second was Sir John Nevill, Lord Latimer. Neither marriage produced any children. Katherine was 31 years of age when she married the king. She is often portrayed as a dutiful nursemaid and companion to the aging king. As a humanist, Katherine championed learning for all of the royal children. She was also interested in the new protestant religion. She wrote Prayers Stirring the Mind unto Heavenly Meditations and A Lamentacion or Complaynt of a Sinner, both of which reflect her status as a learned and pious woman.

She survived Henry's death and is remembered as being kind to all of Henry's children and for nursing Henry until his death. Her close relationship with Elizabeth is evident in the letters that the young princess wrote to her widowed stepmother. Three months following Henry's death, she married Jane Seymour's brother, Thomas (1508?-1549) and died giving birth to her only child, Elizabeth.
When Thomas married Katherine, their household included Elizabeth (second in the succession) and Jane Grey (fourth in the succession). Seymour promised Jane's parents that he would marry her to Edward. Thomas appears to have had his eyes on the throne throughout this period, marrying the dowager Queen and alternately "courting" Elizabeth, Mary, and Jane. He was executed for treason during Edward's reign after entering the king's bedchamber with a pistol, seemingly to seize the king.

quote:

Edward VI (12 October 1537-6 July 1553) became King of England and Ireland, on 28, January 1547, and was crowned on 20 February, at nine years of age. He also carried the English claim to the French throne, but he did not rule France. Edward, the son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first born Protestant ruler. Edward's entire rule was mediated through a council of regency, as he never reached maturity. The council was first led by his uncle, Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset (1547-1549), and then, after the Prayer Book Rebellion and Kett's Rebellion of 1549, by John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland (1549-1553).

Although Henry VIII had severed the link between the English church and Rome, it was during Edward's reign that Protestantism was fully established for the first time in England, with Thomas Cranmer, the Archbishop of Canterbury, implementing the Book of Common Prayer. Edward's reign was marked by increasingly harsh Protestant reforms, the loss of control of any part of Scotland, and an economic downturn. A period of social unrest begun earlier intensified during his rule, and conflicts with the French increased.

When it became clear that Edward's life was to be a short one, the Device to Alter the Succession was drafted. This made Lady Jane Grey, Edward's solidly Protestant cousin, the first in line of succession to the throne by excluding his two half sisters, the devout Catholic Mary and moderate Protestant Elizabeth. Following Edward's death at the age of 15, a disputed succession reopened the religious conflicts. Lady Jane was Queen for only nine days, during that time reigning in name only, before she was replaced by Mary. Queen Mary then sought to undo many of Edward's Protestant reforms with the Marian Repeal Acts in her first two Parliaments.

Early Life
Prince Edward was born at Hampton Court Palace to the west of London. He was the son of King Henry VIII by his third wife, Jane Seymour, who died 12 days later from puerperal fever. It is sometimes claimed that Jane sacrificed her life by the performance of a Caesarean section, but this is disputed as Caesarean sections in the 16th century were almost invariably immediately fatal for the mother. Henry was deeply upset at Jane's death. He described Jane as his only 'True Wife' as she was the only one that provided him with the son he so desperately wanted.

Edward automatically became Duke of Cornwall upon his birth; a few days later he was created Prince of Wales. His early care was guided by his father, who specified nurses for him, foremost among them was the "Lady Mistress," Lady Bryan.

Henry VIII was extremely pleased by the birth of a male heir. He had disposed of his two previous wives, Catherine of Aragon (mother of Mary) and Anne Boleyn (mother of Elizabeth), partially because of their failure to produce male heirs. Both marriages were annulled: Anne Boleyn was executed, and Mary and Elizabeth were declared illegitimate. Henry later had them reinserted into the line of succession after Edward VI by the Third Succession Act (1543).

Until recently it was widely accepted that Edward VI was an extremely sickly child, but now evidence is coming to light showing him as much more robust. Theories have speculated that he suffered from congenital syphilis or from tuberculosis. His first illness, experienced at the age of four, was a "quartan fever" which lasted for months. His supposed frailty may have led Henry VIII to seek to remarry quickly; the King's last three marriages (to Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr), however, did not produce any children. Other than this, Edward appears to have recovered quickly from other diseases. Edward's own journals mention no illness at all apart from a bout of measles in 1552. The policies of the Duke of Northumberland also indicate that he was making a foundation on which Edward was expected to build when he reached his majority at 16, rather than expecting Edward to die young.

Edward's death and aftermath
Edward died at the age of 15 at Greenwich Palace on 6 July 1553. The definite cause of his death is unknown, but is believed to have been tuberculosis, arsenic poisoning, syphilis or rheumatoid arthritis. His last words were said to have been: "Oh my Lord God, defend this realm from papistry and maintain Thy true religion."

He was buried in Henry VII Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey by Thomas Cranmer with Protestant rites on 9 August 1553, while Mary had Mass said for his soul in the Tower.

Edward's death was kept secret for several days so that preparations could be made for Jane's accession. High civic authorities privately swore their allegiance to the new Queen, who was not publicly proclaimed unitl 10 July 1553. However, the people were much more supportive of Mary, the rightful heir under the Act of Succession. On 19 July, Mary rode triumphantly into London, and Jane was forced to give up the crown. Jane's proclamation was revoked as an act done under coercion; her succession was deemed unlawful.

The Duke of Northumberland was executed, but the Lady Jane and her father were originally spared. In 1554, when Mary faced Wyatt's Rebellion, the Duke of Suffolk once again attempted to put his daughter on the throne. For this crime, Jane, her husband and the Duke of Suffolk were all executed.

After Edward VI's death, rumours of his survival persisted. To take advantage of the people's delusions, sever impostors were put forward as rightful kings. These impersonations continued throught Mary I's reign, and even far into Elizabeth I's reign (1558-1603).