Here's the first part of the Summary of the life of Catherine I of England, daughter of Henry VIII and Catherine Parr. I hope you like it.
Catherine I (23 October, 1544 - 7 April, 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 6 July 1553 until her death, sometimes called Good Queen Kate, was born the third surviving daughter of Henry VIII and the only child by his last wife, Catherine Parr. Due to the King's advanced age (the then) Princess Catherine's birth was widely celebrated, despite disappointment that the 'Miracle Child' wasn't a boy.
Despite this, the Princesses birth was something to celebrate amidst the news of the King's failed invasion of France, and her half-siblings from her father's various marriages welcomed their new sister into the Tudor fold.
The Princess Catherine would be raised at court in the Palace of Whitehall even while her father confirmed her place in the Tudor succession, behind her half-brother, Prince Edward, but ahead of her older half-sisters, Mary Tudor and Elizabeth Tudor. Henry VIII also made a number of provisions for Catherine Parr after his death, most of which wouldn't be fully honored until the reign of her daughter. Overall the birth of Princess Catherine caused Henry VIII to become even more devoted to Catherine Parr than before, and despite his natural conservatism would increasingly take Catherine Parr's advice on a wide range of issues, most significantly the development of the Anglican Church, however there were no further pregnancies.
It was at age three, during 'The Rough Wooing', an Anglo-Scots War over a broken treaty promising the future Mary I as the bride for Edward VI, that Henry VIII's declining health failed him, killing him in 1547.
During Henry's decline there were expectations for a Regency to be established, and in the King's last will he established a Regency Council to rule on behalf of his son, Edward VI, to be headed by the boy-king's uncle, Edward Seymour (who would swiftly become Duke of Somerset).
Despite the King's Will, Catherine Parr quickly fell from her position of power at court, Edward's wife, Anne Seymour went so far as to successfully seize all of the jewelry that Henry VIII had given to Catherine Parr during her time as Queen. Having so swiftly fallen in her position, Catherine Parr retired to her personal estates, Chelsea Manor, though she would visit the Court often on account of her daughter, the heir to the realm.
In the reign of Edward VI, Princess Catherine would split her time between her brother's court and the home of her mother, the Queen-dowager, her education mostly overseen by a collection of very Protestant minded men at the direction of her mother. A scandal occurred in 1549 when Thomas Seymour, brother of Edward Seymour, and a previous suitor of Catherine Parr's attempt to actually marry the Queen-dowager, a proposal that was reject by Catherine Parr on the advice of friends. Thomas then tried to press a suit for the hand of either Mary Tudor or Elizabeth Tudor, even visiting Mary Tudor in her private apartments unannounced. The end results forced the Regency Council (at that point Edward's rubberstamp) to arrest Thomas who died under mysterious circumstances in the Tower of London a few months later during the official investigation into his activities.
It was this and Seymour's failure to win 'the Rough Wooing' that brought about his downfall as Regent and the rise of John Dudley as Regent (who would swiftly become Duke of Northumberland), a man who, while competent would make many enemies. The Duke of Northumberland continued Seymour's efforts to push the Anglican Church in a Reformed direction, while Mary Tudor became the focus of Catholic opposition to the English Protestant Reformation. John Dudley oversaw the education of Edward VI and supported Catherine Parr in her education of Princess Catherine, going so far as to pay Catherine her full allowance (as set out in Henry VIII's will).
However when Edward VI became ill with tuberculosis in 1553, John Dudley was faced with a crisis, as the King began to die the court (and England as a whole) became a swampy mess of intrigue as the issue of the Succession came to the forefront. As set out in the Will of Henry VIII and passed into law by Parliament, the official succession after Edward were his half-sisters, Princess Catherine, followed by their half-sisters Mary Tudor and Elizabeth Tudor.
While Catherine's legitimacy was not in doubt, she was only nine at the time, her other sisters were old, and Mary Tudor was the daughter of Catherine of Aragon, who if you accepted Henry's annulment of their marriage based on issues of possible consummation of her prior marriage to the King's brother was illegitimate and behind Princess Catherine in the succession.
If you didn't accept it, then she was Princess Mary of England, who as the eldest child came in the succession before her sister.
With Mary as a devout Catholic and the center of Catholic opposition to his regime, John Dudley attempted to have Mary arrested, however some of the guards sent to arrest her were sympathetic to the 'Old Religion' and helped her to escape to her estates. As Edward VI prepared to breath his last, an additional document was published in the King's name, reiterating the will of King Henry VIII and Princess Catherine and her mother were brought to London to prepare both for her ascension, and for war.
When Edward VI died, the stage was set for the Second War of the Roses...
Summary of the life of Queen Catherine I of England
Part 1
Part 1
Catherine I (23 October, 1544 - 7 April, 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 6 July 1553 until her death, sometimes called Good Queen Kate, was born the third surviving daughter of Henry VIII and the only child by his last wife, Catherine Parr. Due to the King's advanced age (the then) Princess Catherine's birth was widely celebrated, despite disappointment that the 'Miracle Child' wasn't a boy.
Despite this, the Princesses birth was something to celebrate amidst the news of the King's failed invasion of France, and her half-siblings from her father's various marriages welcomed their new sister into the Tudor fold.
The Princess Catherine would be raised at court in the Palace of Whitehall even while her father confirmed her place in the Tudor succession, behind her half-brother, Prince Edward, but ahead of her older half-sisters, Mary Tudor and Elizabeth Tudor. Henry VIII also made a number of provisions for Catherine Parr after his death, most of which wouldn't be fully honored until the reign of her daughter. Overall the birth of Princess Catherine caused Henry VIII to become even more devoted to Catherine Parr than before, and despite his natural conservatism would increasingly take Catherine Parr's advice on a wide range of issues, most significantly the development of the Anglican Church, however there were no further pregnancies.
It was at age three, during 'The Rough Wooing', an Anglo-Scots War over a broken treaty promising the future Mary I as the bride for Edward VI, that Henry VIII's declining health failed him, killing him in 1547.
During Henry's decline there were expectations for a Regency to be established, and in the King's last will he established a Regency Council to rule on behalf of his son, Edward VI, to be headed by the boy-king's uncle, Edward Seymour (who would swiftly become Duke of Somerset).
Despite the King's Will, Catherine Parr quickly fell from her position of power at court, Edward's wife, Anne Seymour went so far as to successfully seize all of the jewelry that Henry VIII had given to Catherine Parr during her time as Queen. Having so swiftly fallen in her position, Catherine Parr retired to her personal estates, Chelsea Manor, though she would visit the Court often on account of her daughter, the heir to the realm.
In the reign of Edward VI, Princess Catherine would split her time between her brother's court and the home of her mother, the Queen-dowager, her education mostly overseen by a collection of very Protestant minded men at the direction of her mother. A scandal occurred in 1549 when Thomas Seymour, brother of Edward Seymour, and a previous suitor of Catherine Parr's attempt to actually marry the Queen-dowager, a proposal that was reject by Catherine Parr on the advice of friends. Thomas then tried to press a suit for the hand of either Mary Tudor or Elizabeth Tudor, even visiting Mary Tudor in her private apartments unannounced. The end results forced the Regency Council (at that point Edward's rubberstamp) to arrest Thomas who died under mysterious circumstances in the Tower of London a few months later during the official investigation into his activities.
It was this and Seymour's failure to win 'the Rough Wooing' that brought about his downfall as Regent and the rise of John Dudley as Regent (who would swiftly become Duke of Northumberland), a man who, while competent would make many enemies. The Duke of Northumberland continued Seymour's efforts to push the Anglican Church in a Reformed direction, while Mary Tudor became the focus of Catholic opposition to the English Protestant Reformation. John Dudley oversaw the education of Edward VI and supported Catherine Parr in her education of Princess Catherine, going so far as to pay Catherine her full allowance (as set out in Henry VIII's will).
However when Edward VI became ill with tuberculosis in 1553, John Dudley was faced with a crisis, as the King began to die the court (and England as a whole) became a swampy mess of intrigue as the issue of the Succession came to the forefront. As set out in the Will of Henry VIII and passed into law by Parliament, the official succession after Edward were his half-sisters, Princess Catherine, followed by their half-sisters Mary Tudor and Elizabeth Tudor.
While Catherine's legitimacy was not in doubt, she was only nine at the time, her other sisters were old, and Mary Tudor was the daughter of Catherine of Aragon, who if you accepted Henry's annulment of their marriage based on issues of possible consummation of her prior marriage to the King's brother was illegitimate and behind Princess Catherine in the succession.
If you didn't accept it, then she was Princess Mary of England, who as the eldest child came in the succession before her sister.
With Mary as a devout Catholic and the center of Catholic opposition to his regime, John Dudley attempted to have Mary arrested, however some of the guards sent to arrest her were sympathetic to the 'Old Religion' and helped her to escape to her estates. As Edward VI prepared to breath his last, an additional document was published in the King's name, reiterating the will of King Henry VIII and Princess Catherine and her mother were brought to London to prepare both for her ascension, and for war.
When Edward VI died, the stage was set for the Second War of the Roses...