I never really thought of what happened to Katherine Parr after she survived Henry VIII. It does a great job in presenting the fact and that the historical elements felt like a possibility. June Woolerton has a great writing style and I enjoyed what I read.

The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr by June Woolerton explores the life and death of the last Wife of King Henry VIII.
I found the book extremely interesting and discovered so much about what a complex and surprising woman Katherine Parr was and how under rated and talked about she was.
“For centuries, she has been remembered as a supplement to the men she married and a survivor who managed to outlive a king who had already had two previous wives killed. Yet the woman buried beneath remains the only commoner to have ruled England as regent, and she was instrumental in paving the way for female rule in the country.”
Katherine Parr was a truly powerful and influential woman, not only in her dealings with a short tempered king, but in raising children that would one day ruling England, as well as ruling herself.

“Katherine learned languages including Latin and French, while Maud was deeply interested in humanism and employed tutors who encouraged her children to question and to debate.”
Katherine valued education for everyone, and was extremely educated herself.

I found the references to her will and bequeathments to be extremely interesting especially when referencing the way women were regarded during that time period. Not leaving anything to her child, or step children that she adored definitely makes you look at it differently.
And learning so much negative information about her husband Thomas Seymour was surprising. This was definitely a part of history that has not been explored in most historical references.

I definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to learn more about such an intriguing period of time and a truly powerful underrated woman.

Fascinating and sometimes gruesome, this book explores the possibility that Queen Katherine Parr was poisoned rather than dying in childbirth. It’s an interesting theory without much evidence, nor does the book offer much of a motive. Still, given that Katherine’s husband Thomas Seymour was pursuing marriage to the teenaged Elizabeth I, the theory isn’t completely outside the realm of possibility.

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

I was very glad to read this book, I love all aspects of Tudor history, and the mysterious death of Queen Katherine Parr, has always sat uneasily on me. Why would such a strong intelligent woman, famed for her wisdom, kindness to her Royal step children, her interest in the new religion, her ability to be a regent in her husbands absence , marry such a self promoting man as Thomas Seymour?
The King was her fourth husband, and reports seem to suggest they had a cordial and friendly relationship, and a love of debate. Queen Katherine was responsible for getting Princess Mary and her half sister Elizabeth restored to the line of succession, why would she throw all this affection and goodwill away? Even more bewildering, where did her baby daughter,Lady Mary Seymour disappear to?
There are times when a Time Machine would be a marvellous solution to all these questions.
The idea discussed in this book is that Katherine married Thomas Seymour to protect the reputation of her step daughter Princess Elizabeth. When Elizabeth was under the guardianship of Katherine, Thomas was overly friendly towards her, and may even have proposed marriage to the young girl. Any hint of scandal would have prevented her from claiming the throne of England, and may even have resulted her being confined to the Tower of London or forcibly married off to a foreign ruler.
Katherine had a very hasty funeral and internment , did she die from puerperal fever following childbirth, or this book suggests perhaps the plague. A new and novel theory, that would certainly explain the almost indecent haste and secrecy involved.
A well researched and thought provoking read, it has certainly given me much food for thought, I will definitely do more reading and a visit to Sudeley Castle beckons!! A interesting life by all accounts, but such a miserable and confusing ending, poor lady.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Pen and Sword History, for my advanced digital copy, freely given in exchange for my honest review. I have given a five star rating, so many intriguing theories to explore.

Pen & Sword have an incredible range of non-fiction books that absolutely scream off the shelves to a history lover such as I and oh my crikey, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr is catnip if you have a love of Tudor history

Often, we learn our facts and that is that. We know Henry VIII had 6 wives and that to skirt around conventions at the time, thought it prudent to dispose of his wives and move on to one he liked more. What a delightful fella, imagine being known more for your exploits than your achievements.

I digress; Katherine Parr survived Henry the VIII (win) but little known is that she only survived for a further 18 months. I had never even considered what happened to her afterwards, that is, until this book (thank you very, very much to Pen & Sword for the unexpected gifted copy, it made my day!) I was utterly thrilled to delve into this little known part of Tudor history and it is no understatement when I say I devoured it

June Woolerton presents compelling evidence and writes in a way that is both concise, yet enganging, bringing the story to life. The uncovering of the crypt in the midst of a tea party and the associated correspondence and article hooked me into the book and kept me there until I was finished.

This book is a timely reminder of how many women were trailblazers and world-changers in their day, but were written out of history due to their gender. I for one am very glad that we have experts such as June Woolerton who also have the skill to present history in a way that is accessible to all, so that the story can be told authentically and retained for posterity

A great read and highly recommended

Thank you to Netgalley, Pen & Sword, Pen & Sword History and the incredible author June Woolerton for this fascinating ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own