Weekly Reader Philippa Gregory Edition: The Taming of The Queen (The Plantagenet and Tudor Court Series Vol. XI) by Philippa Gregory; Story of Henry VIII's Sixth Wife Tells of a Woman of Great Intellect and Independence

Weekly Reader Philippa Gregory Edition: The Taming of the Queen (The Plantagenet and Tudor Court Series Vol. XI) by Philippa Gregory; Story of Henry VIII's Sixth Wife Tells of a Woman of Great Intellect and Independence

By Julie Sara Porter

Bookworm Reviews


Spoilers: One thing can be said about King Henry VIII is that he loved variety. No two of his wives were exactly alike. There was the strong-willed warrior, Katherine of Aragon. Followed by the seductive and conniving, Anne Boleyn. Then the sweet domestic, Jane Seymour. Then came the willful and independent, Anne of Cleves. Followed by the dizzy romantic, Katherine Howard.

We now come to the last wife, Kateryn Parr. What set her apart from her predecessors was her age and experience.

Parr was the oldest of Henry's wives at the time of her marriage. She was 30-years-old and unlike her predecessors had been married before. Twice. She also had an understanding with Thomas Seymour, a courtier and brother of the late Wife #3 Jane Seymour. Of course that understanding came to an end when Henry came a-courtin’. (Only to reconvene after Henry's death.)

Also what set Kateryn Parr apart from the previous five were her literary and scholarly ambitions. While Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn were both highly intelligent women with various talents and abilities, they used those skills and learning mostly to serve as aides to Henry.

Parr however was not only well-read, but she was also a good writer. In fact, she published three books in her lifetime and became the first queen of England to have a work published under her own name.


In her final work on the wives of King Henry VIII, Philippa Gregory describes in great detail not only the marriage of Parr to Henry but her impact as a writer, an intellectual, and a woman of great thought and independence.


In the Taming of the Queen we first encounter Kateryn right at the point where she is proposed to by Ol’ Henry. She isn't exactly excited at the prospect of marrying a man who beheaded two wives, divorced two, and was away as another died in childbirth. Really, who could blame her?

In fact, Kate has dreams that she is Tryphine, the wife of Bluebeard, and she sneaks to his secret room where all of his wives’ bodies are stored. Kate is naturally terrified that she could be next.


Kate is haunted by the ghosts of the former wives. Everyone compares her to them. Her sister, Nan, served under the various wives and tells her about them. Kate tries to choose a motto that is different from the other wives’. (She settles on “To be useful in all that I do.”)

She goes through the jewelry and decor and find that the other wives have left their styles behind, to the point that Kate can't go anywhere or find anything that a former wife hasn't owned or touched. (Helpfully, Nan reminds Kate that she is the first to collect clocks.)

In one of the most difficult passages, Kate poses for her family portrait with Henry, Prince Edward, and Princesses Mary and Elizabeth. She is stunned when the portrait is revealed and instead of her, it shows Jane Seymour, the wife that Henry claims that he has always loved and still grieves for. Though the book implies that he only misses her because she gave him the long awaited living son.


Kate has to make her mark. One of the ways that she does this is successfully compartmentalizes her emotions. While yes, she had to leave Thomas Seymour behind, she remembers the troubles that Anne Boleyn and Kitty Howard had when they took on lovers. Even though, she sees Thomas quite often, she keeps her emotions in check so as not to betray her true feelings or get caught.


She also develops close bonds with Henry's children. She becomes a surrogate mother to Edward by caring for the young boy. She is a confidant to Mary when the princess confesses her concerns over the marriages that her father arranges for her as well as her determination to stay true to her mother's Catholic religion.

Kate also serves as a mentor to Princess Elizabeth. When Kate is declared regent in Henry's absence, Elizabeth watches in amazement to see a woman take power, rule the country, set laws, and control the various advisors and councilman on her own. Throughout the book, Kate gives Elizabeth advice that echoes in the young woman's future career as queen. Once, Kate tells Elizabeth that people may think that she has the frail body of a woman, but that she must have the heart and stomach of a king of England. Of course this would be the famous speech that Elizabeth would later give to the English troops when they faced the Spanish Armada.


Like the other books in the Tudor portion of the series, religion is an important issue and in this case plays into Kate's literary and scholastic impact. She was from a once-Catholic family that converted to Protestantism. However, she questions Catholic teachings herself such as why do people need to confess sins to a priest? Why do they have to buy indulgences to get out of Purgatory? Why can't the Bible be in English or any other language? Why can't women be permitted to lead the church?

These questions concern Kate so she begins to form a study group of religious scholars, intellectuals, philosophers, and other thinkers to get some opinions. One of the people that visits is Anne Askew, an outspoken woman who preaches at her own religious groups and holds definite opinions about women's role in church. Because Anne is such a controversial figure and is arrested quite often, Kate is wary about her friendship with the woman. However, she also is in awe of her faith and confidence.


Kate also takes leadership within the church. Her studies inspire her to write and she has a book called Psalms published anonymously and later writes another called Prayers or Meditations, this time published under her own name. (A third, Lamentations of a Sinner, is published after Henry's death.)

Unfortunately, it is her religious studies and works that make her a target especially with their ever changeable king. One minute Henry is encouraging her studies by saying how much he loves intelligent women. The next he is publicly chastising her for her opinions.

In one awful passage, he plays psychological mind games with her by whipping her in public and calling her the lead in his new play, The Taming of the Queen.

In fact Kate is almost arrested and it is only Henry's death that keeps her from following the path of her predecessors.

The Taming of the Queen makes a great end to Gregory's books about Henry VIII's Wives. Kateryn Parr was an intelligent and literary woman of strong opinions and forthrightness. Above all, she did what very few of her predecessors did: She survived.