Catherine Parr was Henry's fifth and last wife. She was originally a Catholic. Upon the death of her second husband, Catherine was well-off and pretty much had her pick of the men. She originally went for Sir Thomas Seymour (wife of the previous Queen Jane Seymour), but Henry's courting made her doubt her choice. While she prayed and claimed God told her to marry Henry, Henry sent Thomas Seymour away to be resident ambassador in Brussels. Thus, she married Henry on July 12, 1543. Her reign as queen really had a lot to do with homemaking and nursing. Because her previous husband had suffered a long, debilitating disease, Catherine was used to the role of nurse, and Catherine and Henry talked late into the night as she cared for the ailing man. Catherine actually began to think differently about religion. She was originally a Protestant member of the Church of England, and that was why she was placed on the throne. Over the course of her time as Queen, she began holding religious meetings, and these meetings generally revealed that she was a lutheran. After an attempt on her status as queen, Catherine went against her religious ideals and lied to keep her head and her status. Her husband forgave her, and kept her as his wife for the rest of his life. After he died, her life did not end.
She married Thomas Seymour, and kept a young Elizabeth I (whom she had grown close to) in her home during the reign of Edward VI. Eventually she was pregnant by Seymour and had her child. Shortly afterward, she died. She was survived by her husband and her daughter.
Her Wikipedia Page
Her Tudor History Page
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