I became interested in Katherine Parr after seeing the musical Six, and was thrilled to see this book. Katherine Parr outlived Henry VIII, if only for a mere 18 months. Not typically being a nonfiction reader, the writing and information presented were engaging and compelling. Did she die in childbirth or was something more sinister at play? The author dies a fabulous job presenting interesting facts that make your question what you know.

Thank you NetGalley and Pen & Sword for an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I wish I could give this book a better rating, for it was well-researched and clearly a work of passion for the author. However, it was written in such a superfluous way that I struggled to appreciate the story of Katherine Parr within.
This could have been a well-worded essay as opposed to a 187-page book. The text is full of spelling and grammar errors that leads me to believe this was a first and only draft. The book is also extremely repetitive. Information is stated over and over again as though it is expected that the reader has the memory span of a goldfish.
Another disservice done to Katherine Parr.

June Woolerton, The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr What Really Happened to Henry VIII's Last Queen?, Pen & Sword Pen & Sword History, March 2024.

Thank you, Net Galley and Pen & Sword, for providing me with this uncorrected proof for review.

June Woolerton begins her book with the dramatic events around the original uncovering of Katherine Parr’s coffin, its neglect over time, and the eventual burial that was worthy of a queen. For, indeed, Katherine Parr was a queen, even after her marriage to Thomas Seymour, as an outcome of Henry Vlll’s will, preserving this honour. It might be the power that she could possibly have exerted after Henry’s death, her departure from the court and new marriage that resulted in her death, hasty burial and the lack of publicity afforded her funeral. Woolerton attempts to unravel whether this was the case in a well-researched narrative that moves from these dramatic, almost gossipy speculations to the new marriage and birth of her daughter, and then returns to the past where Katherine has been an almost continuing presence in the Tudor courts, as the child of a Lady in Waiting to Catherine of Aragon, to a Lady in Waiting herself. Two earlier marriages seem to have had little impact on Parr’s ability to wield her own power. Eventually, as Woolerton suggests, such power might have been her undoing.

At times I wondered about the value of unearthing the reasons for Katherine Parr’s death, perhaps because the arrangement of the information led to repetition and an uneven outlining of the events. The beginning of the book did have dramatic value, but the real information was the state of the body and the type of burial rather than the speculation about the tea party guests and the possibilities associated with the uncovering of the coffin and dwelling on its treatment afterwards. The reintroduction of some of this information in the final chapter seems unnecessary, although the material about Sudeley Castle makes interesting reading.

The well-researched story of Katherine Parr’s rise to become Henry Vlll’s last wife, and her ability to survive his threats and those of her enemies around him is a vital, easy to read, contribution to knowledge about the Tudor courts and the role of women in them, as well as disseminating Katherine Parr’s unique story. The way in which she became a friend and supporter of Henry’s daughters and young son is also a story worth telling. It is when the introductory chapter is ignored and the aftermath of Katherine’s death is investigated that another story, rich with information and useful speculation emerges. Chapter 12 covers the respect with which Queen Victoria treated Katherine Parr, with the completion, in 1862, a tomb with a marble effigy. The photos Woolerton has assembled are a valuable source, as is the detailed information accompanying them; and there are citations for each chapter, some of which are usefully detailed.

This was fascinating and very enjoyable. I never knew that much about Katharine Parr. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

A first-class study into the death and burial of King Henry VIII's last wife less than two years after his own passing. A lost grave far from a known royal establishment - was it murder/ was it the plague? - and what happened to the site in the centuries after her death?
An excellent read. Recommended.

In "The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr" by June Woolerton, readers are transported back to the tumultuous final days of Henry VIII's reign as they delve into the enigmatic circumstances surrounding the demise of his sixth and final wife, Katherine Parr.

Woolerton's meticulous research and engaging narrative style bring to life the intrigue and uncertainty surrounding Katherine's death. From her unexpected demise just eighteen months after Henry's passing to the bizarre events that followed her burial, Woolerton leaves no stone unturned in her quest to uncover the truth behind one of Tudor history's most enduring mysteries.

What sets "The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr" apart is its exploration of the lesser-known aspects of Katherine's final days and the peculiarities surrounding her burial and subsequent rediscovery. Woolerton meticulously examines the evidence, from the elaborate embalming of Katherine's body to the unexplained disappearance of her baby, painting a vivid portrait of a queen whose fate remains shrouded in uncertainty.

Throughout the book, Woolerton skilfully navigates the complex web of historical accounts and theories surrounding Katherine's death, offering readers a tantalising glimpse into the intrigue and machinations of the Tudor court. With each page, readers are drawn deeper into the mystery, eagerly following Woolerton's investigation as she seeks to unravel the truth behind Katherine's untimely demise.

"The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr" is a captivating blend of history and mystery that will appeal to fans of Tudor-era intrigue. Woolerton's meticulous attention to detail and engaging storytelling make this book a must-read for anyone fascinated by the enigmatic figures and events of the Tudor period.

Overall, "The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr" is a compelling and thought-provoking exploration of one of history's most enduring mysteries. Woolerton's insightful analysis and compelling narrative make this book a standout contribution to Tudor scholarship, shedding new light on the life and death of one of England's most fascinating queens.

I didn't realise the connection of Katherine Parr the surviving wife of Henry VIII with Sudely Castle and the Cotswolds in an area I know well.
This account explained Katherines importance to the reformation of the church and her influence on Elisabeth I and Englands Protestant heritage.
The book speculates as to why Katherine chose Sudely for her confinement and laying in to give birth at Sudely and her central role, largely forgotten, in Tudor politics.
For anyone who enjoys Tudor history this is an easy read without being to dry for the reader.

When Henry VIII died in 1547, his widow Katherine Parr was not only still considered to be Queen, she was also free to remarry - which she did, six months later, to the man who became her fourth husband, Thomas Seymour. Then Katherine found herself pregnant - and eight days after the birth of her only child, a daughter, Katherine was dead and hastily buried.

Woolerton takes the reader through the discovery of Katherine's tomb at Sudeley, the rumours surrounding her death, and her rather hasty and low key funeral. Katherine's husband - Thomas Seymour - hot-foots it back to London, leaving the newborn in the care - initially - of Katherine's attendants. We already know that Katherine's daughter Mary will soon be left without both mother or father, as after a plot was discovered to put the protestant Elizabeth on the throne, her father Sir Thomas Seymour was beheaded for treason.

Woolerton explores Katherine's final months and days, and notes her actions were in sharp contrast to the self-assured woman she was prior to and during her marriage to Henry VIII - and considers this against the backdrop of what we already know - or think we know. Katherine's funeral, in stark contrast to other female monarchs was, as mentioned, a rather hasty and covert affair, not even attended by her husband - and Woolerton delves into this quite deeply, as she does with Katherine's will.

I found Woolerton's exploration of events quite engaging and her open-mindedness to other hypothesis rather refreshing. She posits a number of plausible theories for Katherine's actions and behaviours after Henry's death whilst exploring Seymour's own actions against the changing political tableau.

A must for Tudor lovers, and for those with an interest in royalty and notable women.

Queen Katherine Parr, sixth & final wife of Henry VIII of England. Katherine Parr has always been a sort of afterthought in the lives of the six wives of Henry VIII & her life after Henry's death is eclipsed by her decision to marry Thomas Seymour who was executed as a traitor shortly after her death. It seems that she was allowed to fade into the background, even in death, & her tomb was lost for many years before being rediscovered in the ruined church at Sudeley Castle. Why would a former Queen of England be buried in a small church on a private estate & then forgotten?

Wow, this had a lot of information about Katherine Parr that was completely new to me. It's wild to realise that what we think of her & her death is mostly based on conjecture which doesn't hold up under close scrutiny. The evidence here suggests that Katherine Parr did not die of puerperal fever (infection during childbirth) as widely thought, but lived for several days afterwards with no sign of illness until she suddenly announced that she felt that she was not going to live & that someone close to her was responsible. Her death was mightily convenient for her enemies at court & her (seemingly untrustworthy) husband who was aiming for more power, but it may have been coincidence. The disappearance of her daughter with Seymour from official records is also strange.

We may never know why or how Katherine Parr died, indeed there are aspects which will never be proved one way or another such as why none of her stepchildren or her daughter were mentioned in her will & the only one to benefit was the husband she was supposedly suspicious of. This book argues that we should remember her not as a dull, dour, staidly matron, but as an educated, powerful, religious reformer who stood in for Henry VIII as Regent during his last war in France. There was some repetition in places but overall it was a well-written factual discussion of the evidence. The author does a great job of covering the facts without trying to sway the reader, & it's possible that Katherine either died from plague or there could have been foul play, i;e. poison. It made me wonder why I have never thought to question the official narrative before. 4.5 stars (rounded up)

Thanks to NetGalley & publisher, Pen & Sword History, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

While I would have preferred if Woolerton had stuck to chronological order of events, i get she wanted to double back and forth between Katherine parr's life and death to keep underlining the point this is weird!

And it is - after Henry VIII's death, Katherine Parr suddenly acts so out of character for the last year of her life that if she was a character on a tv show, the fans would be eviscerating the writers and showrunners. She goes from calm, cool and collected to midnight sexcapades, an elopement, and assisting in child abuse. Da faq?

Then, at her death, her symptoms were odd, even for a "geriatric" childbirth, the choice of housing right before the birth doesn't make sense, her husband Thomas Seymour is acting more and more unbalanced, her words on her deathbed are damming of said Thomas Seymour - and then highly contradicted by a very out-of-the-norm-for-the-times will that just leaves everything to Thomas, her death is kept oddly quiet, her funeral is ridiculously small for so important a person, and she was wrapped up tight and stuck in the ground so quick it makes you wonder if someone (cough*Thomas*cough) didn't want anyone getting a good look at the body.

All the while Woolerton describes just how weird, odd and suspicious the end of Katherine's life was, she loudly bugles just how awesome Katherine was before that - showing us what an amazing reformer, politician, writer, leader, teacher, and mother she was. How much she helped people. How much she was capable at leading. And how utterly screwed she got at the end.

A wonderful biography of Katherine Parr that reminds how much she accomplished besides "surviving Henry VII" and "marrying Thomas Seymour" and how many questions we should be asking ourselves about what really happened at the end.

History knows what happened to Katherine Parr... or does it?

Julie Woolerton has me half-convinced that perhaps, maybe, what-if Katherine was murdered. After all, her husband was a scheme-y rat of a man with his eyes on Princess E.

Whatever your personal conclusions are, I think Tudor lovers would find great interest in this book.

Thanks to NetGalley, June Woolerton, and Pen & Sword for allowing me to read an advanced copy of The Mysterious Death Of Katherine Parr in the return of an honest review. I received an advanced reader copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Katherine Parr is known as the wife who survived. She outlived Henry VIII by using her wit and knowledge. She did so much during her lifetime. Her death has never been a mystery to me. Everything I have read says that she married Thomas Seymour after the king's death, gave birth to a daughter, and then passed away from childbirth complications. To explore the possibility that something more sinister at play is truly fascinating. To think she could have been murdered is heartbreaking. This book is very well done.

She may be known as the surviving wife to King Henry VIII, but Katherine Parr sadly did not survive for long. Having only outlived her royal husband by one year and eight months, Parr’s death is shrouded in mystery, as are the decisions made surrounding her burial and eventual exhumation. Through fragments of letters and well-documented research, Woolerton delivers an interesting chronicle of both the life and death of Katherine Parr, presenting all the known factual evidence surrounding Parr’s death and funereal arrangements, as well as acknowledging the holes that remain in history.

Furthermore, and perhaps most significantly, Woolerton also personalises the long dead Queen and recovers her as an important historical female figure in her own right. Katherine Parr is predominately known for being the sixth and surviving wife of King Henry VIII, but here Woolerton proves that she was so much more. Parr was a powerful and educated woman whose influence upon her husband changed history forever. She survived a plot to remove her, she held her own reformist religious views, she ruled England as regent for several months, and perhaps most importantly, she influenced Henry’s decision to return his ‘illegitimate’ daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, to the line of succession. Without her as consort in the last years of Henry’s life, the face of England and it’s monarchy could have looked very different. Woolerton’s text revives Parr as a powerful woman in her own right, a woman who impacted the ruling of England greatly, and a woman who even after the death of her husband, the King, remained a Queen for rest of her life.

This was a fascinating read, one that I could not put down. For those interested in Tudor history, in particular, the Tudor Queens, this is a must-read. The book was incredibly well-researched and paced, and Woolerton’s style was flowing and accessible despite dealing with large amounts of contextual information.

Thank you kindly to both @netgalley and Pen&Sword for granting my wish and allowing me early access to this text in exchange for my honest thoughts. This was a pleasure to read and review!

In The Mysterious Death Of Catherine Parr by June Woolerton we learn her death may not have been caused by the recent birth of her daughter but something much more sinister. Queen Catherine who is a very interesting woman she seem to be a very loving and warm stepmother to marry, Elizabeth and Edward she was also made queen for life by her husband King Henry the eighth and was made ruler in his stead as he went off the fight the French. She may have been the kings sixth wife but she had a lot of first in the royal family is already mentioned she was the first of his wives to rule with full power when he was away she was the one who tried to foster a family type relationship with King Henry and his three children and she was also the wife that was with him when he died. when King Henry died not only was the country but her stepchildren baffled as to why she only months later Mary Thomas Seymour and although some speculate it was to stop him for marrying princess Elizabeth their marriage certainly didn’t stop him from trying to groom the young princess and they were even rumors that she joined in… That’s something I just don’t believe but I wasn’t there it was over 100 years ago on with the review. Because she eventually sent princess Elizabeth to the country Manor to keep her away from lord Seymour call Catherine new with a noun rake so when she passed away and all her assets were left to him with no provision for the daughter eyebrows were raised but in the end her death was reported to be from postpartum complications so the mystery goes on. This was a great book and I think Ms. Woolerton did a fabulous job reporting the facts and making it interesting at the same time I love reading about the royal family and their incestuous and complicated existence most girls knew what real women in the royal family had to go through I don’t think the majority of us would’ve been wanting to be a princess at all. I love this book it was a definite five star read and one I highly recommend.

Very interesting read detailing some of the sketchy details surrounding the death of Henry VIII's final queen. This book definitely got me convinced that some fishy things went on in terms of her death.

I received an ARC of this book. This review is honest and freely given.

“In the tumbledown remnants of a royal castle at Sudeley, on a quiet May afternoon, a spade hit soft earth. Birds soared overhead while the sheep who lived in surrounding green fields of the Cotswolds bleated gently. Suddenly, the peace was shattered as the spade made contact with hard metal……..within minutes, a leaded casket had been uncovered.”

The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr, Henry VIII’s 6th and final wife was well written and extremely interesting. I enjoy reading about the Tudor Court and I have read lots of books by Alison Weir, Philippa Gregory and John Guy. This is my first book by June Woolerton, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Unlike Alison Weir, or Philippa Gregory this book is not dramatized history- but it is well written, and interesting. I was never bored, and my mind never wandered while reading…..which sometimes happens to me when the book is pure history.

The author lays out cases for many causes of death, which are compelling. I enjoyed how she ultimately she asks the questions but leaves it up to readers to decide what is true. I do find it odd that a Queen of England’s tomb was lost to history, mistreated, lost again and then finally received the burial she deserved. I also find it odd that in many of the books I have read about Katherine, a lot of her contributions to the reformist cause is glossed over. I also didn’t realize some of the contributions she made during the reign of Henry VIII. I knew she narrowly avoided arrest, but Woolerton tells the story of an intelligent, cunning and interesting woman. Katherine is so much more than the final wife of Henry VIII, and I learned things about her I didn’t know.

I highly recommend this read, it was fantastic from start to finish.

For a book titled "The Mysterious Death of Katherine Parr", I did not find myself very interested. It's a great hook of a title, and then I started reading and it just felt very dry. The six wives of Henry VIII is one of my very serious interests, and I still found myself not being intrigued by this book. I think it needs to be more accessible to people who don't read much nonfiction, so that it can be enjoyed by more people.

Disclaimer: ARC via Netgalley
Sometimes, when you are talking to someone else who is interested in the Tudors, the conversation turns to “which of the six wives do you like best” question. I find the question difficult. I like Catherine of Aragorn and Anne Boleyn for the same reason – they stood tall and firm for what they believed. One wonders if they had teamed up, what would have happened to Henry VIII. But not to be for a host of reasons, Henry VIII being the least. There is something about Anne Cleves who came out the winner. Jane Seymour and Katherine Howard are a bit more nebulous. Then there is Katherine Parr who become Henry VIII’s widow, being married to him at the time of his death. I always thought that she was the smart one. Not that I saw Anne of Cleves as dumb, but Parr had an education that Cleves was denied.
The thing about Parr is that while she survived Henry VIII she died just over a year and a half after he did. She had re-married and died shortly after she gave birth to her first, and only biological child. Parr had been married twice before she wed Henry, and after his death, she married Thomas Seymour, brother to Jane Seymour and uncle to Edward VI. The standard story is that Parr and Seymour had flirted after the death of her second husband, but Henry VIII wanted her for himself, so Seymour stepped aside. After the king’s death, the two got back together, with Parr eventually dying due to something to do with childbirth. Sad but not as fascinating as say Boleyn’s and Catherine’s determination. Survivor but not in the same quasi funny look at Henry get his way that Anne of Cleves is. And, despite the sexual element with Seymour, Katherine Howard somehow feels sexier. It’ s not Parr is boring or uninteresting. She survived a plot to remove her. There just seems to be less questions about her.
And then June Woolerton’s book came along.
If a reader goes into this book thinking that Woolerton is going to provide blockbuster evidence that Parr was murdered by the dastardly Seymour, the reader is going to be disappointed. Woolerton notes that there is no hard-core proof either way. Rather, it would be best to view this book as re-centering Katherine at the heart of her own story and as something other than simply wife and mother. While Woolerton opens with the discovery of Katherine’s tomb, she quickly y goes into depth with Katherine before her marriage to Henry VIII. This isn’t just her birth family but also the children she became step mother to, and how in at least one case she protected the children.
Woolerton does tackle the death of Parr, and while doing so, does the title of the book justice. She closely examines not only Parr’s death (convincingly pushing back on the childbirth infection cause of death argument) but also her burial. Woolerton details how Parr’s funeral was different than other royal funerals and the possible reason for it. This is also tied with not only her death but also her relationship with Thomas Seymour.
In fact, Woolerton’s discussion about why Parr married Seymour is in many ways the most fascinating. Because of the amount of time that has past and the destruction of letters, there is no way that anyone can really know, but Woolerton uses comparison between Parr’s letters to her previous husbands and to Seymour to present a plausible explanation outside of love or infatuation. She also addresses the Elizabeth dress cutting incident.
And yes, Woolerton does address and examine Parr’s death. She considers possibilities, while admitting early on that there is no way to note. She places Parr’s death in relation to the death of other royal queens due childbirth as well as looking at the first-hand accounts of Parr’s last days. The possibilities do not just include poison, and Woolerton doesn’t really seem to endorse one possibility over the others. She also, as in other sections of the book, is careful and thorough enough to present the weakness of each theory as well as the strengths.
While Woolerton does extensively use first-hand sources, quoting long lengths of letters, her writing is engaging and her love and interest in the subject shine clearly. She may not have a clean cut “a-ha” evidence, but she does get the reader to look at Parr’s life and death differently. Which was her point.

Katherine Parr was a woman who wielded great power as queen. As the last queen of Henry VIII, she was in an extraordinary position to be able to draw his fractured family back together. She also was very politically astute, and able to use that to her benefit. After the death of Henry VIII, she married Thomas Seymour. Her influence waned after that, being relegated to the dark, and after her death, she was forgotten about.

This was a really interesting read. There were several theories put forward as to why she died after childbirth, and the real reason she married Thomas Seymour. I enjoyed reading through this, and learning a bit more about her life, death, and what happened to her after her burial.
Great for history lovers, and especially those who enjoy reading about the Tudor period.

…survived. A lifetime of stories diminished into one word. A word that is more important in your husband’s story than your own. Katherine Parr… one of six, but maybe also one in a million, because this book makes sure we learn about how a strong, intelligent and kind woman navigated her way through Tudor England.

Within Katherine's story lies a poignant portrayal of the broader societal dynamics of her era. Women, including her stepdaughters and her own daughter, are depicted as mere pawns in the power struggles of their time, their worth determined solely by their proximity to male figures of authority. Katherine's resilience shines through as she navigates a complex web of marriages, each a strategic maneuver to secure her own position in a world dictated by patriarchal norms.

Oh how I wish I had a time machine to take me to Katherine’s final moments. What did she die of? Why was she burried so quickly and why there? And if there… why was her body so thoroughly embalmed?

Through the lens of Katherine's life, the narrative subtly underscores her role as a trailblazer for the women after her, a true queen.