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Silent Sunday – Trapped
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Frolic Friday – Curious Case of King Henry VIII, himself
King Henry VIII, was the second Monarch of Tudor dynasty. He was King of England from 21 April, 1509 until his death by 28 January 1547. King Henry was famous for two main reasons – one for separating Church of England from Roman Catholic Church; and second reason, he was most notoriously famous for, was his Six Wives and their fate bestowed by King Henry. Earlier posts were dedicated to Six Wives of King Henry VIII. Today, we are giving King Henry a chance to put forward his version of story.
I am King Henry VIII, The King of England. Actually, I was the King, now I have heard there is a Queen ruling My England. :O
I was born to Henry VII of England, and Elizabeth of York, on 28th June, 1491. I was second in line to the throne, having my elder brother Arthur, but Arthur demise changed the equation and I became the King, after my father King Henry VII, died in 22nd April, 1509. I don’t want to gloat much but I was the best King, England has ever seen…. 😎
You may or may not have anything else to do, but I have some important business to attend to (have to play execution with my graveyard friends), so I will directly come to point. I am disgusted by the way, my Six Queens have described me, in earlier posts. So, here I am clearing everything, once and for all… although I know there is no such need, because I am a King. 😛
- Catherine of Aragon, my first wife. I married her out of pity, she was my brother’s widow, and was 6 years elder to me. Actually, it was easier for me to marry her and keep the political alliance intact, and also, she was pretty. ❤ I loved her. It was a happy marriage. We loved each other. She was a perfect wife, and a perfect Queen. Coming to think of it, I still love and respect her. I would not have married anyone else, if I would have been an ordinary person, not a King. A king needs heir. A male child. This was the only problem with my marriage to Catherine. She didn’t gave me a male child. Now, when I think of it, my two daughters Mary and Elizabeth have proved a better monarch than my son Edward. Alas, at that time, Mary was not sufficient for me. I wanted to have a son, and I decided to marry second time. One other factor, I fall in love with someone else – Anne Boleyn. Now, tell me, was it my fault that a king must have a prince a heir, which Catherine didn’t gave me. I left her, only because of that. It’s not my fault, you see. Even if it was my fault, well, I was The King, and a King can do no wrong. 😉
- Anne Boleyn, my second wife, and my second love too. I loved Catherine, but when I first laid my eyes on this graceful, elegant dancer in my court, my jaw dropped. My God, she was beautiful. Who could not be smitten by her raw beauty? I was. Most importantly she knows how to flirt and keep her man on toes? I was blown away. I proposed and she put condition. She wanted to be Queen, and I wanted to be her King. I divorced Catherine, although it took almost 6-7 years, but it did happened finally. Only problem, she failed just like her predecessor, in giving me a male heir. Also, she used to interfere a lot in my kingly affairs. How could I tolerate that? I wanted to get rid of her. My courtiers helped me in maligning her and later in executing her for high treason. 😦 I feel bad about this now, but a king has to do, what he has to do. Also, I was in love again, with my, to be third wife. So, Anne has to go, no matter what. 😐
- Jane, dear Jane…. Oh My Jane. Love of my life. I loved you Jane and still do. Jane was my third wife, and only one who gave me what I was longing for from decades – a male heir, Edward, my son. She was as plain as her name, but she was pretty enough for me to fall in love with her. She was an ideal wife. She was quiet, never interfered in my affairs. Never even objected when I courted other ladies. Above all, gave birth to my only son, Edward. Pity, she died soon after that. Some say, that I didn’t take care of her. What the hell am I supposed to do? She was a Queen, had all the maids, servants to help her. Why the hell, she would have needed me? I was the King. A King don’t have time to take care of his wife. He has to take care of his realm, you know. If she died within days of giving birth to my son, than it must have been her poor genes, not my carelessness. 😎
- Anne of Cleves, my fourth wife. She was my one and only arranged marriage bride. Clearly, arrange marriage was not for me. I didn’t even had the privilege of seeing her in person before signing up marriage contract, can you believe that? 😡 but, believe me when I say, that she was nothing like her portrait that Holbein made of her. She was plain. Didn’t knew to play music, or to sing, knew no card games, not even knew how to flirt…. 😮 Moreover, she didn’t liked me either. For her, I was this ill, smelly, old man. I was not the handsome young King, anymore. How could I bear that? I despised her. I was feeling suffocated in that marriage, didn’t even consummated my marriage. How could I? 😡 I asked her for divorce, and she readily agreed to it. Guess, she was also eager to move out of this marriage. It was a happy ending for both of us. So, happy, that I declare her my Sister, and gave her all the money and status to fulfill all her needs. She was the only wife of mine, who stayed happy. 😀
- Catherine Howard, my rose without thorns, my fifth wife. She was everything that any old man wish for in a woman. She was young, almost 17, when I fall in love with her. I immediately married her. She was sexy, young and a novice girl. Yes, a girl she was, not a Queen. That was my mistake. Everything should have been alright, if I would just have treated her like a girl, and used her, rather than making her Queen of England. She was young and wild, not to be tamed, and she did just what girls of her age do – fall in love over and over. She was the Queen, still she couldn’t resist the charm of young love, and fall for my young groom, Thomas Culpeper. She cheated on a King. How could anyone in the world survive this? She didn’t. I executed her. She deserved it. I still remember the way she came running towards me, screaming from the top of her lungs for forgiveness, but she had cheated on me, how could I ever forgave her? Never. Not as a husband, never as a King. 😡
- Catherine Parr, my sixth and final wife. I got married to her, nor because it was love, neither it was arranged, but rather because I needed a wife like her. She was twice widowed, without any kids, but a caring soul. She was half of my age, but still she was a lady of grace, not a silly girl, like Catherine Howard. She was gentle and polite. She was like a nurse to me. She nursed me well and nurture my kids too. She also handled my realm as a regent in my absence. She was just perfect for me at that time. But, foolishness seems to be the trait of all the girls I married. This one too, took the liberty with her life, by debating me in religious matters. It was necessary to show her place to this woman, and thus I issued warrant against her. She would have gone the same way her predecessors went, if she hadn’t came to her senses and apologized for her unwisdom. I was not only her husband but her King too, she had to treat me like a God and not debate with me. Foolish girl. She survived my wrath. 😐
Those were my six wives, I could have married more… I would have loved to, but my illness prevented me. I was a man longing for love and solace. I found it somewhat in Jane, but like each time, my happiness were always short lived. I was always alone. A lone King. Although I married six times, but I was never satisfied in love. I may have loved my wives or maybe it was just an illusion, I wonder. If given a chance, I think, I would prefer to be a loving husband, than to be an insecure and tyrant King.
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Frolic Friday – Curious Case of King Henry’s Wives : Wife # 6 – Catherine
King Henry VIII, was the second Monarch of Tudor dynasty. He was King of England from 21 April, 1509 until his death by 28 January 1547. King Henry was famous for two main reasons – one for separating Church of England from Roman Catholic Church; and second reason, he was most notoriously famous for, was his Six Wives and their fate bestowed by King Henry. These posts are dedicated to Six Wives of King Henry VIII. It’s not a historical fact or document, rather a conversational satirical viewpoint of ill-fated Queens.
Wife # 6 – I am Catherine Parr, Sixth wife of King Henry VIII
The last wife I was. Only wife who outlived the King Henry VIII, yes, this is what I want to be known for.
LOL… I know my predecessors (five Queens), must be twisting and turning in their graves, hearing this. 👿
Okay, Anne of Cleves, I can give you that outlived me, but actually by that time you were not his wife, infact you were his sister. 😛
Enough boasting about saving my head from my Husband’s Love for beheading. Let’s focus on my story.
I, Catherine Parr, was born to Sir Thomas Parr and his wife, Maud Green. I belonged to a niche family, and thus was educated well. It was my interest in learning which actually persuaded me to achieve what my contemporaries hadn’t. I learned French, Italian, Latin and Greek too. I was basically not a needle and sewing kind of girl. 😕 I remember, once I said to my mamma that “my hands are ordained to touch crowns and sceptres, not spindles and needles”. True.
Did you know that I was the most married Queen of England. Henry was my third husband, and after his death, I married once more. I could have married again, if I have lived more. 😛
Talking about my marriages, my first one was to Sir Edward Borough, who died of sickness in his twenties. After my first husband death, I married, Lord John Latimer, who was twice my age, and was already twice widowed. My second marriage also turned into death of my husband by poor health. I was a good wife though. I nursed him in his ill health, and took care of his kids from earlier marriages, like they were my own.
Question now, How a twice widowed, in her thirties, lady who has never even have conceived a child, became the desire of King Henry VIII? Henry, who was only interested in two things a woman can give him – Sex and a Son. Well, I could give him sex, but I was not exactly his type, you know brain dead, beautiful and a young girl. I was a woman in thirties remember? Although, I was still half of Henry’s age. 😛
Henry was old, sick, and actually devastated because of his crushed ego. Catherine Howard, his fifth wife, was just executed, as she cheated on Henry, blowing out that Big Ego of King Henry. He was also kind of impotent by that time. So, he was actually looking for a affectionate wife, not a sexy young silly Queen. And…. I fit the bill perfectly. Only problem, I had Brains. 😎
There was one more problem, by the time Henry proposed to me. I was in love with someone else. Thomas Seymour, was the love of my life, and I so wanted to marry him, after my second husband’s death. But, who can say to a King, specially when his name is Henry VIII? 😐
I sacrificed my love and married the King. I was the Queen. Sixth Queen to King Henry VIII. I was a good wife to him. I nursed him, took care of all his needs. Infact I even managed to reconcile him with his children, Mary and Elizabeth. I took full control of educating them too, specially Elizabeth and Edward. I loved all of them. I would say I fulfilled all my duties.
I was a good Queen too. I was loyal to my King. I was sympathetic to my people. I was loved by everyone, inside and out of the court. I was considered a intelligent Queen, infact, my place was famous for having intelligent debates and conversations. I was also made regent in the absence of Henry, when he went for war.
I had my cons too. Most prominent being, my foolishness to debate with a King. I discussed religious matters with him, and that agonized him a bit too much. He took it as his insult, as a woman was advising her husband on matters of religion. He said to me “ye are become a doctor, Kate, to instruct us” 😦
I didn’t intended to. But, you know Henry…. he soon issued my arrest warrant. Only that I was so loved among all that a loyal servant dropped this letter of arrest to my knowledge first. Only thing that this arrest warrant could have turned into was my beheading….
Only that my wits helped me, and I was quick to act in this case. I ran to my King and tried to convince him otherwise. I said to him, “I am but a woman, with all the imperfections natural to the weakness of my sex; therefore in all matters of doubt and difficulty I must refer myself to your Majesty’s better judgment, as to my lord and head”. His ego was satisfied with my bowing down to his superiority, and this saved my head. Phew!!!
Too glad for that.
Henry died and I was Free. I was free to marry my Love, Thomas Seymour. Little did I know that Love and marriage are two different things. People change in Love and sometimes in Marriage too. It was not a happy marriage, but I did get pregnant this time and gave birth to a beautiful daughter. Only that I didn’t lived long enough to enjoy real motherhood.
Whatever I have learned from my life was, that no matter you are the Queen, or a simple woman, a wife is always treated the same way, and should always try to please her husband, if she wants to live a longer life. Actually if she wants to outlive a husband like King Henry VIII. 😛
My Journey So Far.... 