Hello and welcome to the Renaissance English History podcast.

I'm your host, Heather Tesco.

In the past few episodes, we've talked a lot about the life and rule of Henry the 8th,

and there are lots of other topics I'd like to explore, too.

So I'd like to move on past Henry to the rule of his children.

Before his son Edward is able to take the throne, though, we need to finish up the final years of Henry's life and discuss the politics that we're making the court a very dangerous place for Henry's final queen.

Henry's sixth and final wife was Catherine Parr. Catherine attracted Henry's attention when she was still the wife of the elderly John

Neville, Lord Latimer.

He was actually her second husband, as her first husband had also been older and died around

1528.

In contrast to Catherine Howard, Catherine Parr was not a young girl, but was a well-educated and mature woman of just about 30.

Her intellect was probably very attractive to Henry, who was by now becoming too old for the flirtatious games of young girls.

Catherine's husband was older and was very ill, and Henry began courting her even while her husband

was still alive. By March of 1543, Catherine's husband had died, and she was a wealthy widow.

Catherine Parr was educated, but even more than that, she was pious and held radical, possibly

Protestant viewpoints, and had to be very careful.

During the time that Henry was wooing Catherine, Bishop Gardner, the Bishop of Winchester,

was vigorously prosecuting heretics and Lutherans. They were the same to him,

and began striking at Cranmer, who was still protected by the king. Gardner made numerous

attempts to arrest Cranmer and rid the court of the influence of heretics, whom he believed

were indoctrinating the king. Henry never let anything happen to Cramer, so Gardner began

moving on to the more low-hanging fruit, going after the members of the

...