Out of all of Henry VIII's six wives, which one do you remember the most?
Is it Henry's first wife, Catalina de Aragon, whose marriage lasted the longest yet was irrevocably broken when she failed to provide her husband with a living son and was cast aside for a younger woman?
Or Anne Boleyn, the second wife, whose relationship with the King sent shockwaves across the globe that tragically ended in her losing her head over false accusations of adultery, incest or treason?
Maybe even Catherine Howard, the fifth and youngest of his wives, whose supposed promiscuousness lead to her following her cousin and fellow queen, Anne Boleyn, to the chopping block?
One Queen who seems always to fall under the radar and hid within the shadows of her fellow queens is... the sixth and final wife, Katherine Parr. Often labelled as the unimportant and 'nurse' wife, Katherine Parr's impact on history and the advancement of women is often underestimated. Not only did Katherine survive being married (and almost executed!) to a King whose bloodlust was clear for all to see but she made history even more by being the first woman in England to publish a book in English under her own name!
What a woman and what a life she lived!
Perhaps this is why Elizabeth Fremantle chose to breathe life into her story and her accomplishments in her bestselling novel Firebrand, originally published as Queen's Gambit in 2013, which has now been turned into a major film, also called Firebrand, starring the talents of Jude Law and Alicia Vikander as Henry VIII and Katherine Parr–both of which we will be discussing with today's guest, the woman behind the incredible novel; Elizabeth Fremantle!
Elizabeth is the author of many fabulous books including Firebrand (Queen's Gambit); Disobedient; Sisters of Treason; The Honey and the Sting; and Watch the Lady.
This is surely not an episode to miss so please click on the link above, give it a watch and (if you liked it), like, comment and subscribe!
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Until next time...
- Have a ‘Tudor-fic’ week!
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