The Sixth Wife

It recounts the tale of Catherine Parr, the sixth wife of Henry VIII, King of England.

Catherine's family play a key role including her sister Anne Parr Herbert, her stepdaughter Elizabeth, niece Jane Grey, doomed friend Anne Askew, rivals Thomas Wriothesley, 1st Earl of Southampton, Stephen Gardiner, Henry Howard, Anne Stanhope, Mary Howard Fitzroy the Dowager Duchess of Richmond and former romantic interest Thomas Seymour.

Also Henry, while reflecting upon his wives, recalls that he married Jane Seymour quickly because she was pregnant and she lost the child shortly after the wedding, something which is entirely fictional.

There is only small historical evidence to suggest that Catherine may have become pregnant during her short term as Queen, but she may have suffered a false pregnancy before beginning her menstrual cycle and not having a miscarriage as stated in the novel.

[3] Today, the pregnancies of the wives are still debated, with Boleyn and Howard possibly having miscarriages, and Seymour maybe having one during her early marriage, and not before as fictitiously stated.