Kateryn Parr - as she herself wrote her name - is often portrayed as a colourless, prudish figure, known mainly for surviving her marriage to King Henry VIII. But Parr's life reads like a Renaissance romance, filled with peril, jealous husbands, personal patronage of the arts, writing and translating.

In this edition of Not Just the Tudors, Professor Suzannah Lipscomb talks to Dr. Susan James, who charts Parr's life and the strategies she employed during her queenship, that ensured her survival, and which provided a role-model for her beloved step-daughter, the future Queen Elizabeth I.

Keep up to date with everything early modern, from Henry VIII to the Sistine Chapel with our Tudor Tuesday newsletter> 

If you would like to learn more about history, we have hundreds of history documentaries, ad-free podcasts and audiobooks at History Hit >

To download, go to Android > or Apple store>

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.