“I have seen too many queens,” [WIll Sommers] says. “And too many of them are ghosts now. I don’t want to see a queen in danger; I don’t want to see another ghost. indeed, I swear that I won’t see one. Not even one.”

“You did not see me?” I ask, catching his meaning.

“I did not see you, nor Kitty Howard creeping down the stairs in her nightgown, nor Anne of Cleves, pretty as her portrait, crying at her bedroom door. I am a Fool, not a guard. I don’t have to see things, and I am forbidden to understand them. there’s no point in me reporting them. Who would listen to a Fool?”

-Will Somers, Court Fool, to Queen Kateryn Parr, after discovering her eavesdropping on Henry’s private discussions, The Taming of the Queen, page 194.

Kateryn Parr wants to survive. In the court of King Henry VIII, that means bowing to his shifting whims, even for his wives. Chosen by Henry to be his sixth queen, Kateryn is determined to avoid the fates of her five predecessors. She adopts several defensive strategies to placate and mollify Henry. But as the ominous title of the book suggests, in Henry’s court, survival requires submission.

In The Taming of the Queen, the eleventh historical fiction novel in Phillipa Gregory’s series, we follow Queen Kateryn from Henry’s first proposal in the spring of 1543 to his death in the winter of 1547. The book is not about her ascension to power or her scheming and plotting for the throne. The book is about her survival.

Synopsis

Kateryn is a reluctant queen. She has watched five predecessors come and go; two of them set aside, two of them executed, one neglected and died in childbirth. She has a secret lover that she hopes to wed. In short, she does not want to be queen. But Henry chose her, and queen she will be.

Queen Kateryn lives in apartments that other queens have lived in. She wears dresses and jewels commissioned by her predecessors, and her ladies have served several of them as well. Half of the court sees her as an impediment to their agenda; others see her as an avenue to riches and power.

Her biggest threat, however, is not another family or the next aspiring queen; it is Henry himself. Henry has been absolute ruler of England for decades, and has become quite adept at removing queens. He plays the factions of his court against each other, and not even Kateryn is safe from his tests and games.

To protect herself, Kateryn works to be the best queen she can be.She used her power and position to hire tutors. and teachers. She reconciles Henry with his children, bringing them together as a family for the first time in Henry’s reign. Kateryn even goes so far as to publish books in support of Henry’s reformation, the first woman to publish in her own name in English history. All in the hopes of keeping her position long enough to survive the king.

The Threat – Henry the Tyrant

King Henry VIII has been a threat to the characters for four books. He has executed four of the last eight POV characters and deposed two more. The absolute power he developed over previous novels is now perfected: he is the Divine King of England. He has long removed anyone who could — or would — argue with him.

But in Taming of the Queen, the threat is much more intimate. In previous books, Henry was a threat, but not a very present character. His will was known to the reader through correspondence, conversation with other characters, and the appearance of his officials to execute his orders. In Kateryn’s story, Henry is more present and more forceful. He actively debates with Kateryn, giving the readers a chance to see Henry’s mindset and trains of thought.

Henry is also old. His age and infirmities are taking their toll. He is aware that he is no longer a young man or the ‘handsomest Prince in Christendom.’ Death is coming, and Henry has but one male heir to the throne. Knowing this, Henry is scared, and that fear manifests itself in his whims and moods.

This is the tyrant Kateryn must placate to stay alive. A king, close to death, who is fearful of the future and lashing out with the power he has. A very dangerous foe indeed.

The Queen’s Defensive strategies

Kateryn Parr becomes queen with the goal to survive. To do so, she is dependent on Henry’s good graces. Kateryn sets to work immediately, learning from her predecessor’s successes and mistakes. Some of it is easy and obvious: don’t take a lover, as Kitty Howard did. Most of it is difficult, requiring constant application of intelligence and influence.

Kateryn never sits down and plans out her campaign for the reader to see. The campaign starts from page one, and Kateryn develops her defenses over time. The actions Kateryn takes in her defense can be grouped into three categories, based on what she is providing Henry. First, she is providing intimacy. Second, she is providing family. And third, she is providing religious advocacy.

Providing Intimacy

Kateryn Parr is no fool. She understands that the primary reason Henry has chosen her is because she is an attractive young woman who can bear children. Providing intimacy is the first strategy she is forced to employ.

Sex is the first and easiest intimacy Kateryn provides. Henry is used to getting his desires met, and he is still worried about having only one male heir to the Tudor line. But Henry is also old, and his health is failing. He is morbidly obese, to the point of needing pages and wheelchairs to move about. An open leg wound fills the room with the smell of decay. And Henry faces some level of impotency. Kateryn has to ignore all of that, and play the young, virginal bride for her husband.

Kateryn’s act must extend beyond the bedroom. Henry is her third husband, but Henry must be the best at everything. Luckily for Kateryn, Henry asks guiding questions. Kateryn is smart enough to answer the correct way, and placate Henry’s ego.

Of the three strategies Kateryn pursues, this thread is the most disturbing to read through. Henry is not a considerate lover, and the submission he expects is demeaning. Kateryn’s descriptions of their bedroom atmosphere are oppressive.

Providing Family

The second avenue Kateryn uses is as new mother to the three existing children from three previous queens. Mary (Catherine of Aragon) is almost the same age as Kateryn, while Elizabeth (Anne Boleyn) and Edward (Jane Seymour) are much younger. Henry has declared the two daughters illegitimate, and barely sees his son.

Kateryn makes an effort to bring them all together, to provide Henry with the family he never realized he had. If she can make him realize he has potential heirs already, perhaps he would calm down.

Kateryn is largely successful at this. She befriends Mary, brings Elizabeth back to court, and corresponds with Edward. Henry appreciates this effort, and revises the articles of succession to include the two daughters (after Edward, of course).

Of the three strategies, this one is the most rewarding to read. Mary and Elizabeth are innocents, declared illegitimate because of Henry’s falling out with their mothers, and largely disregarded because of their gender. Kateryn bringing them back together, and mending the family that Henry was at best oblivious to, is the best success she has. The submission for family is humiliating, but ultimately is not as terrible as some of the other things Kateryn must endure.

Religious Advocacy

The third and most dangerous avenue Kateryn pursues is the be part of Henry’s reformation. Kateryn is a dedicated Protestant, and her family pressures her to keep the king committed to the reformation. Henry has begun the reformation, but has not completed the process. He shifts from protestant to catholic leanings, based on internal court debates, the shifting alliances of Europe, or just his own whims and desires.

Kateryn uses her position as queen to educate herself. She learns languages, studies the Bible and religious texts. She invites learned scholars and popular speakers to lecture to her and her ladies on reformation topics. All this she does within the bounds of the Church of England, with Henry at its head, using his teachings and writings.

But Henry’s inconsistency can trap Kateryn as easily as anyone else. Henry rules that religious texts should be in English, so everyone can read them. Then he rules that only learned men should read them, as they’re too difficult for everyone to have an opinion on. Kateryn’s works that Henry praises one day he condemns her for the next.

Of the three strategies, this one is the most aggravating to read. Kateryn works hard, and yet her work is contently dismissed for reasons far beyond her control. The submission for this strategy is not one event. It is a constant stream of little abuses that Kateryn endures. Hence, aggrivation.

Conclusion

The Taming of the Queen is a hard book to read. Kateryn Parr is a likable, intelligent woman who spends the book simply trying to survive. She works hard to please Henry, only to find he’s more interested in her submission than her hard work. She is a character who constantly receiving my sympathy and respect.

On the plus side, with the death of Henry VIII, we can finally move on and into the next generation of Tudor leaders. I’m sure the next few books will be about easier times and perfect rulers.

Right?