King Henry, VIII

Michael Samuel Marzella

Henry Tudor, named after his father, Henry VII, was born by Elizabeth of York June 28, 1491 in Greenwich Palace. He was the second son, and not expected to become king.  His older brother, Arthur, Prince of Wales, married Catherine of Aragon in November 1501 when Henry was 10 years old. Shortly after the wedding, Arthur and Catherine went to live in Wales, but four months after the marriage began, Arthur died.  A treaty was signed that would allow Catherine to marry the next heir to the throne -- Prince Henry. Until then, Catherine's parents, Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain would send over 100,000 crowns worth of plate and gold as a wedding gift and Henry would pay the agreed upon dowry.  

Henry was just shy of 18 years old when he became king upon the death of his father on the 22nd of April 1509. Henry succeeded to the throne, having been preparing for it from the time of his older brother Arthur's death. His accession was hailed with universal acclamation.  At age 30, he was not the image that we usually call to mind when we hear the name Henry VIII. He was handsome and athletic. He was tall and had a bright red-gold cap of hair and beard.  Henry's marital career is probably the thing for which he is most known.        

 

 

The six wives of Henry VIII

1 Catherine of Aragon  2 Anne Boleyn       3 Jane Seymour 
 


4 Anne of Cleves    5 Catherine Howard    6 Catherine Parr

 

Queen Catherine Parr

6th and final wife of King Henry VIII

Mouse-over photo for another view of the Queen with Sir Vincent Roswell

 

Catherine was born around 1512 at Kendal Castle in Westmorland, North West England, where her ancestors had resided since the fourteenth century. She was the eldest child of Sir Thomas Parr and Lady Maud Green. She had a younger brother, William Parr, and a sister, Anne Parr, Lady Herbert. 

 

As a child, Catherine was groomed to be an exemplary noblewoman with a love of learning and a modest demeanor, which were to serve her well throughout her life.   Out of the many suitors for Katherine's hand, her mother finally chose Edward, second Baron Borough of Gainsborough in Lincolnshire. At the time of the marriage in 1527, he was around 63 years old, old enough to be Catherine's grandfather—Catherine was 15. While the idea is revolting to us today, and doubtless was to Catherine herself, such disparately aged matches were not unusual in the day.  Money, land, and title made marriages, and details of age or agreeability to both partners rarely entered the equation. Catherine Parr moved to live with her husband as stepmother to his children from his previous marriage; children who were old enough to have fathered her. Lord Borough died in 1528 and so Catherine was widowed at about age 16.        

In 1529, Catherine's mother passed away, leaving a considerable fortune to Katherine. In the summer of 1534, she married John Neville, 3rd Baron Latymer of Snape, North Yorkshire. He had been twice married, he was 41, she was 22. As Lady Latimer, Catherine moved to her husband's household at Snape Castle in Yorkshire. In 1536, during the Pilgrimage of Grace, Catherine was held hostage by northern rebels, along with her two stepchildren.  From the autumn of 1542, Lord Latimer's health began to fail. In early 1543, when Latimer's impending demise became apparent, King Henry VIII began to court Katharine.  After Lord Latimer's death, Catherine stayed on at court, not for Henry, but because of a flirtation with the dashing Sir Thomas Seymour. He was thirty-seven to her thirty-one, brother of the late Queen Jane Seymour, and uncle to Prince Edward. They were mutually attracted, and began to discuss marriage. The King, however, wanted Catherine for himself and was jealous. Catherine was not interested and had no interest in becoming Queen, or indeed wife number six to a man of questionable track record. In May 1543, King Henry, customarily ruthless, sent Thomas Seymour to Brussels on a permanent embassy, and began his advances in earnest. Around July, the King proposed to Katharine. Feeling she hadn't much choice, she finally acquiesced. The marriage took place in a private ceremony on July 12, 1543, at Hampton Court.
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Following Henry's death in 1547, Catherine was able to marry her old love, Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley and Lord High Admiral. Having had no children from her first three marriages, Catherine became pregnant for the first time, by Seymour, at age thirty-five.   Catherine gave birth to her only child - a daughter, Mary Seymour - on 30 August 1548, but Catherine died only six days later, on 5 September 1548, at Sudeley Castle in Gloucestershire, from what is thought to be puerperal fever or puerperal sepsis, also called childbed fever.  

                 Official Webbe Site of the British Monarchy         

 

 

 

  

 

Lady Catherine Willoughby
Duchess of Suffolk, a.k.a.

Suzanne Maddocks
 

Lady in Waiting to Queen Catherine of Aragon (Henry VIII's 1st wife) and close friend of Queen Catherine Parr (Henry VIII's 6th wife)

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Noted for her wit, sharp tongue, and devotion to learning, by the last years of Henry VIII's reign the Duchess of Suffolk was also an outspoken Protestant. She became a close friend of Henry's last Queen, Catherine Parr, particularly after the Duke died in 1545, and was a strong influence on the Queen's religious beliefs.

 

Less than a year after Queen Catherine Parr Seymour's death, her widower Thomas Seymour was beheaded for treason; their infant daughter Mary Seymour was taken to live with Catherine Willoughby.  After a year and a half, Mary's property was restored to her by an Act of Parliament, easing the burden of the infant's household on the Duchess. The last mention of Mary Seymour on record is on her second birthday, and although stories circulated that she eventually married and had children, most historians believe Mary Seymour died as a child

 

   

 

 

Lady Anne Parr Herbert
Countess of Pembroke
a.k.a. Joni Nathan

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Lady in Waiting to each of Henry VIII of England's six wives. Anne Parr was the daughter of Sir Thomas Parr and Maud Green, and thus, a sister of Queen Catherine Parr and William Parr. Anne became a maid of honor to Queen Jane Seymour. In early 1538, Anne married William Herbert.   As Lady Herbert, she was keeper of the queen’s jewels to Catherine Howard, although she left court briefly to give birth to her first child, Henry.  When her sister Catherine became Henry VIII’s sixth queen in 1543, Anne returned to court.   She and William Herbert had two more children, Edward and Anne and used Baynard’s Castle as their London residence.


 

Lady Maud (Matilda) Parr Lane
a.k.a. Karen Eisele Western
Cousin and Lady in Waiting to Queen Catherine Parr

Maud's parents were Sir William Parr and Mary Salisbury. Sir William Parr was a brother of Thomas Parr, and Thomas was the father of Queen Catherine Parr. On the death of Maud's husband Sir Ralph Lane, Maud Parr Lane was brought into the royal household and was known as Lady Lane.  Her cousin, Queen Catherine Parr, used her influence on her husband, King Henry VIII, to secure land for the widowed Maud Lane.   Her son, Ralph Lane, is best remembered for his unsuccessful attempt to colonize Roanoke Island at the request of Sir Walter Raleigh, and for serving as its Governor.

About her son, Ralph Lane

Parr of Kendal Genealogy

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lady Elizabeth Norrington
a.k.a. Cristine Antolak
Lady in Waiting to Queen Catherine Parr

Niece of Commodore James Norrington

Looking for a Gentleman

 

 

 

   

 

 

 

 

 

Sir William Parr, KG 

Brother of Queen Catherine Parr

Captain of the Royal Guard

a.k.a. George Western

Lord Northampton (William Parr) is a younger brother (by a year) to Her Most Gracious Majesty Catherine Parr, and older brother of Lady Anne Parr Herbert. Also cousin to Lady Maud Lane and Brother-in-Law to Henry VIII.

Knight of the Most Noble and Ancient order of the Garter, Marquess of Northampton, 7th Earl of Essex, Baron Kendal, Lord Lieutenant of Cambridgeshire, Captain of Their Majesties Most Honourable Corps of Gentlemen at Arms.

 

 

 

Lady Catherine Willoughby

Catherine was born in 1519, probably at court, to Maria de Salinas and William Willoughby, 11th Baron Willoughby de Eresby.  In 1526, Lord Willoughby de Eresby died, and Catherine, as his only surviving child, inherited the Barony and an income of 15,000 ducats a year at the age of seven. Wardship of the girl fell to the King, who sold it to his brother-in-law, Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk. A battle over her inheritance ensued with her uncle, who argued that the estates and title should pass to him rather than a female heir. After this issue was resolved, Catherine was betrothed to the Duke's son and heir, the Earl of Lincoln. However, on the death in 1533 of the Duke's wife, Mary Tudor (sister of Henry VIII and Queen Dowager of France), the Duke chose to marry Catherine himself.  Catherine and Charles had four children:  Henry, Charles, Susan Bertie and Peregrine Bertie.


   

 

Emperor Charles V -- Holy Roman Emperor
a.k.a. Tim Fraley
King of the Romans, Italy, France, and Spain
Archduke of Austria, Lord of the Netherlands (Titular)
 Duke of Burgundy,  King of Germany

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Ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I of Spain, of the Spanish realms from 1516 until his abdication in 1556. Born in 1500, he was the son of Philip I of Castile (Philip the Handsome) and Juana of Castile (Joanna the Mad of Castile). His paternal grandparents were the Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian I and Mary of Burgundy, whose daughter Margaret raised him. His maternal grandparents were Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, whose marriage had first united their territories into what is now modern Spain, and whose daughter Catherine of Aragon (Charles' aunt) was Queen of England and first wife of Henry VIII. His cousin was Mary I of England, who married his son Philip. On the eve of his death in 1558, his realm, which has been described as one in which the sun never sets, spanned almost 4 million square kilometers. As the heir of four of Europe's leading dynasties – the Habsburgs of Austria, the Valois of Burgundy, the Trastamara of Castile and the House of Aragon – he ruled over extensive domains in Central, Western and Southern Europe, as well as the various Castilian (Spanish) colonies in the Americas.

 

As the first King to reign in his own right over both Castile and Aragon he is often considered as the first King of Spain. Charles provided five ships to Ferdinand Magellan after the Portuguese captain was repeatedly turned down by Manuel I of Portugal. The commercial success of the voyage, which temporarily enriched Charles by the sale of its cargo of cloves, laid the foundation for the oceanic empire of Spain.  During Charles' reign, the territories in New Spain (The Americas) were considerably extended by conquistadores like Hernándo Cortés and Francisco Pizarro, who caused the Aztec and Inca empires to fall in little more than a decade. Combined with the Magellan expedition's circumnavigation of the globe in 1522, these successes convinced Charles of his divine mission to become the leader of a Christian world that still perceived a significant threat from Islam. Of course, the conquests also helped solidify Charles' rule by providing the state treasury with enormous amounts of bullion.  In 1550, Charles convened a conference at Valladolid in order to consider the morality of the force used against the indigenous populations of Spanish America. Charles V is credited with the first idea of constructing a canal across the isthmus Panama as early as 1520.

Charles suffered from an enlarged lower jaw, a deformity which became considerably worse in later Habsburg generations and became known as the "Habsburg Jaw." The deformity was caused by multiple generations of ancestral inbreeding, which was common in royal families back in those times, in order to keep the bloodline "pure". 

 

 

Queen Briget of Norway & Capt. Rafael
 

Captain Red "Swash" Rogers (Thomas Zadoyko) of the comedy team of "Buckle & Swash"

 

 

Seamus Chance Williams - Navigator Gwendolyn Drake Bullseye Capt. Burke McDuff Schmitty

Gwendolyn Drake and her crewmates

The murderous, plundering, pillaging crew of the Blackheart

L to R: Seamus (Steve Sheldon), Chance Williams (Navigator), Gwen a.k.a. Lisa, Bullseye, Capt. Burke McDuff, & Schmitty
Visit Lisa's MySpace site

See her in fierce battle on the human chessboard

 

Donalan, the Oak Fairy

Don Sankovitch
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Don is from Fairpoint, Ohio and is a 3rd grade stars elementary school teacher at Gulfport Montessori Elem. School.  He obtained his Masters Degree in Elementary Education from Ohio State University in 2002. 

See his MySpace Photos

Cherry Blossom, a Faerie
a.k.a. Alexie Schauerte

 

 

Flower Vendor
Raven Victoria Greene

 

 

Rodrigo - Beer Hawker

Rodrigo enjoys collecting antique books, renaissance faires, World War 2 aircraft, and anything to do with history.  He is a University of Alabama graduate with a Masters Degree in Health Administration and works as a medical practice administrator.

Visit his MySpace Site

 

Ebeneezer Bay, Renaissance Pitchman

Ebeneezer Bay is played by Howard Koutney, Owner/Operator of Forte' Talent Inc. When he is not entertaining the masses at the Bay Area Renaissance Festival, he provides D.J. and Master of Ceremonies services for Weddings and corporate events.  Howard has been a Professional Disc Jockey & Emcee since 1981.  He's a former Nightclub D.J who played at The Ocean Club Tampa, Baja Beach Club Tampa and many other locations statewide.  He was also an on-air personality for Smooth Jazz, WSJT 94.1, a producer for Sports Radio 820 "The Team" and Board operator for 102.5 WHPT "The Point." 

 

Offering a seemingly endless line of Renaissance era versions of today's products, he'll have you convinced you just can't do without them!

As well as being a D.J., Howard has also worked as an interactive performer with the Wiseguys, portraying characters such as Indiana Jones, Dracula, Gomez Addams, and many others.  He has also hosted many game shows for trade shows and conventions in the Orlando and Tampa area.  Howard brings a vast array of talent and a wide range of experience to his new endeavor, Forte Talent, Inc.

 

Looney Lucy, the Zany bag-lady
a.k.a. Lynda Kavy of Empty Hats

Lynda is one of four members of the Celtic band Empty Hats and a character actress at Renaissance and Medieval Faires. A mathematics major until her junior year in college, she took an acting class; transferred to an acting college and moved to Manhattan as soon as she graduated. Performing in Off-Broadway venues like the Provincetown Theatre Company and the 13th Street Theatre, she continued to learn her craft in such shows as Israel Horovitz’s “Line” while working here and there to make ends meet. In the mid 80’s, she and a friend went to Atlantic City where she interviewed for a new program being put together to entertain customers arriving by bus at the Tropicana Casino. By the time she met Carl Asch, she was doing a morning radio show and performing at the Trump Castle.  Carl was already performing on the Faire circuit and for several years encouraged Lynda to join him.   (From Fairenews.com)

Meet Looney Lucy

Looney Lucy's website

 

 

Sir Real - Roué at heart

Fern, a tree Fairy
(Paige Crane)
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Norse Barbarian Freya

a.k.a. the Golden Goddess

Her MySpace Site

Mute

Mouseover photo to see his alter-ego, Volume

Allison

Ally is from Ft. Myers/Port Charlotte, Florida and is currently obtaining her B.A degree in Speech, Language and Hearing with a Minor in Sign Language from the University of South Florida.

Visit her MySpace site

 

 

Freya of Barbaria and her pet Viking

 

Learn about the Renaissance Period