At least she can rest now | The Burial of Catherine Parr

Описание: Catherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of King Henry VIII, was a significant figure in English history, known for surviving the king and having a strong influence during her lifetime. After Henry's death in 1547, Catherine remarried Thomas Seymour, 1st Baron Seymour of Sudeley, and retired to his estate, Sudeley Castle. It was there, in September 1548, that she gave birth to a daughter, Mary Seymour. However, just a few days later, Catherine died from complications related to childbirth, most likely puerperal fever.

Catherine was buried in the chapel at Sudeley Castle, becoming the first queen of England to be buried on private grounds rather than in Westminster Abbey or another royal location. The service was Protestant, reflecting the religious reforms she had supported.

Years after her burial, her body was exhumed multiple times. The first exhumation occurred in 1782 when workmen discovered her coffin by accident. Astonishingly, they found that her body was in a remarkable state of preservation. Her remains were exhumed again in the early 19th century, during which time several relics were taken as souvenirs—an unfortunate practice of the era.

Finally, in 1861, Catherine Parr's remains were reinterred in a more dignified fashion in a specially built tomb in the Sudeley Chapel, where she rests today.