Free from Henry at long last, and with Thomas Seymour home from his European duties, Catherine quickly, but discretely, found her way back to her old flame. They married in secret, which displeased both the new king, Edward VI, and Princess Mary, Catherine’s good friend. Thomas’s brother Edward – by then the 1st Duke of Somerset – was more or less running the country for his nephew, then nine or ten years old, and presented a foil to Thomas, and ultimately led to his downfall.
This was a dicey period for Thomas Seymour, because upon his return to England, he fired off a letter to 14-year-old Princess Elizabeth proposing marriage. Catherine must not have known this when, once their marriage was public, she invited both Elizabeth and Lady Jane Grey to live in their household, and it is here where Thomas’s personality and proclivities take a dark turn. A member of their household would later testify about inappropriate visits he would make to Elizabeth’s bed chamber, inappropriate touching, and, as a last straw, a time when Catherine discovered the pair in an embrace. Elizabeth was sent to live in another noble home in May 1548 – which was the last time she would ever see her much beloved stepmother.
Catherine Parr gave birth to a daughter on the 30th of August, 1548, and died on September 5, 1548, of “childbed fever” – a catchall term for any of a number of post-partum infections that were common in the era. Her beloved, but betraying, husband only lived a few months longer. Thomas Seymour was arrested and charged with treason in February 1549, and executed on March 20 of that year.
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