Kateřina Parrová: Šestá manželka – Weirová Alison (2022)

In 1542, King Henry VIII had his fifth wife, the young, dearly loved, yet simple and unfaithful Queen Catherine Howard, executed. Not long after, determined to marry again, he set his sights on a considerably more mature lady – the twice-widowed, educated, and pleasant Catherine Parr. Thirty years old and childless, Catherine, whose second husband had just died, was terrified of marrying Henry – after all, he had executed two of his wives and cast aside two others. Moreover, he was old and fat. And she loved Tom, the king's brother-in-law, who was young and handsome and wanted to marry her. However, one cannot simply refuse the king, and so Catherine reluctantly becomes queen, determined to be a good wife to Henry, a loving mother to his children, and a kind lady to all her subjects. There was, however, one more thing that compelled her to say yes to the king: the desire to defend the new, reformed faith against the intrigues of the Catholic court faction. This nearly becomes her downfall, but thanks to her intelligence and diplomatic skills, she manages to navigate the dangerous situation and ultimately survives the king. This captivating and fascinating novel is a vivid portrait of a sympathetic English queen, a secret Protestant, whose life unfolds against the backdrop of court intrigues and...