Overview

What did Katherine Parr and Henry VIII write in their books? Step into the private libraries of one of history's most infamous royal couples and discover how ink, margins, and manuscript flourishes reveal more than meets the eye.

In this illuminating lecture at the National Library, renowned scholar Professor Micheline White delves into the marginalia left by King Henry VIII and his last wife, Katherine Parr, in their personal books. These deluxe volumes, often adorned with handwritten notes, decorative trefoils, and curious little pointing hands called manicules, tell a compelling story of public image-making and personal survival in the Tudor court.

Were these annotations simply personal reflections, or were they calculated messages written for a watchful audience of courtiers? Professor White will guide you through a close reading of these royal markings to reveal how Henry and Katherine used their books not just for learning or devotion, but as tools of self-fashion in crafting images of piety, wisdom, and authority. For Katherine in particular, this wasn't merely academic: her very survival may have depended on how successfully she performed the role of the ideal Tudor queen.

This event is presented in partnership with the ANU Centre for Early Modern Studies.