William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton and 1st Earl of Essex KG (c. 1512 – 28 October 1571) was the son of Sir Thomas Parr and his wife, Maud Green, daughter of Sir Thomas Green, of Broughton and Green's Norton, and brother of Katherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII.
On 9 February 1526, William married Anne Bourchier, 7th Baroness Bourchier, daughter of Henry Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Essex. On 17 April 1543, their marriage was ann...
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William Parr, 1st Marquess of Northampton and 1st Earl of Essex KG (c. 1512 – 28 October 1571) was the son of Sir Thomas Parr and his wife, Maud Green, daughter of Sir Thomas Green, of Broughton and Green's Norton, and brother of Katherine Parr, the sixth and final wife of Henry VIII.
On 9 February 1526, William married Anne Bourchier, 7th Baroness Bourchier, daughter of Henry Bourchier, 2nd Earl of Essex. On 17 April 1543, their marriage was annulled by an Act of Parliament and her children (by her lover) were declared bastards. Parr also obtained his ex-wife's lands and titles, being created Earl of Essex.
He later married Elisabeth Brooke, daughter of George Brooke, 8th Baron Cobham.
Their marriage was declared valid in 1548, invalid in 1553, and valid again in 1558.
He was Edward VI's 'beloved uncle' and one of the most important men at Edward's court, especially during the time of John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland's time as leader of the government. Parr, and especially his...
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