The psalms, war, and royal iconography: Katherine Parr's Psalms or Prayers (1544) and Henry VIII as David

Abstract

AbstractTudor historians and literary scholars have long examined the various ways in which Henry VIII and his advisors used the psalms and King David's life to represent Henry's political and religious power. This article examines Katherine Parr's translation of John Fisher's Psalms or Prayers, a book that has not figured in studies of Henrician iconography, but that was one of the most influential acts of royal representation produced in the last years of Henry's reign. Parr's book was printed at a time of military conflict, and as I will argue, it served to represent Henry as an exemplary wartime Davidic monarch – one who was repentant, in need of divine assistance, and thankful for God's help. Parr's book also included an innovative ‘A Prayer for the King,' a translation of a Latin prayer for Henry that was itself derived from a prayer for the Holy Roman Emperor. This prayer explicitly aligns Henry with David and Solomon as it draws on verses from Psalm 2, Psalm 20, and the Book of Proverbs. Importantly, Parr made timely alterations as she translated the Latin prayer into English, alterations that underscore Henry's religious authority, his obedience, and his military prowess. Finally, resonances between Parr's book and the annotations that Henry made in his manuscript Psalter point to political collaboration between king and queen on this important wartime crown production.