She is best known today as the sixth and final wife of the notorious King Henry VIII of England, but Queen Catherine Parr (sometimes spelled Katherine) also made history in the realm of literature as well. She was the first Queen of England to publish books under her own name.

She is also unique on this list as the only woman who was not born straight into a royal family. The Parrs were only minor nobility, and her mother once served as a lady-in-waiting to Henry VIII’s first wife, the unfortunate Catherine of Aragon. But this second Catherine rose to the rank of queen after impressing a recently widowed Henry VIII with her grace, self-taught learning, and piety. This royal attention, as any student of history will know, wasn’t exactly a blessing. “Recently widowed” directly translates to “He chopped the head off wife number five”.

Related: Behind the Crown: 12 First-Class Books About Royalty

Nevertheless, Catherine was steadfast in her duties. Besides mentoring Henry’s children from three previous marriages and ruling England as regent when Henry was away at war, Catherine also made time for religious/philosophical debate and writing. Opinionated and highly critical of the traditions of the Catholic Church, Catherine produced firstly Prayers or Meditations (1545) and then The Lamentations of a Sinner (1547). Not exactly light reading, but impressive—not to mention courageous—output all the same.

10 Royal Women Who Also Made History as Writers

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