The Tudor Dynasty of Queen Elizabeth I - Major Figures & People in the family of Queen Elizabeth I
Information, Facts & History about the life of Catherine Howard - Fifth wife King Henry VIII & Stepmother to Queen Elizabeth I
The following are additional facts about the life and history of Catherine Howard - Fifth wife King Henry VIII & Stepmother to Queen Elizabeth I:
Catharine Howard was a member of the powerful Howard family. She was the first cousin of the ill-fated Anne Boleyn
Her mother died when Catherine was nine years old and Catherine was brought up in the house of the Agnes, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk. She was sadly neglected. She could barely read and write and had been allowed an amount of freedom which should never have been given to a young girl of noble birth
Consequently the young Catharine Howard had enjoyed illicit relationships with young men
The men that Catherine was associated with were:
Henry Mannox a music teacher to the 15 year old Catherine
Francis Dereham, a gentleman Usher to the Dowager Duchess - they referred to themselves as "husband and wife"
Members of the Dowager Duchess household knew of these relationships. And the Dowager Duchess was informed. The Dowager Duchess was horrified - she was responsible for Catherine's upbringing. Catherine was severely punished - she was whipped
The Dowager Duchess had been frightened by the incidents - the head of the Howard family the Duke of Norfolk had singled out his niece Catherine Howard as a pretty girl who could be useful to the fortunes of the Howard clan
Catherine was sent to the court of Henry VIII as a lady-in waiting and just as the Duke of Norfolk had planned and manipulated the young Catherine caught the eye of the ageing King Henry
King Henry VIII became obsessed with Catherine - it was described as a "pathetic infatuation"
He thought of her as a young, innocent and virginal young woman - his "Rose without a thorn"
Catherine was a kind and sweet natured girl. She was not frightened of the old, bloated king - he spoiled her and she loved the fine clothes and jewels that were showered upon her
King Henry VIII married his "Rose without a thorn" but was hardly a suitable partner for the young and rash Catherine who was only 19 years old
Catherine past started to catch up with her. She was approached by previous members of the household of the Dowager Duchess and felt obliged to give then positions at court
The foolish Catherine then fell in love and started a sexual relationship with Thomas Culpepper. Culpepper was a gentleman of the bedchamber - an honoured position at court - he tended to every intimate requirement of King Henry
The affair soon became known at the court. But King Henry would not hear a word against his Queen Consort, or her secrets
The Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cramner built a case against the young Catholic Queen based on Catherine's previous involvements and her current relationship with Thomas Culpepper ( this included love letters in signed by Catherine to Culpepper)
King Henry VIII was truly devastated. He banned Catherine from his presence and ordered her arrest. She desperately tried to see the King, but was dragged away screaming
She eventually admitted the affair with Culpepper and was found guilty of adultery and treason. Mannox, Dereham and Culpepper were tortured and then executed
Tragic Catharine Howard was executed by beheading at the Tower of London - she was just 21 years old
So ended the marriage of King Henry VIII and his fifth wife
Click Here For more information on Kathryn Howard from elizabethan-era.org (opens in new window)
The information below came from Wikipedia.org
Catherine Howard (c. 1521 – 13 February 1542), also spelled Katherine or Katheryn, was the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England (1540-1542), and sometimes known by his reference to her as his "rose without a thorn".
Catherine's birth date and place of birth are unknown (but occasionally cited as 1521, probably in Wingate, County Durham). She was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard, a younger son of the 2nd Duke of Norfolk. This made her a first cousin of the King's second wife, Anne Boleyn. Catherine married Henry VIII on 28 July 1540, at Oatlands Palace in Surrey, almost immediately after the annulment of his marriage to Anne of Cleves was arranged. However, given Catherine's history and, eventually, her marital conduct known to be unchaste - she was beheaded after less than two years of marriage to Henry on the grounds of treason, meaning adultery committed while married to the King.