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Catherine HowardFifth wife of HENRY VIII, executed
Country:
 Great Britain |
Biography of Catherine Howard
Catherine Howard was the fifth wife of King Henry VIII of England. She was executed on charges of adultery. Most researchers believe that Catherine (Kate) Howard was born around 1521-1523, although there are versions that it could have happened between 1520-1525. The Howards were considered a noble family in the 16th century. The head of the Howard family, Sir Thomas, held the title of Duke of Norfolk and was the chairman of the Royal Privy Council from 1529. Catherine was the daughter of the younger Howard, Sir Edmund, and his wife Lady Jocasta Culpeper, who had five children from her first marriage. Lady Jocasta had five more children from her marriage to Howard.
Sir Edmund was poor as, according to English law, younger sons received almost nothing from the inheritance, so they had to make their own way in life. After the death of her mother, Lady Catherine was sent to be raised by the widowed Duchess Agnes Norfolk, Thomas Howard's stepmother. In the household of the elderly relative, the girl received a rather limited education.
However, Catherine soon realized that her main asset was not intelligence or piety, but her feminine attractiveness. Lady Howard began to attract young men at an early age, and, being free from inner moral constraints, reciprocated their advances. Catherine was not a beauty, but she possessed a strong sexuality. The atmosphere of extreme sexual debauchery among the duchess's ladies-in-waiting also contributed to the development of Catherine's immoral tendencies. The duchess, by the way, looked quite indifferent to these "mischievous" actions. However, she had no idea that her granddaughter had also excelled in the "art of love".
It is known that in her youth, Catherine had at least two close friends - Henry Mannox (her music teacher - he later testified against her) and Francis Dereham. In 1539, Sir Thomas, the Duke of Norfolk, found a place for his niece at court. Relations with Henry's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, did not work out - she was not the pale beauty portrayed by Holbein the Younger. The "Flemish mare" caused the king a feeling somewhere between disgust and pity.
But there were many beautiful girls in her entourage, including Lady Howard. Thomas Norfolk, noticing the king's increased attention to his niece, decided to take advantage of it.
The divorce from Anne brought relief to both sides - the Princess of Cleves also did not have any friendly feelings towards her husband. After the divorce, she remained in London and enjoyed universal respect.
Henry married Catherine Howard in July 1540, and the wedding was unusually modest. After the wedding, Henry seemed to have become 20 years younger - tournaments, balls, and other entertainments, to which Henry had been indifferent since the execution of Anne Boleyn, resumed at court. He adored his young wife - she was incredibly kind, naive, and genuinely loved gifts and was delighted with them like a child. Henry called his wife the "rose without thorns".
However, the young queen was extremely careless in her actions. Catherine brought all her "youthful friends" to court, and they knew too much about the queen's life before her marriage. In addition, Catherine resumed her relationship with Francis Dereham, whom she made her personal secretary.
Then another cavalier from her past appeared at court - Thomas Culpeper (a distant cousin of Catherine on her mother's side, whom she once wanted to marry).
However, the young woman had enemies at court (rather, they were enemies of her influential uncle Norfolk) who quickly seized the opportunity to expose Thomas, Francis, and other participants in the events. In addition to everything else, Catherine was in no hurry to fulfill her main duty - giving birth to sons for England. (Henry had a legitimate heir - Edward, but the boy grew up sickly and weak). When Henry was informed of his wife's infidelity, he was simply at a loss. The king's reaction was quite unexpected: instead of his usual anger, he showed tears and complaints. The essence of his complaints was that fate did not give him a happy family life, and all his women either cheated on him, died, or were simply repulsive.
In early February 1542, Lady Howard was transferred to the Tower, and two days later she was beheaded in front of a curious crowd. The young woman faced death in a state of deep shock - she had to carry herself to the place of execution.
After her execution, Lady Catherine's body was buried next to the grave of Anne Boleyn - another executed queen who was her cousin. Catherine's father and Anne's mother were siblings - the children of the 2nd Duke of Norfolk.
