They quickly became firm friends, and gossip had it that they were to be married. How did she die, and does her ghost really haunt Hampton Court Palace? You can unsubscribe at any time. Katherine Howard Catherine would not face trial, but instead would be condemned to death by an Act of Attainder, signed by her own husbands hand. Her obituary did not mention a cause of death. People who claimed to have witnessed her earlier sexual behaviour while she lived at Lambeth reportedly contacted her for favours in return for their silence, and some of these blackmailers may have been appointed to her royal household. An alliance with Cleves would provide a major boost to the Reformation in England, and it was for this reason that Henrys chief minister, Thomas Cromwell, championed it so enthusiastically., After the collapse of the relationship, Henry was adamant he would choose his next bride for himself. While they were away a courtier, John Lascelles, took the opportunity of some free time to visit his sister Mary. [38] She died with relative composure but looked pale and terrified; she required assistance to climb the scaffold. I pray for his preservation and beseech you all to do the same. [11], Mannox and Catherine both confessed during her adultery inquisitions as the wife of King Henry that they had engaged in sexual contact, but not actual coitus. If indeed they exchanged vows before having sexual intercourse, they would have been considered married in the eyes of the Church.[12]. She is commemorated on a plaque on the west wall dedicated to all those who died in the Tower.[43][44]. "[48] Debate continues about the identity of the sitter(s) for potential portraits. In February 1542, Parliament passed a bill of attainder declaring it treason for an unchaste woman to marry the king, and she was imprisoned and killed soon after. Cranmer immediately took up the case to topple his rivals, the Roman Catholic Norfolk family. Therefore, Catherine Howard was the first cousin of Anne Boleyn, and the first cousin once removed of Lady Elizabeth (later Queen Elizabeth I), Anne's daughter by Henry VIII. WebCatherine Howard Date of Birth c. 1523 Nationality English Date of Death February 13, 1542 (19 years old) Cause of Death Beheading Musical Portrayed by Koko Basigara (West End) Zoe Jensen (Broadway) Theme color Pink Solo All You Wanna Do Katherine Howard (or Catherine Howard) was the fifth wife of Henry VIII and one of the six queens in SIX. "[69] The painting was in the possession of the Cromwell family for centuries. Catherine had a longer, sexual relationship with a young noble, Francis Dereham, who was a secretary in her grandmothers household, between 1537 and 1539. [36] Arrangements for the execution were supervised by Sir John Gage in his role as Constable of the Tower. Mannock, meanwhile, was released. She told how she had watched for Catherine backstairs as Culpeper had made his escapes from the Queen's room. Her father's sister, Elizabeth Howard, was the mother of Anne Boleyn. Updates? Queen Catherine Parr died of complications from childbirth. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). Establishing the existence of a precontract between Catherine and Dereham would have had the effect of terminating Catherine's marriage to Henry, but it would also have allowed Henry to annul their marriage and banish her from court to live in poverty and disgrace instead of executing her, although there is no indication that Henry would have chosen that alternative. Catholic Bishop Stephen Gardiner entertained the couple at Winchester Palace with "feastings". WebOn 21 January 1542, Katherine Howard was condemned to death on charges of treason. The community came together to offer their condolences and support for her family during this difficult time. Death [24], During the investigation a love letter written in the Queen's distinctive handwriting was found in Culpeper's chambers. According to historian Anna Whitelock, relations between the two were initially fraught. Catherine Howard, the fifth wife and queen of Henry VIII, was dead. Henry adored Catherine, who restored to him the youth and vitality he thought hed lost. There was a time in the summer of 1546 when Katherine came within a On the evening of Sunday 12 February 1542, Catherine Howard, queen of England, was told to prepare her soul, for she was to be put to death the following morning. Historical novelist Philippa Catherine, too, had said that Lady Rochford would many times, being ever by, sit somewhat far off or turn her back and she [Catherine] would say to her: For Gods sake madam even near us.. Catherine steadfastly denied any precontract, maintaining that Dereham had raped her. King Henry did not attend. He accused Anne of adultery, and she was convicted and beheaded on May 19, 1536; that she had not She was too young to take part in administrative matters of State. Kids And Family. The former lovers found themselves accused of malicious intent under the 1534 Treason Act, under which anyone could be judged a traitor, says Josephine Wilkinson. Catherine and her friends were allowed to entertain male admirers in their large shared dormitory Catherine herself was young, merry and vivacious and was not scholarly or devout. She was reluctant to marry himhe had had his second and fifth wives executedbut saying no to a proposal from the king could have had serious consequences. Catherine was the third of Henry VIII's wives to have been a member of the English nobility or gentry; Catherine of Aragon[3] and Anne of Cleves[4] were royalty from continental Europe. "[54] Moyle was "struck by the sitter's uncanny likeness" to Holbein's 1539 miniature of Anne, now in the Victoria & Albert Museum. The Dowager Duchess was often at Court and seems to have had little direct involvement in the upbringing of her wards and young female attendants. The words the chronicler attributes to the queen, then, have to be viewed with great skepticism. He was therefore related by marriage to the king, "an event worth recording for posterity, by a portrait of his [Cromwell's] daughter-in-law. Each is more or less sympathetic, though they disagree on various important points involving Catherine's motivations, date of birth and overall character. Next of kin and family origins. While he could have annulled their marriage on the grounds that Catherine had really been Derehams wife he chose not to. Catherine died at Kimbolton Castle, as a princess not a queen, on January 7, 1536. The young and reportedly beautiful Catherine Howard was maid of honour to Henrys new queen, Anne of Cleves. However, it is unclear whether an autopsy was performed in Cats case or if her family opted not to share the details with the public. With little to sustain the family, her father often had to beg for the help of his more affluent relatives. Biography of Mary Boleyn, the Boleyn Survivor - ThoughtCo The queen later gave Mary a gold pomander bejewelled with rubies and pearls as a gift. 1. Writing in The Telegraph, Worsley highlighted the queasy fact that the girl at the centre of [this] was quite possibly still in her early teens., She added: Its all very well to describe [Catherines] easy charm and her abundant store of good nature, but it is questionable to do so about a girl who, from the age of 11 or 12 onwards, had older men coming into her bedroom. How did she meet Henry VIII, and is she related to Anne Boleyn? Dereham was hung, drawn and quartered, while Culpeper was beheaded. 1. Henry VIII | Biography, Wives, Religion, Death, & Facts | Britannica Chapuys says of Lady Rochfords execution:-, Then Lady Rochford was brought, who had shown symptoms of madness till they told her she must die. Catherine Howard | Biography & Facts | Britannica While living with the duchess [of Norfolk], Catherine was sexually exploited by two men of the household, she said. According to popular folklore her last words were, "I die a Queen, but I would rather have died the wife of Culpeper", but no eyewitness accounts support this, instead reporting that she stuck to traditional final words, asking for forgiveness for her sins and acknowledging that she deserved to die "a thousand deaths" for betraying the king, who had always treated her so graciously. WebThe real cause of death of Catherine Howard The obvious answer to the question, what killed Catherine Howard is that she lost her head in a meeting with the executioners axe. Lucy Worsley also takes a kinder, modern view of the accusations against Catherine and their relation to the men who took advantage of her in her youth. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Save 70% on the shop price when you subscribe today - Get 13 issues for just $49.99 + FREE access to HistoryExtra.com, Enjoying HistoryExtra.com? The young Catherine had few prospects, says historian Josephine Wilkinson. [16] As a young and attractive lady-in-waiting, Catherine quickly caught Henry's eye. It is thought that when the court returned from progress, Cranmer left the letter in Henrys pew in the Chapel Royal for him to find. Who Were the Six Wives of Henry VIII? - History In her book Elizabeth's Women, profiling the rise of Queen Elizabeth I (Catherine's stepdaughter), Tracy Borman wrote that Catherine was "as much a sexual predator as [Francis] Dereham" and blamed Catherine almost entirely for her own fate. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). As a child, she enjoyed playing softball and basketball at the beach. In her BBC miniseries Six Wives she states that today, instead of the "good-time girl" some historians accuse her of having been, we would call her an "abused child."[45]. He accused Anne of adultery, and she was convicted and beheaded on May 19, 1536; that she had not given birth to a male heir was, however, Henrys primary motive for having her executed. [64], Historians Antonia Fraser and Derek Wilson believe that the portrait is likely to depict Elizabeth Seymour. She was executed at the Tower of London on 13 February 1542. Her maternal grandfather and step-grandmother, Parks and Ann Chewning, and maternal grandmother, Marlene Chewning, preceded her in death. Files Welcome Pack of 5 goodies. WebCatherine Howard Death. No reports of foul play or accidents that might have led to her passing. Shortly afterwards Culpeper and Dereham were tried and, their guilt being predicated on the presumption of Catherines, they were condemned to death for treason. The reason for her death hasnt The union between Henry and Catherine ended in tragedy when Henry discovered Catherines sexual past and she was charged with treason. [22], Culpeper called Catherine "my little, sweet fool" in a love letter. [42] Other cousins were also in the crowd, including the Earl of Surrey. In the Duchess's household at Horsham, in around 1536, Catherine began music lessons with two teachers, one of whom was Henry Mannox, and they began a relationship. But she also asserted that Catherine and Culpeper had talked so secretly that she heard not their conversations and that she was never the privier about what went on between them. However, the obituary noted that her death was sudden and unexpected, indicating that it was not the result of a prolonged illness. When Catherine Howard was arrested at Hampton Court Palace in November 1541, it is thought she broke free from her guards and ran, screaming, down the corridor to the private Chapel Royal, where Henry was believed to be at Mass. This was typical of the speeches given by people executed during that period, most likely in an effort to protect their families, since the condemned's last words would be relayed to the King. Baldwin Smith described Catherine's life as one of hedonism and characterized her as a "juvenile delinquent", as did Francis Hackett in his 1929 biography of Henry. The most popular theory, first put forward in 2004 by Retha M. Warnicke, was that the relationship between them was abusive, with Mannox grooming and preying on Catherine in 153638, and this is expanded upon in detail by Conor Byrne. It is thought that Catherines maid Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, (who had previously testified against her husband, George Boleyn, and her sister-in-law, Anne Boleyn) helped Catherine to meet Culpeper in secret while the king was away from court. Henry was quickly displeased with Anne but was thoroughly smitten with Catherine. Catherine Marie Howard Obituary And Death Cause The passing of Catherine Cat Marie Howard on September 25, 2020, shocked her family and friends. Regardless of the cause of Cats death, her loved ones were left with a deep sense of loss. Katherine Howard She was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard and Joyce Culpeper, a cousin to Anne Boleyn (the second wife of Henry VIII), and the niece of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk. But the jealous Mannock informed the Dowager Duchess, who quickly put an end to the relationship. In conclusion, the sudden and unexpected death of Catherine Cat Marie Howard on September 25, 2020, left her family and friends in shock and mourning. The obituary for Cat appeared in local newspapers but did not disclose the cause of death, leaving many questions unanswered. On the evening of Sunday 12 February 1542, Catherine Howard, queen of England, was told to prepare her soul, for she was to be put to death the following morning. Even the staunch Cranmer found the teenaged Catherine's frantic, incoherent state pitiable, saying, "I found her in such lamentation and heaviness as I never saw no creature, so that it would have pitied any man's heart to have looked upon her. On the evening of Sunday 12 February 1542, Catherine Howard, queen of England, was told to prepare her soul, for she was to be put to death the following Katharine Basset Catherine was cousin to Anne Boleyn, Henrys second wife, and second cousin to his third wife, Jane Seymour. Of his six wives, Henry VIII had two killed: Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. The King would be at Hampton Court, but she would not see him again. Catherines parents Lord Edmund Howard and Joyce Culpeper were part of the extended family of the Duke of Norfolk. Despite these actions, her marriage to Henry was never formally annulled. Catherine passed away on February 13, 1542 at the age of 19 in Tower of London, London, England. WebCatherine Howards Early Life. Historical novelist Susan Higginbotham explains: "The story that Katherine Howard said the words above comes from the anonymous Chronicle of King Henry VIII, better known to us as the Spanish Chronicle, which was translated from Spanish and edited by Martin Hume. Catherine Marie Howard Obituary And Death Cause: How Did She While it isnt possible to pinpoint Catherines exact age, the wills of two of her relatives place her year of birth between 1523 and 1527, suggesting that she was significantly younger than 21. When the Lords of the Council came for her, she allegedly panicked and screamed as they manhandled her into the barge that would escort her to the Tower on Friday 10 February 1542, her flotilla passing under London Bridge where the heads of Culpeper and Dereham were impaled (and where they remained until 1546). In the end, it did not matter the queens fate was already sealed. It was thought Catherine had intended to commit adultery with Francis Dereham and Thomas Culpeper so while she was innocent of any actual crime, the terms of the 1534 Treasons Act allowed Henry to condemn her for presumptive treason.. What was Anne Boleyn really like. Lady Rochford was interrogated and as she feared that she would be tortured, she agreed to talk. They allegedly became lovers, addressing each other as "husband" and "wife". Thomas Culpeper - Wikipedia 28 July 1540, Why was she executed? [33] The Royal Assent by Commission Act 1541 made it treason, and punishable by death, for a queen consort to fail to disclose her sexual history to the king within 20