Catalina Howard

Catherine Howard (1525-1542) was the fifth wife of Henry VIII.

It was the second of 5 daughters of Lord Edmund Howard and Joyce Cultpeper andothers, was a cousin of Anne Boleyn. Catherine's father was constantly in debt and hadmoney problems. His niece, Anna, got him a government job, working for King in Calais.At that time, the young Catherine was sent to live with her grandmother, Agnes Tilney.

Her grandmother ran it a guest house and received numerous visitatnes but constantlyattended the court, so Catherine was soon involved in love affairs of the court.

At age 12 he began an affair with her ​​music teacher, Henry Mannox. The romance ended when Catherine fell in love with a young secretary, Francis Dereham. In late1539, Catherine was employed as a lady in waiting to Queen Anne of Cleves.

As a teenager attractive, soon attracted the attention of the king. Henry annulled his marriage to Anne on July 9, 1540 and married Catherine (who had been his mistress for a few months) on 28 July of that year at Oatlands Palace, Surrey.

Harry, old and fat, filled his young wife jewelry and other gifts extremely expensive. Theking did not know the past of which he considered catalina a young queen and virtuous.

Despite all these riches and Catherine found no satisfaction in her marriage to the king.She loathed the body of her loving husband and sought entertainment anywhere. He began an affair with one of the favorite courtiers of the king, Thomas Culpeper. While hisrelationship with Culpeper progressed, many former guests of the house of hergrandmother, contacted her. Catherine, to get his silence, he hired some of them. Theformer lovers of her, Mannox and Dereham were among them.

In 1541 increased rumors about the conduct of the queen. One of the old companionsrevealed Queen Catherine had with Francis Dereham. At first, the king would notbelieve it until the evidence was too clear to deny.

Catherine was placed under surveillance in her rooms, accompanied by only one of her ladies in waiting. She was questioned by the king's council on numerous occasions.There was talk of divorce and Catherine exile, until the king discovered a love letter shehad written to Culpeper. She was accused of adultery, if a queen, meant high treason.  The widow of her cousin (George Boleyn) Lady Jane Rochford (sister in law of AnneBoleyn) was executed for being sponsor of the relationship of Catherine Howard to Thomas Culpeper. The case of the Queen came to parliament in January.

She was taken to the Tower of London on February 10, 1542. The night before herexecution, Catherine spent hours practicing how to put her head on the scaffold. She was beheaded three days later. She came to the scaffold with dignity, although she lookedpale and terrified. Before dying, she apologized to her family and prayed for the salvation of her soul. Her death was quick. The queen was buried in the Chapel of St. Peter-ad-Vincula, along with her ​​cousin, Queen Anne Boleyn. 

The queen was imprisoned in the abbey of Middlesex in the winter of 1541. Culpeperand Dereham were executed in December 1541.