Of all of Henry VIII’s wives, Catherine Howard is the one who gets the least sympathy. In fact, history has determined that she got what she deserved for being stupid and promiscuous. But has history given her a raw deal?
Catherine was born around 1523. Her father was an impoverished nobleman. She was the first cousin of Anne Boleyn, but she grew up under very different circumstances. She was shipped off to be raised by her step-grandmother the Duchess of Norfolk. The Duchess had a house full of young ladies. She did not believe in women being educated. Catherine was taught to read and write, but not much else. Not that she wanted to be well-educated. The Duchess did not run a tight ship and the girls would sneak men into their quarters. She stayed with the Duchess from 1531-1536. When she was about 13 years old, Henry Manox was brought in to teach her musical instruments. He was probably in his early 20s. He taught her more than music, but it seems likely their lessons did not go beyond second base. Today, we would describe this sex abuse as Manox used his position to coerce Catherine. He may have been grooming her to use a modern term for his actions.
When she was around 15 years old, Catherine got involved with Francis Dereham, who was the Duchess’ secretary. It seems likely she lost her virginity to him. They may have had what was called a “pre-contract” which meant they were engaged to be married. They called each other “husband” and “wife”. When the Duchess found out, she broke up the “marriage” in 1539 and Dereham headed out to Ireland. It is possible the couple promised to wed when he returned.
In 1539, she became a lady-in-waiting to Queen Anne of Cleves. She had been placed there by her uncle the Duke of Norfolk with the hope that she would take the same path as Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour. Her relatives encouraged the king to take interest and downplayed rumors of her past. It did not take long for her to attract the eye of the king. Before Anne arrived, they flirted. She also flirted with Thomas Culpeper. He was a friend of the kind and a member of the king’s privy chamber. He had the honor of helping the king get dressed every morning. Culpeper had the reputation of a rapist and possible murderer, so he was a charming rogue. Culpeper heard rumors of Catherine’s relationship with Dereham and used it to pressure Catherine to meet secretly with him. He does not seem to have coerced her, instead it was more like taking advantage of her. She did send him gifts and a letter was found where she professed her love for him. And they met secretly, but it was not a secret. The meetings were facilitated by her lady-in-waiting Jane Boleyn (better known as Lady Rochford). There is no solid evidence that they had intercourse, but Culpeper certainly bragged about it. This relationship was prior to her marrying Henry, but continued after her marriage to Henry. During this time, Dereham returned and confronted Catherine and Culpeper. Catherine told Dereham it was over between them, but she appointed him her private secretary, most likely because he blackmailed her.
After Henry got an up-close look at his new wife, he was severely disappointed and began to look elsewhere for sex. Catherine was young and vivacious, just the sort to distract him from his misery. And Catherine was smart enough to overlook his increasing obesity. This was when his flirtatious relationship with Catherine took the next step. On July 28, 1540, they were married. (The same day Thomas Cromwell was beheaded for arranging the Anne of Cleves marriage.) This was after she lied and told him she had not skeletons in her closet. They were married 19 days after his annulment from Anne of Cleves. He was 49 and she might have been as young as 16. She had no concept of how a queen was to behave and was naïve about life in a royal court. There were plenty of back-stabbers.
Gossip was common in a palace, so it did not take long before the rumors were brought to the attention of the clueless monarch. Catherine was despised by her social betters in the court and they were only to happy to rat her out. An investigation was launched. Manox and Catherine admitted to sexual contact, but not intercourse. He claimed he did not go further than “knowing her private parts.” She admitted to the relationship with Dereham, but later she claimed that she had been raped by Dereham and had not had sex with Culpeper. Under torture, Culpeper said he had intended to have sex with the queen and she was of a like mind. Lady Rochford testified that she had helped the couple to meet and from what she heard from the chamber and from other members of the court, the couple had been intimate. There was no way to prove who was telling the truth. But that did not stop Catherine from being accused of treason. She was imprisoned on November 23, 1541. On December 10th Dereham was hung, drawn, and quartered and Culpeper was beheaded (he got preferred treatment because he had been a friend of the king). Their heads were put on display on spikes on London Bridge. Many of Catherine’s relatives were found guilty of treason and imprisoned for life. In 1542, Parliament passed The Royal Assent by Commission Act. It made it treasonous to not disclose your sexual history before you married a king and/or to incite someone to commit adultery. She was found guilty of treason and beheaded on Feb. 13, 1542. The night before, she practiced putting her head on a block. She passed under the heads of Culpeper and Dereham on the way to her execution. Lady Rochford was also beheaded that day. She had gone insane in the prison which prevented her trial. Henry issued an edict that allowed for execution of insane people who were charged with treason.
So, what should history’s verdict be? She should be viewed as a naïve young woman who was in way over her head at the royal court. Not only was she poorly educated, but she had little knowledge of how a lady was supposed to behave at a palace. She was beautiful and did not mind using her body to attract men. Unfortunately, she continued to use her feminine wiles with a king. Had she never been sent to his court, she would have lived an interesting life of bed-hopping until she settled down with her 32nd lover. She did not deserve to be beheaded, but she definitely brought it upon herself. It did not take an education to realize hiding your sexual past from Henry VIII of all people was a bad mistake. Not to mention meeting secretly with the king’s friend.
https://www.history.co.uk/articles/guilty-or-innocent-the-crimes-of-catherine-howard
https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/katherine-howard-vixen-or-victim/
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