King Henry’s fifth wife is young, flirtatious,…
February 1542 CE
King Henry’s fifth wife is young, flirtatious, and woefully indiscreet.
Catherine’s royal husband of fourteen months had learned in November 1541 of the premarital affairs that Catherine had conducted with Henry Mannock, a music teacher; Francis Dereham, who is her cousin; and the courtier Thomas Culpepper, to whom she had been engaged, and with whom she probably—although this remains unproved—has committed adultery.
At first incredulous, then incensed, Henry has Parliament on February 11, 1542, pass a bill of attainder declaring it treason for an unchaste woman to marry the king.
Catherine, swiftly tried and found guilty, is on February 13 beheaded in the Tower of London.
Images
Hans Holbein the Younger. Portrait believed to be Catherine Howard but this has never been authenticated. As of now, no true portrait of her is known to exist.
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North Europe
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