Catherine Howard: biography, history and interesting facts

The mention of the fifth of the six wives of King Henry VIII of England , Queen Catherine Howard, can often be found in the literature under the nickname "rza without thorns." It is said that her thus was called a crowned husband. Henry married her immediately after his marriage with his fifth wife, Anna Cleves, was annulled. And two years after the wedding, Catherine Howard - the wife of the King of England - was beheaded at the behest of her husband. She was accused of adultery and treason.

Biography

The exact date of birth of Kate Howard in history has not been preserved, but historians claim that this could happen between 1521-1527. The birthplace is also inaccurate, it is assumed that this is the county of Durham. Catherine came from a noble family. The head of her family was Sir Thomas - the Duke of Norfolk, who from 1529 was chairman of the Privy Council in the Kingdom. Howard Catherine, whose biography is described in this article, was the daughter of Sir Edmund - the youngest of five brothers. The mother of Kate was Lady Jocasta Joy Kelpeper. Before marrying Edmund, she was already married, in which she had five children. Kate almost does not remember her, since she died soon after her birth. Historians argue that the sixth wife of Henry the Eighth Tudor was in kinship ties with his second wife. Did Katherine Howard have an affinity with Anna Boleyn, and to what extent? It turns out they were cousins. Anna's mother, Elizabeth, was her aunt. Catherine's father, being a junior member of a noble and rich family, according to the English tradition, had no rights to inheritance and was almost poor. Therefore, he often had to go to noble relatives and ask for patronage. It was Anna Boleyn during his reign that gave him an excellent government position on the coast, in Calle.

In the house of my grandmother

As already noted, Catherine Howard lost her mother in infancy. Then Edmund married again and went to Calle with his new wife, and Kate was sent to the house of Agnes Tilney in Lambert when she was a teenager. The Dowager Duchess Norfolk was not her own grandmother, but her mother's stepmother. Powerful, wise woman, experienced confidently managed a huge feudal estate. In the house she had many servants, and even more - poor relatives, whom she loved to patronize. Generally in England of that era, it was customary to send children from noble families to education in other aristocratic houses. It is clear that this tradition led to the fact that boys and girls received very superficial education. So in the case of Kate. No one seriously engaged in her education or upbringing. She could not read and write, did not shine with good manners, because she spent all her time among servants. Besides, she was very naive and trusting, and did not understand much in life.

Hobbies

Howard Catherine led a pretty free life in her grandmother's house and was seriously taken by the teacher who lived with her under one roof and dealing with her music - Henry Manox. About 5 years, somewhere from her 11-year-old age, between them was a love affair. Their relationship did not stop even after Kate became queen. She invited him to the palace and appointed him as a court musician. At the same time, it was he who, in the "gratitude" for her care, gave testimony against her in court before the execution. In the house of grandmother Catherine Howard also sought Francis Draham - the secretary of Lady Norfolk. The girl, accustomed to courtship, took them for granted. He and she behaved like a husband and wife. Francis trusted little Kate so much that he gave her her money for safekeeping. In the house everyone knew about their relationship: both the maid of honor of the Dowager Duchess, and servants, and neighbors. Grandmother did not know, and when she found out, she sent her secretary to Ireland. However, Catherine was waiting for his return and dreamed of a wedding with him. At that time, she could not even imagine that she would ever wear the crown of England, and her name would be written in heraldic tables - Queen Howard Catherine. The history of her short life is interesting and full of events.

Vicious inclinations

Kate did not have a beautiful appearance, and she also did not shine with her mind, but very soon noticed that she could impress young men. In a word, Catherine possessed what is today called pronounced sexuality. The absence of any moral principles and prohibitions, which girls are usually inspired by mothers or other relatives, and even about which the church teaches, allowed Catherine to lead a rackety life. She liked to have fun, and she was totally devoted to those men in whom she caused passion. Development of the girl's evil inclinations was also provoked by the prevailing situation in the house of the duchess of extreme debauchery. Lady Norfolk's maid of honor led a wild life, and for young Kate this was considered more of a norm than an exception. Duchess Agnes, who knew about the "pranks" of her servants, did not even suspect that her granddaughter also did not hesitate to enter into a relationship with the servant. After all, her music teacher and secretary were considered second-class people. When the girl was 15 years old, the head of the family, Lord Thomas Norfolk, found a place for Queen Anne's maid of honor for her niece . And then Catherine Howard went to the royal palace.

The true purpose with which Kate was sent to the royal court

Before sending to London, the girl was taken to Uncle Thomas for detailed instructions. According to the plan of the Earl of Norfolk, she had to first draw the attention of 50-year-old Henry, and then seduce him. The ultimate goal, of course, was the royal crown. Sir Thomas had heard rumors that his niece had such a strong charm that he could turn any man's head in a few seconds. In addition, he knew that the king with the current Queen, Anna Cleves, does not bind anything, the fodder of political interests, and the chances of his niece to be on the throne next to the sick, but very lascivious king increased several times. The Earl of Norfolk was bored by the time when his other niece, Anna Boleyn, possessed royal power, he immediately bet on Kate. He believed that her marriage with the king would help England regain true faith.

Courtship

Young, tender and at first sight completely inexperienced Catherine Howard immediately liked the king. She knew perfectly well what to do for this, and innate sexuality helped her in the implementation of her plans. After Henry was carried away by it, the authority of the families Howard and Norfolk increased several times, which was very glad to her uncle. During the period of the hobby, in order to propitiate the young beloved, the king began to give her relatives of the land and titles. Henry had already crossed his fiftieth birthday by that time. He had a bad leg, the ulcer on his thigh was constantly pus, he spent a lot of time in a supine position and because of this he was very fat. But, despite this, he retained his charm and ability to please women. He knew how to attract young Kate, whom he called "a rose without thorns." Heinrich poured it with pearl necklaces, diamond pendants, gold and silver. And the young woman responded favorably to him and allowed herself to take care of herself.

Marriage

Henry, despite the fact that he was married to Anna Cleves, decided to legitimize his marriage to the young lady Catherine of the noble family Howard. Besides, there were rumors about her pregnancy at the court. And then he decided to cancel his marriage with the reigning queen. Anna did not mind, and everything was accomplished in the shortest possible time. After this, the king hastily organized a wedding with the young Kate. The wedding took place at the end of July 1540 in Oslandes - a palace that in its splendor was not inferior to Hampton Court. However, the ceremony was rather modest. After all, the king married not for the first, but for the sixth time. The Duke of Norfolk rejoiced, for his plan had come true. Kate, too, was happy, but she did not even suspect that she had prepared fate for her. However, Henry most of the time was more pleased with this event. He wanted to believe that he had finally found the woman of his dreams: beautiful (in his eyes), submissive (she seemed to him just like that) and virtuous (how wrong he was!). For a time they lived far from the yard and reveled in the presence of each other.

Life in the Palace

Catherine managed to establish relations with the ex-wife of the king, Anna Cleves, who after the divorce received great relief. And the fifth wife of Henry was now called at court "beloved sister of the king." Christmas and New Year "young" spouses celebrated in the company of the former wife and had a lot of fun. The king had three children: Prince Edward and Princess Elizabeth and Maria. Maria was older than Catherine for 9 years and hated her young stepmother, and the youngest daughter of Henry was able to become attached to her and was very upset when the latter was subsequently executed.

Intrigues

Despite the fact that the young queen was well versed in love affairs, she was inexperienced when it came to palace intrigues, besides she had a kind heart and could not pass by injustice. Catherine helped those who were in disgrace with her crowned wife. However, this did not irritate him, but on the contrary, he was glad that he had got such a beautiful wife, possessing many virtues. He could not rejoice at her, and this evoked the envy of the courtiers.

Disappointment

Young Catherine, although she chose for herself as a motto to do everything possible for the happiness of the king, nevertheless was burdened by his excessive attention. By the way, the rumors of her pre-marital pregnancy were false, and after marriage she stopped thinking about the birth of a child.

New connection

A year after the wedding, she drew attention to one of the approximate king. Catherine Howard and Thomas Culpepper began to meet secretly, while the king dreamed of when his wife would become pregnant. It was on this that depended on whether she would be crowned as Queen of England. In the same period, she brought former lovers to her place - Henry Manox, appointing him a musician to a palace troupe, and also Francis Draham as a personal secretary. If not for this, then perhaps her head would have remained on her shoulders. However, she was young and made one thoughtless step after another.

Clouds gathering

Rumors spread throughout the palace about the connections of the frivolous queen, and they reached Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, who had long been looking for an excuse to remove this Catholic from the king. Collecting evidence against Katherine, he told the king everything. Of course, at first he did not want to believe in the betrayal of his wife, but decided to conduct a secret investigation. All the suspects were taken into custody, and they were forced to give evidence. Derenham said that he was not only associated with the queen, but he also intended to marry her as soon as Henry died. And this according to the laws of England was considered treason. After that, he did not want to see his Kate and hit the prayers. He moved away from everyone and did not want to be seen in such a broken state. He also was afraid to see her, for he knew that he would not hold on and forgive.

Catherine Howard: Execution

The sixth marriage of Henry lasted about 2 years. The court handed down his sentence to his beloved wife Kate: the death penalty. The scaffold was again installed on Tower Green. As on the day of the execution of Anna Boleyn, he was covered in black velvet. The young queen held herself worthy, and her last words, according to eyewitnesses, were: "I'm dying Henry's wife, although I dreamed of being the wife of Culpepper." Then she urged the people to pray for the king, saying, then agrees with his fair decision. After the execution, she was buried in a cemetery next to the church of St. Peter, in an unmarked grave. There was also the faceless grave of her cousin Anna Boleyn.

Interesting to know

Surely everyone knows the actress Catherine Hepburn. So: if she were to marry Howard Hughes - the American billionaire who had the warmest feelings for her and as a result of this marriage would have taken his name, she would become the full namesake of Henry's sixth wife, the eighth - the King of England. However, this marriage was not destined to happen. Catherine greatly appreciated her independence and did not run after thick wallets. Catherine Hepburn and Howard Hughes met for a while, then broke up.