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." They say that her crowned husband called her this way. Heinrich married her immediately after his marriage to his fifth wife, Anna of Cleves, was annulled. And two years after the wedding, Catherine Howard - the wife of the King of England - was beheaded by order of her own husband. She was accused of adultery and treason.
Biography
The exact date of birth of Kate Howard has not been preserved in history, but historians say that this could happen between 1521-1527. The place of birth is also inaccurate, it is assumed that this is County Durham. Katherine came from a noble family. The head of her family was Sir Thomas, Duke of Norfolk, who from 1529 was chairman of the Privy Council inKingdom. Howard Catherine, whose biography is described in this article, was the daughter of Sir Edmund, the youngest of 5 brothers. Kate's mother was Lady Jocasta Joy Kelpeper. Before marrying Edmund, she was already married, in which she had five children. Kate barely remembers her, as she died shortly after she was born. Historians claim that the sixth wife of Henry the Eighth Tudor was related to his second wife. Was Catherine Howard related to Anne Boleyn, and to what extent? Turns out they were cousins. Anna's mother, Elizabeth, was her aunt. Catherine's father, being the youngest member of a noble and we althy family, according to English tradition, had no rights to the inheritance and was almost poor. Therefore, he often had to turn to noble relatives and ask for patronage. It was Anne Boleyn who, during her reign, gave him an excellent government position on the coast, in Calle.
At grandma's house
As already noted, Katherine Howard lost her mother in infancy. Then Edmund married again and went to Calle with his new wife, and Kate was sent to be raised in Agnes Tilney's house in Lambert as a teenager. The Dowager Duchess of Norfolk was not her natural grandmother, but was her father's stepmother. An imperious, wise woman confidently managed a huge feudal estate. In the house she had many servants, and even more - poor relatives, whom she loved to patronize. In fact, in England of that era, it was customary to send children from noble families to be raised in foreignaristocratic houses. It is clear that this tradition led to the fact that boys and girls received a very superficial education. So it is with Kate. No one was seriously engaged in either her education or upbringing. She did not know how to read and write, did not shine with good manners, because she spent all her time among the servants. In addition, she was very naive and gullible, and understood little in life.
Hobbies
Howard Catherine led a rather free life in her grandmother's house and became seriously interested in her teacher, Henry Manox, who lived under the same roof and studied music with her. About 5 years, somewhere from her 11 years of age, there was a love affair between them. Their relationship did not stop even after Kate became queen. She called him to the palace and appointed him to the post of court musician. At the same time, it was he who, in “gratitude” for her guardianship, testified against her in court before her execution. Francis Draham, Lady Norfolk's secretary, also molested at her grandmother Catherine's house. The girl, accustomed to courtship, took them for granted. He and she behaved like husband and wife. Francis trusted little Kate so much that he gave her his money for safekeeping. Everyone in the house knew about their relationship: the ladies-in-waiting of the Dowager Duchess, the servants, and the neighbors. Grandmother was not in the know, and when she found out, she sent her secretary to Ireland. However, Katherine was waiting for his return and dreamed of a wedding with him. At that time, she could not even imagine that she would someday wear the crown of England, and her name would be recorded inheraldic tables - Queen Howard Catherine. The story of her short life is interesting and full of events.
Vicious tendencies
Kate did not have a beautiful appearance, and she did not shine with her mind either, but she soon noticed that she could impress young men. In a word, Katherine had what is today called a pronounced sexuality. The absence of any moral principles and prohibitions, which mothers or other relatives usually inspire girls, and which the church teaches about, allowed Katherine to lead a wild life. She liked to have fun, and she gave herself entirely to those men in whom she aroused passion. The development of vicious inclinations in the girl was also provoked by the situation of extreme promiscuity reigning in the duchess's house. Lady Norfolk's ladies-in-waiting led a wild life, and for young Kate, this became the norm rather than the 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 servants. After all, for her, a music teacher and a 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 his niece as a lady-in-waiting to Queen Anne. And so Katherine Howard went to the royal palace.
The true purpose for which Kate was sent to the royal court
Before being sent to London, the girl was taken to Uncle Thomas for detailedinstructions. According to the plan of the Earl of Norfolk, she was to first attract the attention of the 50-year-old Henry, and then seduce him. The ultimate goal, of course, was the royal crown. Sir Thomas has heard rumors that his niece has such a strong charm that she can turn any man's head in a few seconds. In addition, he knew that the king had nothing to do with the current queen, Anna of Cleves, stern of political interests, and the chances of his niece being on the throne next to the sick, but very lustful king increased several times. The Earl of Norfolk missed the days when his other niece, Anne Boleyn, had royal power, but now he was betting on Kate. He believed that her marriage to the king would help England regain the true faith.
Courting
Young, tender and at first glance completely inexperienced Catherine Howard immediately liked the king. She knew perfectly well what had to be done for this, and her innate sexuality helped her in the implementation of her plan. After Henry became interested in her, the authority of the Howard and Norfolk families increased several times, which was very pleased with her uncle. During the period of infatuation, in order to appease the young beloved, the king began to give her relatives lands and titles. Henry by that time had already stepped over his fiftieth birthday. He had a sore leg, an ulcer on his thigh was constantly oozing with pus, he spent a lot of time in a lying position and because of this he became very stout. But, despite this, he retained his charm and ability to please women. He knew,than to attract young Kate, whom he called "a rose without thorns." Heinrich showered her with pearl necklaces, diamond pendants, gold and silver. And the young woman responded favorably to him and allowed him to take care of her.
Marriage
Henry, despite the fact that he was married to Anna of Cleves, decided to legalize his marriage to the young lady Catherine from the noble Howard family. In addition, there were rumors at court about her pregnancy. And then he decided to annul his marriage to the reigning queen. Anna was not opposed, and everything was done in the shortest possible time. After that, the king hastily organized a wedding with young Kate. The wedding took place at the end of July 1540 in Oslands - a palace that was not inferior in its splendor 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 that his plan had come true. Kate was also happy, but she did not even suspect what fate had in store for her. However, the elderly Heinrich rejoiced most of all at 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 away from the court and reveled in each other's presence.
Life in the Palace
Catherine managed to improve relations with the ex-wife of the king, Anna of Cleves, who after the divorce received great relief. Moreover, Henry's fifth wife was now called at court "the king's beloved sister."The “young” spouses celebrated Christmas and New Year in the company of their ex-wife and had a lot of fun. The king had three children: Prince Edward and Princesses Elizabeth and Mary. Maria was 9 years older than Katherine and hated her young stepmother, and the youngest daughter of Heinrich was able to become attached to her and was very worried when she was subsequently executed.
Intrigue
Despite the fact that the young queen was well versed in love matters, she was inexperienced when it came to palace intrigues, moreover, she had a kind heart and could not ignore injustice. Katherine helped those who were in disgrace with her crowned husband. However, this did not annoy him, but on the contrary, he was glad that he got such a beautiful wife with many virtues. He could not get enough of her, and this caused the envy of the courtiers.
Disappointment
Young Catherine, although she chose to do everything possible for the happiness of the king as her motto, was nonetheless burdened by his excessive attention. By the way, the rumors about her premarital pregnancy were false, and after marriage, she stopped thinking about having a baby.
New connection
A year after the wedding, she noticed one of the king's close associates. Katherine Howard and Thomas Culpepper began to secretly meet, while the king dreamed when his little wife would become pregnant. It was on this that it depended whether she would be crowned as Queen of England. In the same period, she brought her former lovers close to her - Henry Manox, appointinghis musician in the palace troupe, as well as Francis Dreham as a personal secretary. If not for this, then perhaps her head would have remained on her shoulders. However, she was young and took one rash step after another.
The clouds are gathering
Rumors about the connections of the frivolous queen spread throughout the palace, and they reached Archbishop Thomas Cranmer, who had long been looking for an excuse to remove this Catholic from the king. Having collected evidence against Catherine, he told the king about everything. Of course, at first he did not want to believe in his wife's betrayal, but decided to conduct a secret investigation. All suspects were taken into custody and forced to testify. Derenham said that not only was he involved with the queen, but he was going to marry her as soon as Henry died. And this, according to the laws of England, was considered high treason. After that, he did not want to see his Kate and hit the prayers. He distanced himself from everyone and did not want to be seen in such a broken state. He was also afraid to see her because he knew he couldn't help but forgive.
Katherine Howard: execution
Henry's sixth marriage lasted about 2 years. The court sentenced his beloved wife Kate to death. The scaffold was re-erected on Tower Green. As on the day of Anne Boleyn's execution, it was covered in black velvet. The young queen behaved with dignity, and her last words, according to eyewitnesses, were: "I am dying as Henry's wife, although I dreamed of being Culpepper's wife." She then called on the people to pray for the king, saying that she agreed with his just decision. After the executionshe was buried in the cemetery next to St. Peter's, in an unmarked grave. There was also the same featureless grave of her cousin Anne Boleyn.
Interesting to know
Surely everyone knows the actress Katharine Hepburn. So: if she had married Howard Hughes, an American billionaire who had the warmest feelings for her and, as a result of this marriage, would have taken his last name, she would have become the full namesake of the sixth wife of Henry the Eighth, King of England. However, this marriage was not destined to happen. Katherine valued her independence very much and did not run after fat wallets. Katharine Hepburn and Howard Hughes dated for a while before breaking up.
