Romancing the Renaissance:
the Feminization of Early Modern Culture in Twentieth Century Mass Media

English 339

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Katherine Howard
First Entry:

 Biography:

Kathryn Howard was born around 1525. She was the daughter of Lord Edmond Howard, niece of the Duke of Norfolk and a first cousin of Anne Boleyn. In 1539, her family was delighted when she was chosen as a lady-in-waiting for the new Queen Anne of Cleves. Kathryn was 15 when she came to the court and King Henry VIII was 49. Henry saw in Kathryn all the qualities that he wanted in a wife: beauty, charm, a pleasing disposition, obedience, and Henry thought, virtue. Henry was not exactly happy with his fourth wife Anne of Cleves and it is thought that he was already attracted to Kathryn before Anne even arrived. This might have something to do with his revulsion towards Anne and his desire to somehow weasel his way out of his marriage to her. He didn't hide his feelings for Kathryn; he told members of his court that she was his "jewel," his "rose without a thorn." Kathryn appeared in public in gowns made of rich fabric and lavished with jewels, all gifts from her suitor, the King. Henry was completely enamoured with Kathryn; the only problem was his current marriage. Henry was not a man that let marriage run his life though; he had gotten himself out of three prior marriages and was about to do the same with Anne of Cleves. In July Parliament discovered that there were "reservations" about Henry's marriage to Anne and both parties agreed to dissolve the union. Anne didn't seem to mind and she was actually quite friendly to Kathryn. Maybe she saw Kathryn as her way out of a marriage that she didn't want any part of. On July 28, 1940, sixteen days after he was free of Anne of Cleves; Henry took Kathryn Howard as his fifth wife. They were wed in a private ceremony and the marriage was kept a secret for ten days afterwards because Henry wanted to be completely alone with his new bride before surrounding her with all the business of courtly life which is far from private.

Kathryn loved her new life with her doting husband that bestowed on her diamonds and pearl and furs set with rubies. He had hardly been so lavish with his previous wives and Kathryn enjoyed every moment of it. Her greed earned her the disapproval of many at court, which in turn caused her to gain enemies. She didn't seem to mind, or else didn't notice, the King's oozing skin which he hid beneath his royal robes. For he was apparently very physically affectionate towards her, "The King is so amorous of her that he cannot treat her well enough, and caresses her more than he did the others…He knows not how to make sufficient demonstrations of his affection for her" observed an acquaintance of the King's.

On July 30 1941, King Henry went to London with his Queen and many courtiers. It is during this time that Kathryn's past came to light. A Protestant named John Lascelles told Archbishop Cranmer that he knew about things that the Queen had done in the past that would surely condemn her. The Archbishop was a secret Protestant and eager to find anything that would discredit Kathryn's supporters, the Catholics. Lascelles told Cranmer about Kathryn's upbringing at the duchess of Norfolk's house and how Kathryn had become such a "tainted" woman. Kathryn's life at the duchess' home was much like that of a dormitory and the girls were obsessed with their "budding sexuality." The Norfolk's neighbor, John Manox, was hired to teach Kathryn music but he ended up teaching her more than just how to play the lute. Manox soon became infatuated with Kathryn and the two began seeing each other outside of the music classes. She basically used him to explore her new- found sexuality but she would not permit him to have intercourse with her. He didn't desire to marry her or anything of the like, his interest in her was purely sexual. When Kathryn learned of his frank description of their relationship, she cut things off between them. This opened a new door for her next lover to enter, Francis Dereham. He came to the dormitory just as Manox had and Dereham soon found Kathryn. What Kathryn had not permitted Manox to do, she willingly let Dereham. Dereham, unlike Manox, did want to marry Kathryn but she had no intentions. Their relationship lasted over a year, but then she was called to court to become a lady-in-waiting.

In August of 1941, Kathryn came face to face with her past when Dereham showed up with a recommendation from the duchess saying that she was sure that Kathryn would be glad to have him in her court. She had no choice but to give him employment, he knew too much about her and she was afraid that he would use her past to ruin her. She appointed him her private secretary. While there is no proof that any relations continued once Dereham came to court, Kathryn's sexual encounters did not stop with him. There was an attractive young man in Henry's court, a man by the name of Tom Culpeper. Kathryn and Culpeper were distant cousins, and they had known each other possibly since childhood. There were even rumors that the two were planning to wed. These rumors ceased when she married Henry but her interest in the sexy, charming Culpeper did not cease in the months that followed her wedding.

On October 30th, Cranmer gave the King a letter summarizing the Queen's past indiscretions with Manox and Dereham. The King refused to believe it, but he told Cranmer to investigate it thoroughly. The King's guards came to Kathryn and she demanded to know the cause of her confinement. They did not tell her but she already knew the reason. She knew that if she were able to see Henry that he would forgive her and forget all about her past, he knew his weakness as well so he refused to see her. She was then questioned on the nature of her relations with Manox and Dereham, and she admitted that she did have a physical relationship with Manox but they never consummated it and that Dereham had raped her. She was questioned about Culpeper because someone had heard of the rumors that the two were once engaged, they both denied ever having a relationship with one another. When Henry read her statement he was somewhat happy because the wife that he had so adored, had not been unfaithful to him after all. Cranmer was convinced that Kathryn had indeed committed adultery and he was determined to prove it. He just had to keep Henry away from her until Cranmer could find sufficient evidence.

Everyone was questioned thoroughly and the questioning became increasingly focused on Thomas Culpeper. They heard details of an encounter between Kathryn and her cousin and decided to check through Culpeper's personal things to find some evidence. What they found was enough to damn them both. It was a letter that had been written by Kathryn to Culpeper and it confirmed that she had indeed been having an affair with him, "It maketh my heart to die when I do think that I cannot always be in your company…I never longed for anything so much as to see you. -Yours as long as life endures." Dereham and Culpeper were sentenced die. Culpeper was beheaded and Dereham was hung, disemboweled, beheaded and quartered. Both heads were then set on stakes above London Bridge. Kathryn knew that it wouldn't be long now before her time came. On February 10 she was given the orders, she requested a block for her room so that she could practice laying her head upon it. On February 13, 1542, Kathryn prayed for her husband and asked all gathered to do the same, then she laid her head on the block and her head was severed from her neck with a single stroke of the axe. Her body was buried beside her cousin, Anne Boleyn.

-Heather Locklin

Works Cited:

1. The Six Wives of Henry VIII by Alison Weir. 1991. Ballantine Books. Random

House.

2. Divorced, Beheaded, Survived by Karen Lindsey. 1995. Adison-Wesley

3. Kathryn Howard-No Other Will Than His http://tudor.simplenet.com/howard/

Films and Television:

The Six Wives of Henry VIII BBC

 The Private Lives of Henry VIII, dir. Alexander Korda, 1932.

Catherine Howard

Second Entry

Catherine Howard was the fifth wife of King Henry the VIII. Born in 1521, she was the

niece of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk. Before Catherine was even twenty years old she became a lady in waiting to Henry's fourth wife Anne of Cleves. It was at this time that with the help of Stephen Gardiner, the bishop of Winchester, she had frequent prearranged meetings with Henry. Shortly after Henry divorced Anne of Cleves in July of 1540 he took Catherine as his fifth bride. By November of 1541 however Catherine was being charged by the King with immoral offences, both before and during the marriage. At first Henry was not inclined to have Catherine beheaded however when evidence was presented that confirmed her post-marital infidelity she was sent to London Tower to await execution. Two of her accused lovers were killed in December of 1541 and Catherine Howard was beheaded on February 13, 1542.

Additional Readings:

The Rose With Out a Thorn Jean Plaidy

Six Wives of Henry VIII Alison Weir

The Wives of Henry VIII Antonia Fraser

Divorced, Beheaded, Survived; A Feminist Reinterpretation Karen Lindsey

by Scott Lappalainen

Description | Schedule | Syllabus | Class Handouts | Internet Resources

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