Katherine Howard was the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England. She was estimated to have been born around the year 1520. Her parents were Lord Edmund Howard and Jocasta "Joyce" Culpepper, and her uncle was Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk. She was raised by the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk. http://reference.findtarget.com/search/Catherine%20Howard/ She was beheaded for her crimes of adultery, a treasonous offense, on February 13, 1542 at the Tower of London. http://www.cbc.ca/tudors/cast/katherine-howard.html http://www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace/CatherineHoward.aspx

Katherine was 19 years of age when her uncle Thomas Howard arranged for her to join the court as a lady in waiting to new Queen Anne of Cleves. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-CatherineHoward.html http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/celebrity/henry_viii/5.html The marriage between Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves was never consummated, and Henry soon took to Katherine Howard, lavishing her with affection. http://education.yahoo.com/reference/encyclopedia/entry/AnneClev http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/katherine-howard-and-henry-viii/9013.html Her uncle encouraged her to return his affections, sensing an opportunity for political advancement. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/henryviii/whoswho/howard.html Henry’s marriage to Anne of Cleves was annulled on July 9, 1540. http://encyclopedia.jrank.org/ANC_APO/ANNE_OF_CLEVES_1515_1557_.html On July 28, 1540, Henry married Katherine; she was around 19 years of age to his 49 years. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/museum/item.asp?item_id=13 http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/99681/Catherine-Howard On the same day, Thomas Cromwell was executed for treason by encouraging the King’s marriage to Anne of Cleves. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/cromwell_thomas.shtml

Henry VIII was in need of another male heir to secure his legacy; his only heir with Jane Seymour, Edward VI, was a sickly boy. http://www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/kingedward.htm He believed Katherine could deliver that heir, and his disappointment mounted when she didn’t immediately fall pregnant. http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/celebrity/henry_viii/6.html

Katherine was not truthful about her purity prior to her marriage. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/99681/Catherine-Howard She was not a virgin upon her marriage to the King, and it was believed that she had multiple lovers. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/henryviii/whoswho/howard.html http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/catherine-howard.htmlIn addition, she engaged in a dalliance with her cousin Thomas Culpepper while at court. http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningzone/clips/katherine-howard-and-henry-viii/9013.htmlArchbishop Thomas Cranmer had heard rumors of the Queen’s infidelity and approached Henry with written statements from witnesses regarding Katherine’s promiscuity prior to her marriage. http://www.thebiographychannel.co.uk/biographies/catherine-howard.htmlhttp://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/celebrity/henry_viii/6.html Henry had Katherine placed under house arrest as interrogations began. http://www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace/CatherineHoward.aspxhttp://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-CatherineHoward.htmlKatherine admitted to having sexual relations before marriage with Francis Dereham; Dereham also admitted guilt. http://www.luminarium.org/encyclopedia/catherinehoward.htm

A letter was found in court that the Queen had written Thomas Culpepper, worrying about his health; it was signed “yours as long as life endures.” http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/museum/item.asp?item_id=13 Culpepper confessed to having intimate relations with the Queen. http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/celebrity/henry_viii/7.html Both Dereham and Culpepper were charged with treason and sentenced to death; Dereham was to be hung, disemboweled, and quartered, and Culpepper was to be beheaded. http://www.trutv.com/library/crime/notorious_murders/celebrity/henry_viii/7.html http://reference.findtarget.com/search/Catherine%20Howard/http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A393662 Katherine was then beheaded for high treason on February 13, 1542. http://www.britannia.com/bios/khoward.html Before her death she allegedly stated “I die a queen, but would rather have died a wife of Culpepper.” http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1O110-CatherineHoward.html She was the second of Henry’s wives to be executed by beheading on charges of adultery, the first being Anne Boleyn. http://www.emmetlabs.com/pair/King-Henry-VIII_109/Catherine-Howard_117 http://www.hrp.org.uk/HamptonCourtPalace/CatherineHoward.aspx