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Katharina Howard

Female 1521 - 1542  (21 years)    Has more than 100 ancestors but no descendants in this family tree.

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  • Name Katharina Howard 
    Birth 1521 
    Gender Female 
    Death 13 Feb 1542  Tower of London, Tower Hill, London, Middlesex, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Burial St. Peter ad Vincula, Tower of London, Middlesex, England Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Siblings 4 Siblings 
    Person ID I8921  Geneagraphie
    Last Modified 29 Aug 2000 

    Father Edmund Howard,   b. Abt 1478   d. 1539 (Age 61 years) 
    Mother Joyce Culpeper,   b. Abt 1480   d. Aft 1527 (Age 48 years) 
    Family ID F13503  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Francis Dereham   d. 18 Dec 1541, Tower, London Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F35650  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 29 Aug 2000 

    Family 2 King Henry VIII Tudor,   b. 28 Jun 1491, Greenwich, London, England Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 28 Jan 1547, Westminster Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 55 years) 
    Marriage 28 Jul 1540  Oatlands Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F2608  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 29 Aug 2000 

  • Event Map Click to hide
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 13 Feb 1542 - Tower of London, Tower Hill, London, Middlesex, England Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBurial - - St. Peter ad Vincula, Tower of London, Middlesex, England Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 
    Pin Legend  : Address       : Location       : City/Town       : County/Shire       : State/Province       : Country       : Not Set

  • Photos Photos (Log in)Photos (Log in)

  • Notes 
    • Aug 27, 1541 Catherine Howard appoints her ex-lover Francis Dereham as her private secretary

      Nov. 1, 1541 Henry VIII informed of Catherine's adultery

      Dec 18, 1541 Thomas Culpepper and Francis Dereham are executed at Tyburn for high treason.

      Feb. 7, 1542 Parliament passes Act of Attainder condemning Katherine Howard to death

      Feb 13, 1542 Catherine Howard executed for treason

      Feb 13, 1542 Lady Jane Rochford executed for treason for aiding in Catherine Howard's adultry

      May 5, 1542 Agnes Howard, dowager Duchess of Norfolk, is released from the Tower after being cleared of the Catherine Howard scandal.



      Kathryn Howard was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard, a younger brother of Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk. She was also first cousin to Anne Boleyn, Henry's ill-fated second Queen. She was brought up in the household of the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk. As part of the Duchess' household, she would have spent most of her time at Lambeth and Horsham. Kathryn came to court at about the age of 19 as a lady in waiting to Anne of Cleves and there is no doubt that the spirited young girl caught Henry's attentions. Kathryn's uncle probably encouraged the girl to respond to the King's attentions and saw it as a way to increase his own influence over the monarch. The Duke of Norfolk also took advantage of the debacle of the Anne of Cleves marriage as a chance to discredit his enemy, Thomas Cromwell. In fact, Cromwell was executed shortly after the marriage was nullified. Sixteen days after he was free of Anne, Henry took his fifth wife, Kathryn Howard, on July 28, 1540. Henry was 49 and he bride was no older than 19. For all that can be said against this match, Kathryn did manage to lift the King's spirits. Henry had gained a lot of weight and was dealing with the ulcerated leg that was to pain him until his death. The vivacious young girl brought back some of Henry's zest for life. The King lavished gifts on his young wife and called her his 'rose without a thorn' and the 'very jewel of womanhood'. Less than a year into Kathryn's marriage, the rumors of her infidelity began. In a way, one couldn't blame her for seeking the company of handsome young men closer to her own age. But to do so, even if only in courtly flirtations, was dangerous for a Queen, especially one who came from a powerful family with many enemies. Kathryn didn't help matters much by appointing one of her admirers as her personal secretary. By November 1541, there was enough evidence against the Queen that Archbishop Cranmer informed the King of Kathryn's misconduct. At first, Henry did not believe the accusations. But, he agreed to allow further investigations into the matter. Enough evidence was gathered that the Queen had been promiscuous before her marriage and may have had liaisons after becoming Henry's wife. She was executed on the Tower Green on February 13, 1542 and laid to rest near her cousin Anne Boleyn in the Chapel of St. Peter ad Vincula at the Tower



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