Catherine Howard, 1521 – 1542
During his marriage to Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII shopped around for women within his own court. Young Catherine Howard was a lady-in-waiting for Anne of Cleves. In typical fashion, Henry pursued Catherine while he was still married, and 19 days after his divorce, the two were married. Henry saw Catherine Howard as his “rose without a thorn.” Virtuous and innocent.
But she had a secret – she had affairs before Henry, and dangerously continued one during their royal marriage. She and Thomas Culpeper, one of Henry’s Privy Chamber men, met in secret whenever they could arrange it, with a little help from trusted companions. When Henry found out, he condemned her to death, beheading her in 1542.
