Wolf Hall: why was King Henry VIII's fifth wife Catherine Howard beheaded?

Emmy Griffiths
·2-min read
Henry VIII and Catherine Howard in Wolf Hall
Henry VIII and Catherine Howard in Wolf Hall

Wolf Hall episode five saw Thomas Cromwell make a major misstep with his marriage plans for Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves, with the union clearly being a total disaster. While Henry is wedded to Anne, his sights become set on someone else, the Duke of Norfolk's niece, Catherine Howard.

Henry weds Catherine after Cromwell's execution, and since the show's penultimate episode shows Thomas' arrest, we doubt that we will be seeing the entirety of the young Queen's rise and fall. So what was Henry's relationship like with Catherine, and why did he have her killed? Find out here…

Catherine, played by Summer Richards, was most likely a teenager when the monarch wedded her. As 30 years her senior, Historic Royal Palace's head of research Professor Anthony Musson opened up about the relationship on A Right Royal Podcast, revealing that Henry had a new lease of life after marrying her - and even took on a new health regime.

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Much like in the show, it was believed that Catherine was introduced to the King by her uncle around the time that Henry first met Anne, with one observer writing that he "crept too near another lady" while married to his fourth wife. Following their annulment, he wed Catherine on the same day that Cromwell was executed.

Summer Richards as Catherine Howard
Summer Richards as Catherine Howard (Grab)

However, his joy with Catherine - who was his second wife Anne Boleyn's cousin - was very short-lived. The pair were married for two years when Catherine's past came into light, as she was discovered to have had relationships with both her music teacher, Henry Manox, when she was as young as 12, and Francis Dereham when she was 14.

History also records that Catherine had an adulterous affair with Thomas Culpeper in 1541, with a letter reading: "It makes my heart die to think I cannot be always in your company." However, modern readings of Catherine's relationship with Culpeper, who had previously been accused of rape and murder but was pardoned by the King, could be that she was trying to keep a predator in good humour while left alone with him at court.

King Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves in Wolf Hall
King Henry VIII and Anne of Cleves in Wolf Hall

However, Catherine's relationship with Culpeper was ultimately discovered, with the Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer informing Henry of the affair and her previous relationships. The Queen ultimately confessed to relationships with all three men, and was sentenced the death in 1542 following a new bill, which claims that any future queen didn't disclose sexual relations within 20 days of marriage would be guilty of treason.

She may have only been around 19 when she was executed, leading Henry to marry his sixth wife, Katherine Parr. They were married from 1543 until the King's death in 1547.

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