Catherine Howard
Catherine Howard (c. 1523 – 13 February 1542), also spelt Katheryn Howard, was Queen of England from 1540 until 1541 as the fifth wife of King Henry VIII. She was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard and Joyce Culpeper, a cousin to Anne Boleyn (the second wife of Henry VIII), and the niece of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk. Thomas Howard was a prominent politician at Henry's court, and he secured her a place in the household of Henry's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, where she caught the King's interest. She married him on 28 July 1540 at Oatlands Palace in Surrey, just 19 days after the annulment of his marriage to Anne. He was 49, and she was between 15 and 21 years old, though it is widely accepted that she was 17 at the time of her marriage to Henry VIII.
| Catherine Howard | |
|---|---|
Portrait Miniature assumed to be of Catherine Howard by Hans Holbein the Younger, c. 1540 (Royal Collection) | |
| Queen consort of England | |
| Tenure | 28 July 1540 – 23 November 1541 |
| Born | c. 1523 Lambeth, London, England |
| Died | 13 February 1542 (aged about 19) Tower of London, London, England |
| Burial | 13 February 1542 Church of St Peter ad Vincula, Tower of London |
| Spouse | |
| House | Howard |
| Father | Lord Edmund Howard |
| Mother | Joyce Culpeper |
| Signature | |
Catherine was stripped of her title as queen in November 1541 and beheaded three months later on the grounds of treason for committing adultery with her distant cousin, Thomas Culpeper.