10 Average Questions about Catherine Howard

Answer: 15-19

Although Catherine was kin to the former Queen and other nobles she was impoverished. She was the tenth child and her actual birth date was not recorded. It is estimated to be around 1520-1525; most commonly cited as 1521. She was very young when she caught the king's eye.

Answer: As a lady in waiting to Anne of Cleves

Catherine lived in the country for most of her life before court. After Jane Seymour died King Henry married Anne of Cleves. The noble families scrambled to get positions in the new court and Catherine Howard gained a position as Anne's lady in waiting.

Answer: Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn was born to Thomas Boleyn and Lady Elizabeth Howard. Catherine was her cousin. They were not close.

Answer: The rose without a thorn

Rose analogies had been used by Tudor monarchs before. Henry VII adopted the Tudor rose as his 'family flower' when he became king at the end of the War of the Roses. The Tudor rose combined the white rose of the York family with the red rose of the Lancaster family.

Answer: none

There were rumors that she was pregnant while Henry was still married to Anne of Cleves. Some people say this is why he pushed the annulment through so quickly. In fact she was never pregnant. She was only married to him for 17 months and speculation says Henry probably couldn't have fathered a child at this point anyway.

Answer: 4

She had her first relationship with her music teacher Henry Manox when she was very young. They both confessed to having a sexual relationship (without intercourse) at her trial. Next she had a fairly serious relationship with Francis Dereham. They called each other husband and wife and he left money in her care when he left for Ireland (a very husband-like thing to do).

This is a very controversial relationship because they might very well had been married (all it took was private vows and consummation) when he left for Ireland.

He was executed for his ties to Catherine. The next lover was King Henry VIII her husband. The last lover she had was Thomas Culpeper. He admitted to his affair, under torture, and was executed.

Answer: She was young, beautiful, and Catholic

Catherine was not very educated, not very bright, and she was immature. She was not a good choice to become such a key player at court. When she came to court her youth and beauty outweighed her immaturity and lack of education. The fact that she was a Catholic was important too.

She married Henry during the period following the split from the Catholic Church and Henry's tendencies back toward papacy. After the controversy surrounding Anne Boleyn, the Howards were out of favor. Catherine becoming the King's mistress would give the family back much of the influence and power they had lost Queen was an even better position.

Answer: No other will but his

This was a perfect motto for a very young girl marrying a man old enough to be her father. It was meant to reflect her intention to keep him happy at all times.

Answer: Nothing - he did not see it

Henry did not say goodbye to his wives. He left Katherine of Aragon in a rundown castle where she died alone. Anne Boleyn was beheaded on his orders while he was hunting. Jane Seymour gave birth to his son and died days later, he was not present.

Answer: Beheaded

Catherine was young and silly. She was not considered to be a chaste girl when she married Henry. Henry was 30 years older than her, obese, and had a permanent festering, smelly ulcer on his leg when they married. Catherine quickly began a love affair with one of Henry's favorites, Thomas Culpeper. She was beheaded for treason in the same courtyard as her cousin Anne.