Catherine Howard

Catherine Howard (c. 1523 – 13 February 1542) was Queen of England from July 1540 until November 1541 as the fifth wife of King Henry VIII. She was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard and Joyce Culpeper, a first cousin to Anne Boleyn (the second wife of Henry VIII), and the niece of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk. Her uncle secured her a place in the household of Henry's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, where Catherine caught the King's interest. They were married in July 1540 at Oatlands Palace in Surrey, just 19 days after the annulment of his marriage to Anne. Henry was 49, and Catherine, 17.

After rumours of her childhood entanglements reached Henry in November 1541, Catherine was stripped of her title as queen and investigated for adultery and treason. Three months later, she was beheaded for these crimes and her body thrown into a mass grave. An enduring figure in Tudor history, Catherine's life has continuously been a source of discussion by historians and portrayals in media productions. Modern-day historians have taken a kinder and more nuanced view of Catherine's character, the accusations against her, and her relationship to the men who took advantage of her in her youth.