On this day in history, Catherine Howard was executed.
Catherine Howard was executed on the 13th of February 1542. She was executed on the orders of King Henry VIII. Who Was Catherine Howard? Catherine Howard was the fifth wife of King Henry VIII. Catherine Howard and King Henry VIII married on the 28th of July 1540, at Oatlands Palace in London. Therefore, Catherine and Henry were only married for less than two years. Perhaps it could be said that their marriage got off to a bad omen, as one of Henry VIII's closest men - his Chancellor, Thomas Cromwell, was executed on the same day that Catherine Howard and King Henry VIII got married. Thomas Cromwell was also executed on the 28th of July 1540. Cromwell was responsible for choosing Henry VIII's fourth wife - Anne Of Cleeves. The marriage between Anne of Cleeves and the King only lasted around six months before the King decided to annual the wedding. Henry blamed his failed marriage on Cromwell. The marriage between Anne Of Cleeves and Henry VIII was annulled on the 9th of July 1540, just several weeks before the execution of Thomas Cromwell. It didn't take Henry that long to marry again after his annulment - he married Catherine Howard just a few weeks after he annulled his marriage to Anne.
Catherine Howard wasn't just anyone, she was the cousin of Henry VIII's second wife: Anne Boleyn. Ironically, they both suffered the same fate at the hands of Henry, as both of them were executed on Henry's command.
Why Was Catherine Howard Executed? Catherine Howard was executed by Henry VIII on charges of treason: she had committed adultery with Thomas Culpeper - Thomas Culpeper was a gentleman of King Henry VIII's Privy chamber, he was also close to the King. ​Both Catherine and Culpeper admitted to the adultery between them. Thomas Culpepper was executed before Catherine Howard was - he was executed on the 10th of December 1941. Catherine was executed just a few months later, on the 13th of February 1542. Henry VIII had six wives, he executed two of them, both of them cousins - Catherine Howard and Anne Boleyn - on charges of adultery.
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