Katherine Howard

Get Out of Jail Free Cards: The Many Annulments of Henry VIII (Guest Post)

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By Jillianne Hamilton Everyone knows Henry VIII was unlucky in love. Not nearly as unlucky as many of his wives, of course, but Henry would certainly have considered himself the most unfortunate man in England when it came to his married life. The excuses he used to get out of his marriage varied from wife to wife. But he and his advisors were able to come up with excuses that never put the king at fault. Ever. His first marriage was the most complicated to end [More]

Katheryn Howard: Part Two

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In Part One of this series, we ended with Katheryn Howard...married, and Thomas Cromwell...executed. If you missed it, I’d recommend going back and reading or listening to it - this series is the life story of Katheryn, to grasp her as a person you'll need to hear her whole story. Read Part One - Click Here After weeks of reading and researching Katheryn Howard I’ve come to my own conclusion on who she was as a person. Often we hear her called naive, or abused, but I [More]

Katheryn Howard: Part One

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The story of Katheryn Howard intertwines with many other notable figures of the time but none more than Anne of Cleves and Thomas Cromwell. We’ll start with Katheryn’s childhood and attempt to chronologically move through time until her execution in 1542. After writing Part One, I realized her story deserves multiple parts. Part One, will start from Katheryn’s childhood up to her marriage to King Henry VIII. Part Two will cover her downfall. That part of her life definit [More]

Mary Howard: Too Wise for a Woman

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In this article I will be discussing one of my favorite women at Tudor court - the fearless Mary Howard, Duchess of Richmond and Somerset. Mary had the bravery that wasn't often shown by a woman during this time period. She wasn't afraid to stand up for what she thought was right. It was her father who was quoted as saying that Mary was, "too wise for a woman" - one of the reasons I love her so much. This post was originally a podcast that was transcribed into an [More]

Katheryn Howard (Guest Post)

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Katheryn Howard Guest post by Lissa Bryan Of all of King Henry VIII’s queens, Katheryn Howard is viewed with the least sympathy. If not technically guilty of adultery, she’s at least seen as having “deserved” her fate because of her immoral lifestyle. One recent historian referred to her as an “empty-headed slut.” Others have described her as a “good-time girl” or a frivolous young woman only interested in pretty dresses and boys. Down through the centuries, [More]

The Differences in the Wives of Henry VIII

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Raised as the second son, or "spare", Henry Tudor, Duke of York was never intended to be King of England. When his older brother Arthur, Prince of Wales died unexpectedly in 1502 Henry was thrust into the spotlight as heir to the throne of England. His training began immediately and Henry despised the fact that his father controlled everything around him. He went from being raised with his sisters to being separated from the world. When there were discussions by Henry VII [More]

The Ladies Who Served: Katherine Howard

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Katherine Howard's time as Queen of England was short-lived but even so she also had many ladies who served her. It makes one wonder if Katherine could foresee her future or if she was naive enough to think that Henry's love would always be hers - she knew if she had the king's favor that she would remain continue to receive gifts and affection from him. How did it all begin? We don't often speak of this and I'd like to share this quote with you: Katherine Howard met [More]

Tudor Queens Come to Life with Portraits, Wax Figures and Descriptions of Appearance

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All six of Henry VIII's queens were beautiful in their own way. Whether it was their physical beauty or their nature, there was something about each of them that the King was attracted to. Here we take a look at some wax figures of his wives and descriptions of their appearance - we are attempting to bring the Tudor queens to life. -- Katherine of Aragon Just after her marriage to Henry in 1509, Katharine was described, perhaps somewhat partially, by her Confessor, [More]

Katherine Howard: The End of Her Story

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Most are drawn into the story of Katherine Howard because of her age and supposed naivety. She was the youngest of Henry's wives who made the aging King feel young again. Unfortunately, Katherine had a history with older men that Henry was not aware of when he married his "rose without a thorn." There were others involved that were aware of Katherine's past and did not inform Henry before their marriage. Today we look at those who knew and those who lost their heads...and [More]