Essay Sample about Katheryn Howard

Late into the night on February 12 the former queen of England rests her head on a chopping block, preparing for the next morning. In four months Katheryn Howard's life had drastically changed from the grandeur life and balls of Hampton Court to the dark and gloomy prison cell inside the Tower of London. She had gone from the kings ‘rose without a thorn’ to a traitor to him and his kingdom. Just two months ago, two of her alleged lovers, Francis Dereham and Thomas Culpeper, had been hanged and beheaded respectively. Tomorrow, she was to meet the same fate. However, the question still remains 500 years later whether Katheryn truly did commit the crimes to the extent which she was accused of. Katheryn Howard was a pawn for those around her and was unprepared for the life ahead of her.

As the tenth of eleven children, Katheryn and her family were often in financial trouble. Despite her father being the son of the Duke of Norfolk, because of primogeniture he had not inherited enough to support his growing family. In order to lessen these hardships, he sent Katheryn and her sisters to her step-grandmother's household. Unlike Henry's former wives,  Katheryn’s education was lacking. She had the basis of a Christian upbringing, such as dancing and reading, however she would often not pay attention and get distracted. The older girls would invite men into their bed chambers, and the Dowager Duchess was careless in the way she cared for them. One of these men included Francis Dereham, a young man serving in the household of Thomas Howard, the current Duke of Norfolk. Katheryn and him soon developed a relationship, and he would often come to her room and bring wine and food to entertain the girls. Francis was well liked by the duchess, who saw him as an upgrade from Katheryns former fling, her music teacher Henry Mannox. Francis and Katheryn planned to marry, and would affectionately call each other husband and wife. Him and Katheryn never could have known the effects of their relationship. 

In 1540, Katheryn was sent to the court of Henry VIII to serve his fourth wife Anna of Cleves, a German princess. Henry was unhappy with his new wife, and accused her of not looking the way she was portrayed in her portrait. He used this excuse as a reason he could not consummate their marriage. Henry’s accusations against Anna may not have been true and instead were used as a cover up for his own impotence. Whether Anna catfished him or not, the king always got his way. Six months into the marriage, the marriage between the king and queen was annulled on the grounds of the marriage not being consummated. By this time, Henry had already plucked out Anna’s successor, Katheryn herself. Noticing the king's attraction to the bright teenager, her family pushed her into the front lines. The two were married only nine days after the annulment, the same day of which Henry’s former friend and advisor, Thomas Cromwell, was beheaded. Henry was 49, and his new bride was 17. Katheryn was said to bring the king a new life, and he often visited her and took her on rounds around the country. However, the marriage also brought a downside. The Howard family had many enemies at court, partly owing to their non-reformist ideals. The Protestant faction serving King Henry would look for anything in order to oust a Howard from such a high position, and when an opportunity struck, they took it. 

On November 2nd the Archbishop of Canterbury delivered a letter to King Henry’s pew inside the Royal Chapel. The contents of this letter included accusations of adultery against the queen. Originally, Henry brushed these aside as rumours, however when one of her former lovers confessed to a sexual relationship, he quickly changed his mind and launched an investigation. The investigation which had led to Katheryn’s sentencing was rushed and not handled correctly. During the investigation the disgraced queen maintained her innocence, stating that although she had slept with Dereham, she did not commit adultery during her marriage to the king. When questioned about Culpeper, she stated that he had coerced her and wanted her affection. However, when Culpeper himself was asked, he stated that Katheryn had been the one seeking him and a letter believed to be in her handwriting was provided. With their evidence, the jury convicted Katheryn of treason against the king and sentenced to death. Her family faced downfall in the wake of her conviction, yet kept quiet. One of the men set to convict her was her own uncle, Thomas Howard, who had given her the position and influence needed to charm the king. The men who had convicted her were staunch reformers, and possibly wanted to replace her with someone who shared the same religious values as them in order to gain power. This shows best in her successor, Catherine Parr, a fervent Protestant who was a favorite among Thomas Cranmur and his men. 

Katherine Howard was an object in people's eyes. She was used as a pawn for her family and once the king had had enough of her, the protestants used her as a tool for their own gain. The trial was unjust, and the jurys means of getting a confession out of Culpeper was illegitimate and cruel. In the wake of feminism and rewriting the way we see history, I hope that we can take a look at Katheryn Howard’s life and view her as more than just a naive little girl.