Cold Open

It’s July 28th, 1540, at Oatlands Palace, a royal residence in Surrey, England.

Dressed in a dazzling embroidered gown, Catherine Howard and her ladies in waiting are escorted through the endless chambers of the palace. Sunlight trickles through glass windows as she passes, dancing over Catherine’s soft, fair skin and auburn hair. She is just seventeen years old, barely more than a girl. But today, she will become Queen of England.

Reaching a large wooden door, she pauses. The palace chapel lies beyond, and her new husband is waiting for her.

The heavy door swings open. And standing at the far end of the chapel, King Henry VIII stares at Catherine, his mouth twitching toward a smile.

Henry is over thirty years older than her. He’s dressed magnificently today, but even the finest tailors in the land can’t disguise Henry’s bloated body. But, though Catherine may find him physically repulsive, she understands what marrying into royalty means for her family’s standing, and for her own.

Catherine casts her eyes downward as she walks toward the king.

Only a few of Henry’s inner circle have been allowed to attend today’s ceremony. But it doesn’t make the moment any less daunting. Beneath her glittering gown, Catherine’s heart pounds—because she remembers the fates of Henry’s previous wives. He may be smiling now, but she knows how quickly his favor can turn to fury.

Catherine Howard becomes King Henry VIII’s fifth wife. In the days ahead, he will shower her with gifts and affection. But the honeymoon won’t last. Soon, old secrets will resurface, threatening Catherine’s new life and bringing a sudden end to King Henry’s latest marriage, which began on July 28th, 1540.

Introduction

From Noiser and Airship, I’m Lindsay Graham and this is History Daily.

History is made every day. On this podcast—every day—we tell the true stories of the people and events that shaped our world.

Today is July 28th, 1540: Henry VIII’s Fifth Wedding.

Act One: A New Life

It’s the summer of 1539 at an orchard in Sussex, England, a year before Catherine Howard’s marriage to King Henry VIII.

16-year-old Catherine hurries down a narrow path between the rows of fruit trees. She knows this area well. In the distance is a large manor house where Catherine lives as a ward of her step-grandmother.

Catherine is an orphan. Her mother died when she was young, and her father was a spendthrift gambler who passed away earlier this year. But Catherine's luck has been better. She comes from the aristocracy, and her uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, is one of the most powerful men in the country. So, despite her recent bereavement, Catherine’s prospects are looking up. The Duke has sent word that he’s secured Catherine a place at court as a maid of honor.

This news thrills Catherine. But starting a new life means she needs to end her old one.

Waiting under an apple tree is Catherine’s boyfriend, Francis Dereham. He straightens up when he sees her. They’ve met here before, many times. But today feels different.

Steeling herself, Catherine tells Francis that she’s leaving Surrey and moving to court. Francis laughs, thinking Catherine’s joking. But her expression stays firm. She’s going away, perhaps forever. Whatever they’ve had, it has to end.

Francis doesn’t take this news well. He reminds her of her promises, of their talk of marriage. But Catherine waves his objections away. Maybe she meant those things once. But now, everything has changed.

Catherine turns and then walks away through the orchard, leaving a devastated Francis behind.

Over the coming weeks, Catherine packs her things and then heads to London. She settles into the queen’s household as one of the young women attending to Anne of Cleves, Henry VIII’s fourth wife.

And after she settles in, Catherine proves popular at court. She’s young, charming, and pretty. And before long, she catches the attention of someone important: the king himself.

Now in his late 40s, Henry is no longer the dashing prince of his youth. He’s overweight and frequently ill, nursing an old jousting wound that has rotted his leg and resulted in a persistent, putrid odor. But he’s still the most powerful man in England.

And despite his recent marriage, his eyes are already wandering. The union to Anne of Cleves was arranged for political reasons. But Henry complains that he finds Anne dull and unattractive. It’s an open secret that the king is dissatisfied.

So, when his gaze lands on the radiant Catherine Howard, Henry begins to pursue her.

He sends her gifts of gowns, jewels, and tokens of affection. And even though the King has divorced one of his previous wives and executed another, the teenage Catherine is swept up in the attention. Her uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, encourages the match. Because he knows that if Catherine becomes queen, the entire Howard family will benefit.

And in mid-July of 1540, Henry’s marriage to Anne of Cleves is annulled, only six months after their wedding. A few weeks later, the king marries Catherine in a private ceremony at Oatlands Palace.

At first, Henry is infatuated with his new bride, and, for a time, it seems the marriage might restore some of his lost vitality.

But behind the scenes, Catherine begins to struggle. Life at court is isolating, especially for someone so young and inexperienced. King’s moods are unpredictable. His physical condition confines him to long hours of immobility, while his frustration with his failing body sparks frequent displays of rage. There’s a controlling edge and an inconsistency to his love that leaves Catherine uneasy and lonely.

But on the outside, Catherine goes to great effort to appear like the perfect queen. Still, privately, her heart leads her down a dangerous path. In the spring of 1541, Catherine begins an affair with an old admirer, the courtier Thomas Culpeper.

Before she married the king, Catherine had a fleeting romance with him, though it never went beyond flirtation. But now, as queen, Catherine grows close to Thomas, who provides the excitement she lacks in her marriage.

Soon, their relationship turns physical. A trusted lady-in-waiting helps deliver notes and gifts, and secret meetings are arranged, far from the king’s eyes.

But Catherine’s affair with Thomas is not the only thing she has to hide. Her ex-boyfriend, Francis Dereham, begins pressuring her to give him a job at court. Masked in his request is a threat to reveal their shared past to Henry. If the King discovers that Catherine had a sexual relationship with someone before him, there’s no telling what he might do. Francis would be punished, too, of course, which makes his threat a foolish one. But Catherine still worries Francis's emotions outweigh his reason, and he’ll sign both of their death warrants by telling the king the truth. So, she grants him a position in her household.

She hopes this will appease Francis. But her concerns about his recklessness soon prove justified. At court, Francis is indiscreet and can’t stop himself from alluding to his relationship with Catherine.

Rumors will soon begin to circulate. And before long, the secrets Catherine hoped to bury on her wedding day will be unearthed, setting in motion a chain of events she will be powerless to stop.

Act Two: Revelations and Revenge

It’s November 1st, 1541, at Hampton Court Palace near London, 16 months after the marriage of Henry VIII and Catherine Howard.

Inside the Chapel Royal, Queen Catherine walks solemnly down the aisle, trailed by her ladies. As she approaches the altar rail, she bows her head. But Catherine isn’t praying. She’s thinking, desperately, how she will survive what's coming. Up until now, Henry has shown no sign of doubting her. But there are rumors at court about Catherine. And she knows if they reach the ear of the king, the consequences could be fatal.

Up in the second-floor gallery, King Henry VIII watches his wife from a private pew. And as Catherine and her attendants leave by a side door, a letter is quietly passed to him.

Henry opens it. It’s a private message from the Archbishop of Canterbury, and it levels a serious accusation. Queen Catherine is not the pure, young bride she appears to be. Before her marriage to the King, she engaged in a sexual relationship with a man named Francis Dereham.

Henry stares at the letter in disbelief. He exits the chapel and sends for the Archbishop. In a private chamber, the two men convene with a handful of Henry’s most trusted advisors. The Archbishop explains that someone from Catherine’s old home in Sussex has come forward with the claim.

King just shakes his head. Whatever these stories are, he’s confident they’re fabricated. But the Archbishop is certain. He has already conducted an investigation and secured damning testimony that confirms the story. Catherine was not a virgin when she married Henry. Too many people have told too many stories, and they all line up.

The King seethes with fury. Just like his second wife, Anne Boleyn, it seems that Catherine has betrayed him and made him look like a fool. Over the next several days, the court is thrown into chaos as more members of Catherine’s household are interrogated. One lady-in-waiting confesses to facilitating meetings between the Queen and Thomas Culpeper. And a love letter from Catherine is discovered in Thomas’s room.

Faced with mounting evidence, Catherine and her former lovers confess, but try to downplay the sexual nature of their liaisons. It’s of no use. By the end of the week, Francis and Thomas are both arrested. The Queen is stripped of her royal title and imprisoned at Syon Abbey, a disused convent near London.

And while Catherine waits there to learn her fate, in early December 1541, her former lovers Thomas and Francis are convicted of high treason. Their executions are gruesome. Francis is hanged, drawn, and quartered. Thomas is beheaded. Both of their heads are then mounted on spikes above London Bridge.

But the king’s vengeance doesn’t end there. Henry soon turns his fury toward Catherine’s family – the powerful clan that helped orchestrate her rise. Her uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, escapes direct blame. But many others are not so lucky. Catherine’s step-grandmother is found guilty of concealing treason, along with several other relatives. They are all sentenced to life in prison.

Then comes Catherine’s turn. In January of 1542, the English Parliament passes a new law, one clearly written with the former queen in mind. This act declares that failure to disclose one’s sexual history before marrying the king is, in itself, treason.

And since the law is retroactive, Catherine’s fate is sealed. The Lords of the Council arrive at Syon Abbey. They inform Catherine that she’s to be escorted to the Tower of London – not for questioning, but for execution.

As she’s led out of the abbey, the 18-year-old Catherine panics. She breaks down in tears and begs them to let her stay. But her pleas go unanswered.

Outside, a barge waits on the River Thames. Catherine is ushered on board, and the journey to the Tower begins. They glide silently downriver. And as the sky darkens, the barge passes beneath London Bridge. Mounted high above, silhouetted in the last light of day, are the rotting heads of Francis Dereham and Thomas Culpeper.

The barge stops soon after, and Catherine is escorted through the Traitors’ Gate into the Tower of London. Once inside, Catherine makes a request. She asks to see the block that she will die on. She wishes to rehearse her execution – how to kneel, how to bow her head, how to face her death with dignity.

So with her hours numbered, Catherine will lay her head upon the executioner’s block again and again. In a world that has spun violently away from her, this is the last thing she can control. But no matter how many times she will practice, nothing will truly prepare Catherine for what awaits her at dawn.

Act Three: Final Moments

It’s the morning of February 13th, 1542, at the Tower of London, three days after Catherine Howard was sentenced to death.

Catherine, the former Queen of England, steps out into the chilly morning air. She’s dressed in a dark gown, with a stiff French hood framing her young face. She appears composed. But her breath catches as her eyes land on the executioner’s scaffold.

When Henry’s second wife, Anne Boleyn, was executed, she was granted the mercy of a sword. But Catherine will die by the ax. And her hopes for a private execution have also been denied. All around her, the King’s councilors and other dignitaries form a close ring, though Catherine can see two men are notably absent. Her uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, is nowhere to be seen. And nor is Henry VIII himself.

Catherine ascends the steps to the block and turns to address the gathered onlookers. She speaks softly, but clearly, of Christ and redemption, of her sentence’s justice and the King’s good government. She urges those watching to learn from her downfall.

Then, Catherine kneels. She nestles her neck on the familiar, worn curve of the wooden block. A hush falls. Then the executioner raises his ax, and with a single stroke, Catherine Howard is dead.

Following her execution, Catherine’s body is laid to rest near Anne Boleyn’s, within the Tower grounds. In the days that follow, Catherine’s coat of arms are removed from the royal palaces — a final erasure of her brief, ill-fated reign. The Howard family, once one of the most powerful in England, falls into disgrace. But after this public reckoning, a quieter mercy is granted. It seems the bloodletting is over. Catherine’s friends and family, once sentenced to life in prison, are gradually pardoned and released.

A year later, King Henry will marry his sixth and final wife, Katherine Parr. She will survive the perils of queen ship that claimed so many before her, outliving the king and breaking the cycle of betrayal and bloodshed that Catherine Howard stepped into when she married Henry VIII on July 28th, 1540.

Outro

Next on History Daily. July 29th, 1954. After years of struggle, J.R.R. Tolkien publishes the first installment of The Lord of the Rings.

From Noiser and Airship, this is History Daily, hosted, edited, and executive produced by me, Lindsay Graham.

Audio editing by Muhammad Shahzaib.

Sound design by Gabriel Gould.

Supervising Sound Designer Matthew Filler.

Music by Thrumm.

This episode is written and researched by Alexandra Currie-Buckner.

Edited by Scott Reeves.

Managing producer, Emily Burke.

Executive Producers are William Simpson for Airship, and Pascal Hughes for Noiser.