Lesson 6: The Blushing Rose Without a Thorn. Henry VIII and Katherine Howard.
Yours as Long as Life Endures
This section aims to give students an understanding of Katherine Howard and her relationship with Thomas Culpeper, the man she truly loved.
Master Culpeper,
I heartily recommend me unto you, praying you to send me word how that you do. It was showed me that you was sick, the which thing troubled me very much till such time that I hear from you praying you to send me word how that you do, for I never longed so much for a thing as I do to see you and to speak with you, the which I trust shall be shortly now. That which doth comfortly me very much when I think of it, and when I think again that you shall depart from me again it makes my heart die to think what fortune I have that I cannot be always in your company. It my trust is always in you that you will be as you have promised me, and in that hope I trust upon still, praying you that you will come when my Lady Rochford is here for then I shall be best at leisure to be at your commandment, thanking you for that you have promised me to be so good unto that poor fellow my man which is one of the griefs that I do feel to depart from him for then I do know no one that I dare trust to send to you, and therefore I pray you take him to be with you that I may sometime hear from you one thing. I pray you to give me a horse for my man for I had much ado to get one and therefore I pray send me one by him and in so doing I am as I said afor, and thus I take my leave of you, trusting to see you shortly again and I would you was with me now that you might see what pain I take in writing to you.
Yours as long as life endures,
Katheryn.
One thing I had forgotten and that is to instruct my man to tarry here with me still for he says whatsomever you bid him he will do it.
Katherine Howard’s time as Queen of England lasted eighteen months - three times longer than Anne of Cleves. But for her, Katherine’s ending as Henry’s wife lacked the same happy release experienced by Henry’s unwanted German bride. Katherine’s time as wife of the King of England concluded with a trembling girl discovering her attempt to ready herself for death. Though she had practice with the headman’s block the day before, this did not stop that dreadful sinking feeling when confronted with an executioner and his axe.
Perhaps too foolish, perhaps too much in love to be sensible, perhaps too naïve to realise she couldn’t have her cake and eat it also, young Katherine did the unforgivable. Before becoming wife and consort to Henry VIII, she pretended innocence when first bedding with the King.
And then, if that wasn’t enough, Katherine forgot that the facts of her past loose behaviour might come back and threaten her future. Any woman with sense, and with a past like Katherine’s to hide, would have realised that her only safety was to behave in such a way that remained beyond reproach. But Katherine wasn’t sensible when she welcomed Thomas Culpeper into her bedchamber. Rather, Katherine put her head into the lion’s mouth.
Poor Katherine. There is little doubt she believed herself in love – but not with Henry VIII, her King and lord. The only letter we have in her own handwriting was a letter she struggled to write for the man she really loved, her Thomas. I cannot help feeling sorry for her. What choice did she have when Henry decided to make her his next wife? To Katherine, Henry VIII was only one step away from God. With her motto as “No other wish than his,” how could this eighteen year-old girl say to him nay. Not only would this go against her own family wishes, but only those with a death wish said nay to Henry VIII.
It is very possible that she possessed sincere feelings for him too. So utterly neglected from her earliest years, it is not surprising that men found her an easy conquest. She probably craved love and security; Henry royally satisfied both needs. He doted on her, lavishing her with gowns and jewels. But Henry was no longer an attractive bridegroom by any stretch of the imagination. Overweight, old before his time, suffering from a bad leg, thirty years older than Katherine – is it any wonder that his young wife sought solace in the arms of a young man closer to her own age?
But why she was so silly to think she could get away with it? Could it be she thought – in some strange innocence – her behaviour was acceptable? After the discovery of his ‘private’ night visits to the Queen’s chamber, both Katherine and Thomas denied complete consummation of any relationship. Perhaps we have here the answer: Katherine thought it was all right to ‘dally’ with Thomas as long as she was careful not to go far enough to risk pregnancy; believing that the rules for courtly love applied to Queens as well as Kings.
It is possible that a lot of the blame for their relationship lay at Thomas Culpeper’s door too. With the King frequently ailing and his heir only a boy of three, the temptation for him to control the future Queen dowager – clearly infatuated with him - was too much; thus he succumbed.
With his years at court and closeness to this Tudor King, Thomas knew better the risks they were taking, and the evidence suggests that their relationship didn’t get into the full swing until after Henry had almost died. Lady Jane Rochmond called him a ‘Sweet fool,’. I think this description is very apt for Katherine too.
Reference:
The wives of Henry VIII, by Antonia Fraser. Although more than just one book will be referred to during this course, The wives of Henry VIII is the main reference 'text.' Written in a very readable manner, this book is a very sensitive account of the six women who became the consorts of Bluff King Hal. Antonia Fraser's research is always excellent.
Please note my edition (published in Australia) is called Henry VIII and his Wives
Further reading
Katheryn Howard: Henry's Thorny Rose
