The key figures Beheaded: Catherine Howard The fun-loving, effervescent girl whose past loves sent her to the gallows Catherine Howard was the young and spirited daughter of Lord Edmund, brother to Elizabeth Howard, Anne Boleyn’s mother – making her first cousin to the ill-fated queen Although aristocratic blood flowed in her veins, her father was a younger son and not particularly wealthy Catherine was sent to live with the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, but received little guidance or attention She spent more of her time with the other girls, secretly letting men into their sleeping quarters rather than reading or writing She was vivacious and spirited with a kind nature, but had a wandering mind and found it hard to concentrate on one thing for any amount of time She embarked on a sexual relationship with the secretary of the household, Francis Dereham The relationship bloomed and they began addressing each other as husband and wife, leading many to believe they had a precontract to marry, however when the Dowager found out the relationship was terminated Aged 19 Catherine entered the royal court, serving Anne of Cleves Henry, who had little interest in Anne, soon took a liking to the young, charming lady in waiting Catherine was known for her sexual allure and Henry, now aged 49, couldn’t resist chasing after such an exciting young woman Sixteen days after the annulment of his marriage to Anne, Henry married Catherine She was exactly what the king needed in order to lift his recently low spirits; Catherine injected the king with frivolity and a newfound zest for life, and he bestowed her with gift after gift, dubbing Catherine his “rose without a thorn” For Catherine’s family, the relationship was a blessing and a curse The ambitious Howards hoped that Catherine’s new position would help to gain the influence they had held in the reign of Anne Boleyn, while also helping to restore Catholicism But Catherine, unlike Anne, had not been raised in royal courts She was not cunning or even wary, and she found it difficult to shake off her old flirtatious ways However, her past 80 was catching up with her Those who knew of her previous indiscretions demanded positions at court to pay for their silence, and soon Catherine found herself surrounded with enemies who knew all her secrets Married to an ageing and ailing king, it is no surprise that the flirtatious girl sought comfort elsewhere It was not long until her carelessness caught up with her, and by November 1541 there was enough evidence against the queen to inform the king The king, still besotted with his new bride, at first refused to believe the claims but when Dereham and another alleged lover, Thomas Culpepper were tortured, they admitted their respective affairs and were executed Although she had repeatedly denied any precontract to Dereham, Catherine’s fate was sealed, she was found guilty of treason and sentenced to death She was beheaded on 13 February 1542 Unlike Anne Boleyn, it is likely the charges against her were true, however, she believed that if the king was happy, which he was, they wouldn’t matter Catherine was a naive and carefree woman, unsuited for the intricacies of the royal court, and she paid for it with her life HEIRS LENGTH OF REIGN DESIRABILITY POLITICAL GAINS POPULARITY Margaret Shelton There is some confusion over whether Henry’s third confirmed mistress was Mary or Margaret Shelton, or indeed if they were the same person What we know is that they were first cousins of Anne Boleyn, and served her as lady in waiting It seems that after arriving in court one of the sisters began an affair with Henry, as is commented by Eustace Chapuys, the Imperial ambassador in 1535, “The young lady who was lately in the King’s favour is so no longer There has succeeded to her place a cousin of the concubine”, this lady is later named as “Mistress Shelton.” There are frequent reports of the beauty of both sisters, and there were even rumours that the Shelton mistress was in the running to become his fourth wife The affair, however, was short and many believe it was manufactured by Anne to distract Henry from Jane Seymour After the affair ended Mary did not press the king for money or lands However, when her father died the family’s financial troubles forced her into a convent She eventually married her cousin and had five children