On this day: The wedding of Henry VIII & Catherine Howard

On this day in Tudor history: 28 July 1540

Henry VIII married Catherine Howard at Oatlands, officiated by Bishop Edmund Bonner. They were married very soon after the annulment of his fourth marriage to Anne of Cleve. We know very little about the actual wedding day itself, Henry seemed to prefer private weddings, although he did have extravagant ceremonies when marrying his foreign brides. His fifth marriage became public knowledge two weeks later.

Catherine Howard's year of birth is debated by historians, she was likely in her late teens to twenty years old when she got married. She was first cousin to Henry’s second ill-fated wife, Anne Boleyn. Catherine was young and pretty and she excitedly came to court to be a lady-in-waiting to Anne of Cleve.

Section of: 

Portrait of a Young Woman, (Possibly Catherine Howard), Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.

When Catherine caught Henry’s eye, he was by then a middle-aged man, old enough to be her Grandad. He was obese and had a putrid ulcerated leg – caused by an old jousting accident. Catherine reminded Henry of his youth and probably made him feel young and alive. He was infatuated with her, she was his innocent ‘rose without a thorn’. He showered her with expensive gifts, and could not keep his hands off her – lucky Catherine! 😐

Unfortunately, she was not Queen for long. Henry’s fifth marriage came to an end when Catherine was accused of sexual liaisons which occurred before coming to court and for committing adultery once married to Henry. She was tragically beheaded at The Tower of London in February 1542.

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References: 

-Borman, Tracy, The Private Lives of the Tudors, (2016). Pg 189-190.

-Wilkinson, Josephine, Katherine Howard: The Tragic Story of Henry VIII's Fifth Queen, (2016), Pg 84.

- https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/the-marriage-of-henry-viii-and-catherine-howard/

- https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/history-and-stories/catherine-howard/#gs.batlx5