Catherine Howard

Who was Catherine Howard?

Catherine Howard was Queen of England from 1540 until 1541, as the fifth wife of Henry VIII; sometimes known by his reference to her as his "rose without a thorn". Catherine married Henry VIII on 28 July 1540, at Oatlands Palace, in Surrey, almost immediately after the annulment of his marriage to Anne of Cleves was arranged. However, Catherine Howard was beheaded after less than two years of marriage to Henry on the grounds of treason for committing adultery while married to the King. Catherine was the third of Henry's consorts to have been a member of the English gentry instead of European nobility.