The Executions of Katharine Howard and Jane Boleyn

Yesterday marked the anniversary of Katharine Howard and Jane Boleyn's execution. I received several emails asking me about the nature of their death and what actually happened that day on the scaffold. First off, we must have a basic understanding of the charges against the women, you can read about them here. There is a lot of debate amongst historians about Katharine's scaffold speech; The Chronicle of Henry VIII, a primary source records her last words as:

"Brothers, by the journey upon which I am bound I have not wronged the King, but it is true that long before the King took me I loved Culpeper, and I wish to God I had done as wished me, for at the time the King wanted to take me he urged me to say that I was pledged to him. I f I had done as he advised me I should not die this death, nor would he. I would rather have him for a husband than be mistress of the world, but sin blinded me and greed of grandeur, and since mine is the fault, mine also is the suffering, and my great sorrow is that Culpeper should have to die through me..."*

 

The Chronicle is moving and shows Katharine as much more brave and accountable for her actions that most  accounts do; there are however, doubts about it authenticity. The author continues to say that following Katharine's beheading Thomas Culpeper met the axe man; this is incorrect as Culpeper had been executed in December, over two months before Katharine. There is a first hand account of the executions by a London resident Sir Ottwell Johnson, which does not mention Katharine's alleged shocking speech, which is surely would have. His account says:

 

 "I see the Queen and the Lady Rochford suffer within the Tower, the day following, whose souls, I doubt not, be with God, for the made the most Godly and Christian end, that ever was hear tell of (I think) since the world's creation uttering their lively faith in the blood of Christ only, and with goodly words and steadfast countenances they desired for all Christian people to take regard unto their worthy and just punishment with death for their offences, and against God heinously from their youth upward, in breaking all his commandments, and also against the King's royal Majesty very dangerously: wherefore they being justly condemned (as they said) by the laws of the Realm and Parliament, to die, required the people to take example of them, for amendment of their ungodly lives, and gladly to obey the King in all things, for whose preservation they did heartily pray; and wiled all people so to do: commending their souls to God, and earnestly calling for mercy upon him: whom I beseech to give us grace, with such faith, hope and charity at our departing of this miserable world, to come to the fruition of his God head in joy everlasting. Amen."*

 

Retha Warnicke, Alison Weir and other revisionist historians believe that Jane had something to do with Anne and her brother George's fall from grace in 1536 and went to the block praying for forgiveness saying, "God has permitted me to suffer this shameful doom as punishment for having contributed to my husband's death. I falsely accused him of living, in an incestuous manner, his sister, Queen Anne. For this I deserve to die. But I am guilty of no other crime..."** Several historians have worked to restore the image of Jane Boleyn which I spoke about here.

 

In my opinion, it is safe to say that Katharine and Jane probably made no grand gestures or speeches, but went to the scaffold with quiet dignity professing their sins and claiming that they deserved their punishments.

 

Katharine and Jane were both laid to rest at the Tower of London in St. Peter ad Vincula near Anne Boleyn and much like Anne their memories have been smeared and damaged due to Hollywood and literary interpretations. It is vital that we investigate these historical events from a primary source perspective and draw our own conclusions.

 

*Quotes taken from The Wives of Henry VIII by Antonia Fraser

**Quote takes from The Lady in the Tower by Alison Weir

 





On This Day in Tudor History

On this day in Tudor history1520 Mary Boleyn, sister to the infamous Anne, married William Carey, an esquire of the body to Henry VIII, at Greenwich. The marriage was one of political matchmaking; William Carey was rising quickly in favor at court and he had noble blood through his grandmother's lineage. We do not have a lot of details about the marriage itself, but controversy would soon surround it. Just two short years later, Mary would strike up a romance with the King. This relationship has become fodder for historical fiction novels including The Other Boleyn Girl as historians and other interested scholars have debated about the paternity of Mary's children, Katherine(1524) and Henry Carey (1526) read my thoughts on their lineage here. Mary has been vilified by some historians, referred to as the Great Prostitute or English mare whom all men "enjoyed to ride" by authors and films. It is a reputation that is perhaps undeserved and perhaps served the purpose of undermining Anne's, and later Elizabeth's, influence. Read my article on the subject The Mary Mythology to draw your own conclusions about the most mysterious member of the Boleyn family.

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On This Day in Tudor History

On this day in Tudor history 1536 Anne Boleyn miscarried her last child. It was an especially sad event as physicians who examined the fetus agreed that it appeared to be male. If Anne had given Henry his much sought after heir, her position would likely have been cemented. I wrote an information article on this topic last year, you can read it here.

The Death of Henry VIII

The death of Henry VIII was slow and painful; he suffered from excruciating, festering ulcers which rotted his leg, sporadic and violent mood changes, digestive problems, chronic headaches and likely last stage type II diabetes. Henry's obesity (his waist measured 54 inches) certainly exasperated these condition and hastened his death at the age of 55, which occurred on January 28, 1547 at Whitehall Palace. Henry must have sensed his imminent demise as he had begun vigorously reworking his will and paving the way for his son's smooth accession to the throne over the past several months. He prohibited his wife, Kateryn Parr and his children, from being at his side during his last illness, presumably because he wanted to maintain the image of him as a powerful king, not a man suffering through his last hours. On February 15 Henry's casket was interred at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle next to his beloved wife Jane Seymour.  The death of Henry VIII resulted in the rise of Edward VI to power and with him an Evangelical administration. Over the next several years the Church of England would shift a canonically Protestant institution for the first time.

Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Younger
circa 1542