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Actually, Catherine Howard (1525–1542) was supposed to serve Queen Anne of Cleves as a lady in waiting when she was appointed to the court of Henry VIII of England (1491–1547) in 1539/1540.

But even at her first appearance, the king is said to have been gripped by a deep "desire", reported a witness.

Only a few months later, the monarch divorced the unattractive and inexperienced "Flemish mare" Anna in order to immediately marry Catherine.

It was his fifth marriage.

Although only 15 or 16 years old, Catherine could have guessed what she was getting into.

The later daughter of the noble Howard clan had grown up on the estate of her aunt Agnes Tilney, who knew the manners of the royal court very well.

However, she left the supervision of the young women in her loosely run household to governesses, who were barely able to curb their curiosity.

Catherine is said to have had her first sexual experiences with a music teacher at the age of twelve.

Francis Dereham, an impoverished nobleman, was another lover who wanted a closer relationship.

Catherine must have fulfilled her promise to the king to "be fresh and cheerful in bed and at table".

Because the aging Heinrich showered his "rose without thorns" with gifts.

But the hoped-for male heir to the throne did not materialize, presumably because of a syphilis infection, which increasingly began to affect the king.

Catherine, on the other hand, preferred to spend her nights at parties.

"Dear people, please pray for me": Catherine Howard on February 13, 1542

Source: picture alliance / Bianchetti / Le

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She met Thomas Culpeper, a distant relative, whose good looks and amorality had earned him the post of "Gentleman to the King's Privy Chamber".

In the wake of the monarch, the two got closer on a journey.

Another family member provided active help: Jane Boleyn, née Parker, was the sister-in-law of the unfortunate Anne Boleyn, Heinrich's second wife, who had been executed in 1536.

As a lady-in-waiting, Jane acted as a courier between the couple.

The liaison did not remain a secret for long at Heinrich's court, which was experienced in intrigue.

Competitors immediately put the king in the picture.

The rest was taken care of by captive letters and torture.

Jane Boleyn in particular became communicative, presumably out of revenge, since she had temporarily shared Heinrich's bed between Anna and Catherine.

That didn't save her from the death sentence that hit Culpeper, Dereham, and Catherine.

Dereham received the usual punishment for treason - hanging, eviscerating, and quartering - while Culpeper was sentenced to beheading, which amounted to a pardon.

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Catherine and Jane were also destined to be killed by the sword.

In the Tower of London Catherine is said to have practiced on the wooden execution block before her execution on February 13, 1542.

Her last words were, “I am dying a queen, but I would rather die a wife of Culpeper.

God have mercy on my soul.

Dear people, I ask you to pray for me. "

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