Falling: Katheryn Howard Stripped of Her Title

~ Falling: Katheryn Howard Stripped of Her Title ~

The investigation into Katheryn Howard’s past had not ended with her imprisonment at Syon Abbey. As the French ambassador reported:

“[Katheryn]?ℎ???ℎ? ?ℎ?? ????? ℎ?? ???? ?????????? ?ℎ?? ????? ??? ??????? ????ℎ??; ???, ??????? ?ℎ? ????????, ??????? ?? ????? ?? ??? ??? ????? ??? ????? ???? ? ????????, ?? ?ℎ?? ?ℎ?? ???? ???? ???? ?ℎ???? ?? ?ℎ??ℎ ?ℎ? ???ℎ? ℎ????? ℎ?? ????ℎ —?ℎ??ℎ ???? ??? ?? ???? ?? ?ℎ? ???? ????? ?ℎ??ℎ ?? ??? ?? ??????????? ?? ??????.””

The “presumption” was that Katheryn had committed adultery or intended to. It was never proven, only alleged, though Thomas Culpepper admitted he would “do ill” with the queen if she would have consented.

The old Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, who had been Katheryn’s guardian, was questioned extensively about what she knew and thrown into the Tower. Her eldest son, William Howard, his wife, and the Duchess’s daughters Anne Howard and Katherine Daubeney, Lady Bridgewater joined her along with several servants who had known of Katheryn’s premarital activities. Several would be charged with misprison of treason.

Katheryn’s uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, did everything he could to denounce and distance himself from the young queen and his other “treasonous” family members, saying that he wished Katheryn would be burned. He wrote a slavishly groveling letter to the king:

????ℎ??? ?ℎ?? ???ℎ ?ℎ? ?????????? ????? ???? ?? ??? ?? ℎ?? ??????, ??? ?ℎ? ???????? ???????? ?? ???? ?? ℎ?? ???, ℎ? ????? ?ℎ? ???? ???? ??ℎ?? ?? ℎ??? ????? ?? ℎ?? ?? ℎ?? ??? ????? […] ??? ??? ????ℎ ??? ?ℎ? ????? ???? ℎ?? ???ℎ??-??-??? ??? ?????? ???? ℎ??, ???? ℎ?? ℎ???, ??? ℎ? ???? ??? ???? ????????? ?? ?ℎ? ????’? ??????, ???ℎ??? ?ℎ??ℎ ℎ? ???? ????? ?????? ?? ????.

For his part, Henry was sulking, alternately raging and weeping. The French ambassador wrote about it in one of his dispatches:

[T]ℎ?? ???? ℎ?? ?ℎ????? ℎ?? ???? ??? ?ℎ? ????? ???? ℎ?????, ??? ????? ???ℎ ????? ?? ????? ???????? ?ℎ?? ?? ???? ?? ??? ?ℎ???ℎ? ℎ? ℎ?? ???? ???, ??? ℎ? ?????? ??? ? ????? ?? ???? ℎ?? ℎ? ℎ?? ????? ?? ???ℎ. ??????? ?? ??????? ℎ? ???????? ?????? ??? ℎ????? ???ℎ??? ?????? ?ℎ??? ℎ? ????? ??. ????????? ℎ? ???? ???????????? (ℎ??? ?? ??????) ?ℎ?? ?ℎ?? ?????? ????? ℎ?? ????? ???ℎ ?????ℎ? ?? ℎ?? ???????????? ?? ?ℎ? ?ℎ???? ℎ??? ??????? ?? ℎ?? ????ℎ. ??? ??????? ℎ? ???? ?? ????? ?????????? ℎ?? ??? ???? ?? ??????? ???ℎ ???ℎ ???-??????????? ?????, ??? ??????? ℎ?? ??????? ??? ?ℎ?? ???? ????ℎ???.

The council’s reaction to that last line is not recorded, but perhaps it’s better left to the imagination.

On November 22, it was announced that Katheryn Howard’s title of queen had been stripped from her — just as her jewels and cloth of estate had already been taken — and henceforth, she was only to be known as Katheryn Howard.

Removing the title of “queen” in this instance was simple, a matter of declaring it. Katheryn — like the two wives before her — had never been crowned, and the title of queen was a courtesy because of her marriage to the king.

It appears at points during the subsequent interviews with her that people addressed her as Lady Katheryn Howard, a title to which she was not entitled by birth, so some may have felt she still deserved a degree of honor because she had been the king’s wife.

Henry had come to a decision about Katheryn. There would be no trial this time. He would have her condemned to death by Act of Parliament. And it would be under a retroactive new law which made it treason for a woman to conceal her sexual history if the king expressed an interest in marrying her.