Catherine Howard: Representations of the Young Tudor Queen by Sara Hayter

Naïve, childlike, frivolous, adulteress and seductress. These are just a few of the adjectives that are attributed to Henry VIII’s young queen and fifth wife. Catherine Howard has been portrayed countless times on screen and in theatre. We have read about her story in the pages of history, in popular mediums and through historians. We have sung along with joy watching or listening to the SIX soundtrack when Catherine’s song, ‘All You Wanna Do’ blasts out. The song is fun, mischievous and catchy. It also exposes the tragic circumstances surrounding Catherine’s childhood and life at court. Within the incredibly up-tempo pop musical arrangement, the short life of Catherine Howard is laid bare: suddenly the unflattering portrayals of Catherine throughout history melts away to the stark realisation that she was groomed and abused by all those around her from a young age, thrust into the royal spotlight of Henry VIII’s court, becoming Queen of England, only to die aged around 19 by beheading. Traditional and historic portrayals of Catherine has long been hostile to the young queen, however in recent times, historians and history fans alike have dug deeper into the life of Catherine with a more rounded and sympathetic lens. Catherine Howard was only queen of England for less than two years, but her story has been told and retold many times over. The 1933 British film, The Private Life of Henry VIII, casts Binne Barnes as Catherine Howard. The film, as the title suggests, focuses on Henry and his marriages. Catherine is first seen volunteering to sing to the king by her own volition in the great hall, amongst the hungry courtiers. Barnes portrays Catherine as ambitious, mature, witty and opportunistic. The Catherine Howard of this acclaimed British film orchestrates her own meetings with the king and holds her own. In one scene, Catherine and Thomas Culpepper share a kiss, while Henry is resting in his bed only meters away. The next scene, text come on screen, telling the audience that Culpepper’s desire for Catherine has made his life ‘unbearable’. Henry is portrayed as a comical, clumsy, lonely king, whose table manners, amongst other things leave little to be desired. By positioning Catherine as worldly, ambitious and mature against a childish hammed up Henry, the film’s portrayal of Catherine Howard is anything but sympathetic. In the BBC series The Six Wives of Henry VIII 1970, Catherine Howard is played by Angela Pleasence. The first introduction of the would be queen is at her cramped living quarters, which she shares with other minors. Unlike the 1933 film, audiences do get a very brief glimpse of the lax living conditions, and her girlish excitement when divulging details of an affair to her friend and roommate. However, Catherine Howard is anything but a young, sympathetic figure in this series. After her roommate mentions her romantic past, she tugs at her hair, threatening to poison her if she speaks about this in public, revealing a cunning and devious nature. This film, unlike the previous, hints at the family dynamic Catherine was bought up in before her presence within the Tudor court. Catherine Howard, was likely born around 1523, in London. Despite having noble ancestry, Catherine’s upbringing was filled with uncertainty, neglect and abandonment. Her father, Lord Edmund Howard, whittled away finances by gambling, often leaving his ever increasing family (Catherine was one of eleven children) to cope on their own. After the death of her mother in 1528, Catherine and her brother Henry, resided at Agnes Howard’s large residence. Agnes, Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, managed two large residences – one in Sussex and one in Lambeth, London. She had many young wards that lived in her household, with Catherine being one of them. Supervision and care for the young wards was slack and neglectful. Around the age of 13, Catherine began music lessons with a man called Henry Mannox. Debates about the nature of the relationship and the age gap between Catherine and Henry during their time together has been dominated Catherine’s story. However, later during inquiry, both admitted sexual contact. What is for certain is that Catherine was a child and therefore could not consent. The teacher-student relationship was one of authority and power imbalance.

One small screen portrayal of Catherine Howard that is noteworthy is Tamzin Merchant’s Catherine in the hit show, The Tudors (2007-2010). Merchant portrays the queen in a more complex and sympathetic light. Merchant’s Catherine is young, childlike, naïve, flirtatious and excitable. One thing that the series really captures, and more accurately reflects, is how Catherine was exploited and taken advantage of, throughout her short life. Despite this, the show does portray Catherine as superficial and sexually mature. As the audience, we do get a glimpse of Catherine’s lonely life with an increasingly tyrannical king, as well as snippets of Thomas Culpepper’s sexually aggressive and morally corrupt character, however David Starkey’s character assassination of the queen as a ‘good time girl,’ is still heavily implied. In a speech in 2021, the historian David Starkey admits that Catherine Howard’s story has been perhaps the most difficult one to tell. Starkey’s next sentence is rather revealing in its misogyny; he said the difficulty in Howard’s story is that it is all, ‘sex, sex, sex.’ Starkey justifies his comment as simply ‘rereading’ and relying on the historical sources, however his sexism really does shine through in this extraordinary talk. He describes Catherine’s dad as being ‘henpecked’ and a victim of female dominance. When speaking of Catherine living arrangements in her childhood years at Agnes Howard’s residence, he describes her, rather astonishingly, as the ‘badly behaved head girl’ of the home. While Agnes is portrayed as ineffectual, tyrannical and incompetent in maintaining discipline in this ‘boarding school’ set up, Catherine is chief troublemaker, a willing participant, a rebel in this household. While discussing the relationship between Catherine and Mannox, he does acknowledge that she was approximately thirteen years of age, and Mannox was her music teacher, but turns the tables of power onto Catherine, stating because she was of noble ancestry, it was her, rather than the adult male, who was in a position of authority over her as her tutor, that held the power within the dynamic. It an incredible feat of victim blaming, sexism and misogyny is one foul swoop. On his description of Thomas Culpepper, it is a rather striking one, introducing Culpepper as ‘attractive’ and ‘hyper masculine.’ He never mentions Culpepper’s violent past and alleged rape of a woman. In his biography of Catherine Howard Young And Damned And Fair, historian Gareth Russell examines the life of this unfortunate queen in remarkable detail, providing a fresh perspective on her life. It is an account that delves deep into the Tudor court, into the whisperings of palace gossip, of power and politics. Russell paints a picture of Catherine as anything but the ditzy, superficial ‘goodtime’ girl of traditional biographies. It is a more complete, more rounded and nuanced picture of the tragic queen. However complimentary Russell is of Catherine’s queenship, her growing confidence in Henry’s rather intimidating and brutal court, Russel portrays Catherine as a willing participant in her relationships with Dereham and Mannox, as well as Culpepper.

Catherine’s story was retold in Lucy Worsley’s BBC documentary Six Wives, in which the historian and broadcaster masterfully reconstructs the stories of Henry’s wives, challenging the stereotypical narratives of these women. Worsley brings to light their personalities, their rise to the Tudor court and their queenships, and certainly for Catherine, their untimely end. Six Wives is an intriguing investigation into the inner workings of Henry’s court. In episode three, Catherine is introduced and Worsley explores her neglected childhood and the abuse of power by both Dereham and Mannox. Worsley quite rightly highlights Catherine age and argues that Catherine was a victim of abuse. When she tackles the Culpepper relationship, the historian does alert the audience to Culpepper moral character, mentioning the alleged rape and murder in his past, as well as his bully boy tactics. Unlike other historians that have implied that Catherine was a willing participant in all her relationships, Worsley stands firm against this claim. The story of Catherine Howard, Henry VIII’s tragic young queen has captivated audiences and people for centuries, and I believe it will continue to do so. There has been a marked shift from the ‘goodtime girl’ narrative to the recognition of Catherine as a child that was neglected and abused, however there will always be debates surrounding that point. The earlier films discussed in this article portray Catherine as either a mature, witty ambitious adult, complicit in her demise, or with a childish, spiteful character that willingly engages in promiscuous sexual activity. Both portrayals is laced with misogyny and the rather peculiar notion that a child of 13 and onwards, can not only consent to sexual relations with adult men, but can be the aggressor of them. David Starkey’s notion that it was Catherine, and not the adult men, who were in control is bewildering to say the least. In his talk, which was uploaded on YouTube in 2021, he acknowledges that his speech will be controversial, referencing the #MeToo movement, and asserts his claims by presenting historical evidence, documents and letters. And Russell, presents a detailed and extensive account which includes historical documents, but historical documents will not present the full picture. Catherine was a mere child when she lived with the Dutchess Dowger of Norfolk; one child amongst many living in that household where their welfare and regard was of little thought. Her education was limited and two men who worked within the household had access to the children in that setting. Two adult men of responsibility; one a secretary and one a music teacher. A child cannot consent. There was no one that looked after Catherine’s welfare. As a child whose mother had died, and her father effectively neglecting and abandoning her, she was vulnerable. Even though Catherine herself confessed to the relationships, she was most likely groomed and abused. The Tudors was a slight departure from the traditional portrayals of Catherine Howard and Merchant’s performance was captivating. In this version, we do see Catherine’s misery of being married to a tyrannical, misogynistic and bad tempered king. We do, thankfully see the character of Thomas Culpepper and what he was capable of. This is paramount to Catherine’s story, and the fact that Culpepper’s rape allegation has been traditionally excluded or explained away as the king having pardoned him, is reminiscent of the ignorance and misogyny that women of sexual abuse still face today. Thankfully, in Worsley’s Six Wives and in recent scholarship, this is addressed, as well as the emphasis of her young age and her exploitation at the hands of older men. It is naïve to think that Catherine Howard and her reputation is rehabilitated; as Starkey and Russel illustrate, there will always be historians that will advocate loudly that Catherine was a willing participant. There will always be accounts and portrayals of Catherine as the ‘goodtime’ girl and emphasising her sexual past. Thankfully, the tide is turning, and Catherine’s circumstances, her age and the challenges she faced as queen is being acknowledged in a way it never was before.