Not Just the Tudors Katherine Howard's Deadly Affairs
Feb 12, 2026
Gareth Russell, historian and author, offers sharp commentary on Catherine Howard and court figures like Thomas Culpepper. Dr Nicola Clarke, senior lecturer in Early Modern History, explains Catherine’s upbringing and household life. They discuss her childhood instability, early relationships, rise to queenship, risky meetings at Lincoln, the investigations and trials that sealed her fate.
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Chesworth's Chaotic Upbringing
- Catherine Howard grew up in a large, semi-supervised aristocratic household where bed-sharing and mixed-status company were normal.
- Those everyday arrangements later got misread as moral laxity by Victorian commentators and shaped her reputation.
She Exercised Agency With Mannox
- Catherine's relationship with Henry Mannox involved kissing and fondling but she resisted full intercourse and ended it herself.
- Nicola Clarke argues Catherine showed agency and prudence by refusing to lose her virginity to Mannox.
Dereham: Open Secret And Bitter Return
- Catherine's relationship with Francis Dereham was more serious and appears to have been consummated and widely known in the household.
- Dereham later reacted bitterly when she moved to court, even fleeing to Ireland and returning entangled in further troubles.