Katherine Howard, executed in 1542 for adultery and treason, has long polarised opinion - portrayed either as a promiscuous good-time-girl or an abused young woman.
Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb investigates the truth behind Henry VIII's fifth wife.
In this first episode, Suzannah visits Chesworth House, the home of Katherine's step-grandmother, where Katherine spent much of her youth. Here, she discovers how she conducted herself in her early romantic relationships - later used by Henry as proof of her promiscuity. She also tries her hand at playing the virginals, a 16th century keyboard, which Katherine learnt to play while at Chesworth.
At Hampton Court Palace, Suzannah explores Katherine's debut at court, and learns how she caught the eye of both courtier Thomas Culpeper and King Henry VIII. The latter would marry Katherine as soon as his marriage to Anne of Cleves was annulled. Historian Gareth Russell unpacks the couple's surprisingly joyful first year.
But, heading to Lincoln Cathedral, Suzannah learns how it was on the Royal Progress here in 1541 that things began to unravel for Katherine...
Up Next in Women's History Month
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Katherine Howard: Vixen or Victim? - ...
Katherine Howard, executed in 1542 for adultery and treason, has long polarised opinion - portrayed either as a promiscuous good-time-girl or an abused young woman.
Prof. Suzannah Lipscomb investigates the truth behind Henry VIII's fifth wife.
In this second episode, historian Gareth Russell ...
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Divine Fury: Demeter and Persephone -...
Acclaimed classicist Natalie Haynes is back on History Hit. This time she explores one of the most powerful and enduring myths of the ancient world: the story of Demeter and Persephone.
Our journey begins with the kidnapping of the young goddess Persephone by Hades, the dark Lord of the Underw...
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Divine Fury: Demeter and Persephone -...
In the series conclusion, Natalie Haynes delves into the dark compromise that resolved the myth of Demeter and Persephone. She explores how this narrative gave ancient people a vital framework for understanding the seasons - a bitter bargain that marked the transition from the vibrant bloom of sp...
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