Catherine howard (1520/1525? -1542 February 13), and the name can also be spelled Katherine. The fifth wife of King Henry VIII of England, the second granddaughter of the Duke of Norfolk, and the daughter of Edmund Howard are called "roses without thorns". There is no exact statement about her date and place of birth. It is said that she 152 1 was born in London.
Anne of Clevis divorced Henry VIII in July 1540 and became queen in the same month. The wedding was held in Outland Palace in Suri on July 28th. A year later, she was accused by Thomas Cranmer of having premarital sexual relations with a musician and a relative. She divorced Henry VIII in 154 1 and was beheaded for adultery a year later (1February 542 13). 1543, Henry VIII married catherine parr.
all one's life
one's early years
Catherine is the tenth child of Edmund Howard and Joyce Culpepper. Her brothers and sisters include Ralph, George, Henry, Charles, Mary, Thomas, Isabel, Joyce and Margaret.
Catherine's exact date of birth is inconclusive, except that it is between 1520 and 1525. Catherine comes from a noble family. She is Thomas Howard, niece of the third Duke of Norfolk and cousin of anne boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII. [2] Her father is the second son and has to be attached to more powerful relatives. With the help of anne boleyn, he got a position in Calais on 153 1. Young Catherine went to Agnes Thirny, the widowed godmother and the Duchess of Norfolk (Catherine's grandfather's second wife).
The Duchess lives in the luxurious Lamberthz Palace, accompanied by a large number of men and women, and many children from poor families are sheltered by her. However, the duchess often stays in the court and is very lax in educating and raising her children. Catherine can read and write. Her education level is better than that of most British women of her generation, but it is the worst among Henry's many wives. She is often described as cheerful and lively, but no one has ever said that she is knowledgeable or pious. In the laissez-faire environment of the Duchess's residence, 1536, she had an affair with the music teacher Henry Manox, when she was only 1 1 or 13 years old. When Catherine became queen, she appointed Manox as a royal musician. Later in the trial, Manox gave testimony against Catherine. Manox and Catherine both admitted that they had sexual contact. Catherine has a new suitor: Francis Durham, the duchess's secretary. They soon became lovers, commensurate with husband and wife. Durham even gave his money to Catherine for safekeeping. Many of Catherine's roommates knew about it, but the relationship ended in 1539 with the intervention of the Duchess. Catherine and Durham agreed to get married after he came back from Ireland. In the view of the church at that time, as long as they vowed to marry each other before having sex, they could be regarded as valid marriages.
Appear in court first
Catherine's uncle helped him get a position in the court of Henry VIII as a waiter for Anne of Clevis, Henry's German bride. Catherine was young and beautiful and soon won Henry's attention. Her relatives are full of doubts that Catherine is too young to cope with all kinds of responsibilities as a king's mistress, and she has only been in the palace for a few months. On the other hand, anne boleyn's accusation and execution of adultery made the Norfolk family lose face in the court of Henry VIII. The family regarded Catherine as the hope of regaining prestige, and also the hope of reestablishing Catholic faith in England. Catherine's popularity has increased the influence of this family. In just a few months, the king gave Catherine a lot of land and clothes.
marry
As mentioned above, before Henry VIII, Catherine had a substantial marriage relationship with Dumet, which lasted until she married Henry and ended when Dumet died in 154 1 year. 1540 On July 9, Henry declared his marriage with Anne invalid. It is said that Catherine is pregnant with Henry's child. They got married quickly on July 28th, probably because Henry was eager for the legal heir. At that time, Henry was nearly fifty years old and his waistline was getting wider and wider. He surrounded Catherine with wealth, jewels and all kinds of luxurious gifts. The war with France and the Reformation brought Henry a lot of troubles, and he hoped that the bride would bring him peace and happiness again. Catherine's motto "Non autre volonte que la sienne" also shows her desire to please the king as queen.
However, despite her wealth and power, Catherine soon found married life boring. She was not really pregnant when she got married, and her husband's bloated figure made people feel boring (he weighed 136 kg at that time, and the wound on his thigh festered). 154 1 At the beginning of the year, with the help of Catherine's old waitress, Mrs. Jane Boleyn (the younger brother of Anne and mary boleyn, the widow of viscount George Boleyn of Rochford), she started dating courtier Thomas Carr Pepper in private. There is no factual evidence that the two men really committed adultery, but this relationship did last for a long time, and they often dated.
154 1 In the summer of, the king and his wife toured all over Britain, during which they had a routine pregnancy test, which may indicate that they still kept their sex life. At the same time, Catherine's affair did not stop. In order to silence those who witnessed her rash behavior at Lambert Palace, she hired many old acquaintances. In particular, Henry Menox was hired as a court musician, and Francis Dumet was hired as a private secretary. However, all this has led to disastrous consequences.
collapse
154 1 After the northern tour, john russell, a Protestant reformer, exposed Catherine's rash behavior. Lazarus' sister Mary Hall is the duchess's maid. In order to attack the Catholic Howard family, he leaked the news of the Queen's adultery to Thomas Cranmer, then the archbishop of Canterbury and Henry's confidant.
Cranmai gave the secret letter to Henry on15411.2. Henry didn't believe it, but he agreed to Cranmer's further investigation. Within a few days, I found tangible evidence, including the confessions of Dummette and Culpepper after being tortured in the Tower of London, and Catherine's love letter to Culpepper.
165438+ 10/2, Catherine was arrested. It is said that once she escaped from her pursuers, ran to the church where Henry attended mass, knocked on the door and shouted Henry's name. However, in the end, she was arrested and put in a room in Hampton Palace, accompanied only by Mrs. rochefort. She was forbidden to meet Henry, and Cranmai was personally in charge of her interrogation. Later, Cranmai once said, "It's the first time I saw a person so sad and depressed that anyone who saw it would sincerely sympathize with her." [4] He ordered the guards to remove all things that might be used by her to commit suicide.
If Catherine admits that she is engaged to Durham, Henry VIII will soon declare his marriage with Catherine invalid and expel Catherine from the court. She may live a life of shame and poverty in exile, but she can escape the tragic fate of anne boleyn. But Catherine firmly denied it, insisting that Durham forced her to commit adultery.
Imprisonment and death
165438+1On October 22nd, Catherine was deprived of the title of Queen, and she was kept in Thain Villa in middlesex all winter. Culpepper and Durham were executed in Tyburn, London on15411210. The former was beheaded and the latter was cracked. The heads of two people hang on London Bridge as usual. Her relatives, except her uncle, the Duke of Norfolk, were taken to the Tower of London. These Howard family members were found guilty after trial, sentenced to life imprisonment and confiscated property. However, they were all released and their property was returned.
Catherine herself was imprisoned until June, 5438 +2654381October +0, and the Congress passed the Deprivation of Public Rights Act, which stipulated that anyone who tried to commit treason could also be sentenced to death. It doesn't matter whether Catherine is engaged or not, because the queen's adultery is treason. On February 10, she was sent to the Tower of London. 1 1 day, Henry signed a law depriving citizens of their rights, and Catherine's death penalty is scheduled to be executed at 7 am on 13.
On the eve of the execution, Catherine kept practicing how to put her head on the execution platform. When she was executed, she was pale and frightened. She needed someone to help her to the guillotine, but she was calm. She made a short speech, saying that the verdict was just and fair, and asked for mercy for her family and prayed for the redemption of her soul. Her last words were: "I will die as a queen, but I would rather die as Culpepper's wife." She was killed by one blow, and her body was buried in St Peter's Church near the Tower of London, where her cousin anne boleyn was also buried. Henry was not present. St Peter's Church was reorganized in Victorian era, and Catherine's body was confirmed. Now, her name is also engraved on the Western Wall to commemorate the people who died in the Green Tower.
Francois I of France wrote a letter to Henry VIII, expressing regret over the loss of the "Bohemian Queen". He also said that "women's frivolity will not yield to men's honor."
This world-famous woman named Olympias is the mother of Macedonian King Alexander the Great. Her personality is arbitrary and mysterious. She even recorded that she liked sleeping with snakes and was rejected by her husband Philip II, but it had a great influence on her son Alexander.
Olympias is the daughter of Neotolemos, king of Morosis, one of the most powerful tribes in Epirus. They lived near the region of Aninat in modern Greece. During the reign of Neotolemos, the tribe gradually settled down. Urbanization began, and scribes and other administrative officials appeared. In 358 BC, Moro people became allies of Philip II, the new king of Macedonia who had just ascended the throne. In order to strengthen this alliance, the two sides arranged a political marriage-in 357 BC, Olympias became the wife of Philip II.
The following year (356 BC), a chariot sent by Philip won the Olympic horse race, so the new queen changed her name to Olympias to commemorate this victory. Just this summer, in Pella, the capital of Macedonia, her first son was born-later Alexander the Great.
According to Plutarch, these two things happened on the same day. (Plutarch's original words are that Philip has just occupied an important city-Potidaya, and received three good news in a row within one day after entering the city. Pamini Ou decisively defeated the rival tribes in Illyria, won the Olympic Games and was born as a prince. )
In ancient times, people believed that a great man would have a series of omens when he was born. Therefore, Plutarch mentioned in his biography: "On the wedding night of Philip and Olympias, Olympias dreamed that lightning struck her and lit a fire on her. The fire spread over her and then gradually went out. After Philip got married, he often dreamed that his wife's body was sealed by the lion's pattern. "
In Greek mythology, lightning is the weapon of Zeus, the king of gods. It was generally believed that Alexander was the son of Zeus.
Philip and Olympias also gave birth to a daughter Cleopatra (with the same name as Cleopatra VII Philopatra), who was a very important person in the years after Alexander's death. The birth of the prince and princess has greatly helped Philip's international affairs, and Olympias's status should also rise-but there is no data to prove that her political influence has also increased. It is true that Philip put Olympias's younger brother, Alexander with the same name as his son, on the throne of Moro tribe in 350 BC (this Alexander is famous for his Italian adventure), but this does not mean that Olympias participated in this arrangement-after all, legally speaking, the throne of Moro people is her younger brother, not hers. Philip's career is booming. In the battle of Coronha in August 338, he decisively defeated the Greek allied forces. The next year, he reorganized the areas he conquered within the Corinthian League. At the same time, he married Cleopatra, niece of Macedonian aristocrat talos (with the same name as his daughter), and named her Eurydice. Although Philip II pursued polygamy for political needs, his marriage with Cleopatra Eurydice was very special. In other words, their union is due to love rather than political reasons. Philip II alienated one of his most important wives, Olympias. He even cursed Olympias as an adulteress at the wedding and declared that her son Alexander was illegitimate (that is, not Philip II's own son). Internal relations among Macedonian royal families are becoming increasingly tense.
It is also said that Talas, the uncle of the new princess, was hostile and arrogant to Olympias and his mother. At the wedding banquet of Philip II and Cleopatra Eurydice, he publicly prayed for a legal son for Philip II. The implication is that Olympias is an immoral woman and Alexander is not Philip II's own son, which implies that Cleopatra's son Eurydice will replace Alexander as the heir to the kingdom. Philip II also believed Talas' words, and even drew his sword and killed his son Alexander, and then took the opportunity to exile five close friends of Alexander, including Ptolemy I Soter, the founder of the Ptolemaic dynasty. Olympias, who fell out of favor, fled to Epirus, his mother's home, and the feud within the Macedonian royal family reached its peak.
The combination of Philip II and the new princess made Alexander lose his father's trust, while the new princess's uncle was in full swing, and Alexander's position was in jeopardy. If Philip II hadn't died suddenly, Alexander probably wouldn't have succeeded to the throne. Olympias had gradually fallen out of favor before this because of different opinions. But what is certain is that Olympias loves to keep snakes in court, and some heretical religious ceremonies of Moro tribes have aroused Philip's dissatisfaction and alienated her.
Now, she voluntarily exiled herself and came to her brother Alexander's court in Moros. Her son Alexander and Alexander's friends-later Egyptian Pharaoh Ptolemy and naval commander Ni Arkus also left the Macedonian court in Pella with her. Due to various factors, they will come back soon. In 336 BC, Philip married his daughter Cleopatra to her brother, Alexander from Moro. Olympias was even more isolated: she could no longer rely on her brother's support.
However, in June of 336, 10, when Alexander of Rosia and Cleopatra got married, Philip II was assassinated at a banquet by the royal bodyguard Pausanias, and his plan had no final answer. Olympias and her son Alexander the Great were very skeptical.
Olympias is suspected to be the mastermind because of her public pride and her connection with the murderer Epirus. On behalf of Macedonian officials, Alexander accused the murderer of being instructed by Persian King Darius Iii, which became the reason for his later attack on Persia.
After the death of Philip II, Alexander the Great temporarily left the capital. Olympias brutally killed Europa, the daughter of Cleopatra Eurydice, and Kranos, the son of Cleopatra Eurydice. Cleopatra Eurydice was also killed and committed suicide.
It is said that Alexander the Great was deeply dissatisfied with his mother's actions, but he obviously didn't take any measures to protect the victims, and he was not optimistic about it, because Cleopatra's son Kranos died, and he became the only male representative of the Macedonian royal family (except his mentally unsound brother Philip III), and his position was unshakable. However, historian peter green insists that Kranos was executed by his half-brother Alexander the Great, who inherited the Macedonian throne, and that the deaths of Europa and Cleopatra Eurydice were caused by Alexander's mother Olympias.
During Alexander's Crusade, he kept in touch with Olympias. Some of their correspondence is recorded in many files. During the expedition, Alexander often wrote to his mother to tell his story. When Alexander went to Shiva Oasis Temple, she also contributed to the rumor about Alexander's identity to some extent, that is, he was not the son of Philip, but the son of Zeus Amon. Even the rumor itself was spread by Olympias before Philip died. During the period from 337 BC to 336 BC, she had ample opportunity and motivation to do it.
Although mother and son kept warm contact, Alexander didn't let her interfere in politics. Macedonia was ruled by Antipat, a trusted commander and diplomat of Philip II, who made great contributions to Alexander's accession to the throne. His relationship with Olympias did not seem to be harmonious, so the Queen Mother must be very happy when she was able to return to live in the Moro people in 330 BC: at that time, her brother was killed in a battle in southern Italy, and now she rules the Moro people as the regent of her nephew Ayissi Das.
In 323 BC, Alexander the Great died suddenly in Babylon, leaving behind his wife Roxana and his posthumous son Alexander IV Egers. Olympias became the protector of Roxana's mother and son because of the death of the emperor, but Cassander, who tried to seize the throne, executed Olympias in 3 16 BC. Roxana and her son were finally murdered by Cassander around 309 BC because of the status of Alexander IV Egus as the orthodox heir of the Alexander Empire.