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Hey friends, welcome to the Renaissance English History Podcast. This is the weekly highlight reel of videos that I have put out on YouTube. So in case you don't know, you can go over to YouTube and watch all my videos. The channel is History and Coffee, and you can just search for my name as well, Heather Tesco, History and Coffee, and you will get it. And you can subscribe there. Thank you to the many people who already subscribe. And then what I've started doing is

weekly highlight reels of some of the videos that have gone out on YouTube that would be of interest to the podcast listeners as well. So thanks for listening. And you can also, like I said, go over and join me on YouTube history and coffee and search for Heather. And there I am. So let's get right into it.

Today is May 19th, so it is a very important day in Tudor land, in Tudor history land, because it's the anniversary of the execution of Anne Boleyn. So we're going to talk today about the execution of Anne, the final hours of Anne Boleyn. All right, so it's May 19th, the Tower of London. It was just after dawn. It was a Friday, May 19th, 1536, and Anne had been awake all night.

inside the Queen's lodging at the Tower waiting for the end. She had already dressed. She was wearing a dark grey gown with a red kirtle underneath and a cloak trimmed with ermine. Those who saw her that morning remarked on her composure. Someone even said that they never saw her more beautiful. Sir William Kingston, who was the constable of the Tower, even he seemed surprised at how steady she was, which he wrote in his letters.

outside a scaffold had been built on tower green just yards away the swordsman of course had been brought from calais by special order that was seen as like kind of one last mercy by henry the eighth he had arrived earlier that week her execution actually had to be delayed a day they think because the swordsman was a little bit late in actually arriving in london

Some people, though, I will also say lean towards the idea that Henry was still a little bit undecided about a couple of things, namely whether her sentence should be commuted or if not, if she should be allowed to be buried in consecrated ground. So there was there was some delay going on. She thought initially she was going to die on the 18th and it was moved to the 19th.

Anyway, Anne knew exactly what was coming. She was not allowed a confessor, but she did request the Eucharist. At about 7 a.m., she received communion, likely from her almoner, John Skip.

and apparently she swore her innocence once more before taking her communion. According to Chapuis, she declared that she had never been unfaithful to the king. Taking communion the morning of an execution wasn't unusual, but Anne's behavior did stand out. Kingston later reported that she took the sacrament with great devotion and seemed more ready to die than any creature ever saw. There was no confession of guilt, only a firm insistence on her own honesty.

She remained consistent in claiming that she had not committed any adultery or treason. Her final hours were, of course, being closely monitored. Kingston reported every detail to Thomas Cromwell, who was pulling the strings behind the scenes. Even Anne's body language became evidence in the record. He described how she actually made some dark, kind of macabre jokes about her own execution. She apparently said, I heard say the executioner was very good and I have but a little neck. And then she laughed.

It's one of the most chilling lines in the entire story. Half gallows humor, half effort to stay in some kind of control. Anne had expected to die at 8 a.m., but the execution was delayed yet again, this time because the scaffold wasn't ready and the crowd hadn't fully assembled. You can't have an execution without the crowd being fully assembled. Duh.

Sir William Kingston had to tell her that she would need to wait yet again and reportedly took the news with a calm acceptance, though there are some accounts that suggest that she showed some visible signs of exhaustion at this point. Of course she did. She'd been up all night. She's exhausted.

she spent the next hour with the women assigned to her in the tower these of course weren't her friends they weren't her confidants they had been chosen for their loyalty to the king but they had shared her last days and according to kingston anne told them to be brave and not to weep she reminded them of her innocence and the peace she had made with god when kingston entered the room again at nine she told him that she was ready

She was still steady and still composed, and she had already arranged her headdress and her clothing so that nothing would delay the swordsman. Just after nine, she was led from her chambers across the courtyard to the scaffold on Tower Green. There was only a small crowd, about a couple of hundred people. This wasn't a huge public spectacle. It was deliberately kept private. This is the first time a queen had ever been executed, especially by a king, and they really wanted to control the narrative of it as much as possible.

so it was held within the tower walls it wasn't public it wasn't like a tyburn it wasn't on tower hill where people could see it was within the tower walls and it was deliberately private there were only a few noblemen there some tower officials and her ladies kingston noted that she walked with a goodly countenance holding herself with dignity

Anne gave a short speech, very carefully worded, of course. She didn't confess to any crime, but she asked those present to pray for the king, calling him the most gentle and sovereign lord and saying that he had always been kind to her. It was a final show of obedience, likely encouraged if not required. She, of course, was thinking about her daughter Elizabeth and keeping Elizabeth safe.

she expressed hope for salvation and forgiveness and then she knelt down unlike executions by the axe anne's would be swift the french swordsman had been instructed to act quickly and cleanly she removed her hood and blindfolded herself praying aloud as the moment approached she was saying things like lord jesu accept my soul my soul belongs to jesus lord jesus accept my soul

The executioner stepped quietly behind her. The sword was already in his hand, but according to accounts, he called for his assistant to bring him the weapon. It was a distraction so that Anne wouldn't flinch. She kept praying to Jesus Christ, I commend my soul. Lord Jesus, receive my soul. And as he called for his assistant to bring him the sword, her head turned looking at the noise, looking to where the assistant would be, to where he was calling.

and that exposed her neck in the cleanest sort of way. So the sword fell cleanly in one stroke and was beheaded instantly. There wasn't any cheering, there wasn't any ceremony. Her ladies were weeping and they gathered her body and her head into a linen cloth. She was buried just steps away inside the chapel of St. Peter Advincula in an old arrow chest because they hadn't remembered a proper coffin. A Queen of England without a proper coffin.

There weren't any bells ringing. There wasn't any public mourning, anything like that. That same day, Henry announced his engagement to Jane Seymour. So in a couple of the books that you read, especially Alison Weir books, she

She talks about the idea that some witnesses say that Anne's lips were moving when they held up her head. Of course, they held up her head and say, you know, this is what happens to enemies of the king. And there are some accounts that her lips were still moving. I mean, now, look, there's the idea that your nervous system, that things are still kind of moving, right? Because it doesn't all shut down instantly. But Alison Weir actually did some deep research into this, researched this type of death and all of it.

It's a little bit queasy. It's a little bit queasier than where I'd like to go with this channel and this video. Uh, because it's also a little early in the morning for that. But, uh,

There is an idea. I'll link to the video if you actually do want to get into it, where Alison Ware explains the research that she did and whether or not people die instantly. And you can read about it in her book, too, The Lady in the Tower. I think she goes into the detail about that. I actually read it right before bed. I finished it right before bed, i.e. it was years ago. But I remember having a really hard time getting to sleep after having read it. So if you're queasy about stuff like that, tread carefully before you read it. But, you know, it is there if you want to check it out.

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Same. But before you crash, how about a dairy-powered recharge? Milk, yogurt, cheese, they're not just tasty comfort foods, they're tiny nutritional powerhouses. You're getting complete protein to rebuild muscle, carbs to give you an energy boost, and natural electrolytes like potassium and sodium to help you stay balanced and bounce back faster. And hey, chocolate milk after a workout?

It's a game changer. Your body will thank you and so will your taste buds. Even better, it's all super convenient. Shelf-stable milk and on-the-go yogurt packs are perfect for your gym bag, diaper bag, backpack, whatever your adventure looks like today.

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we are going to talk about the execution of Catherine Howard, the rise and fall of Catherine Howard. It's the time of year where we're talking a lot about Anne Boleyn because it's her trial and execution is coming up. But I also think there's this kind of

trio of executions that Henry did in fairly quick succession. I mean, you can add a little bit more, but I'm thinking about Anne and then Cromwell and then Catherine Howard that really start to show his descent into madness. You can put more in Bishop Fisher and there's a couple others in there, but really those three of these people who had been so close to him, his leading advisors, his queens, it just really shows the paranoia and the

the descent into a really dark place that Henry was going. So we're going to talk about that a little bit today.

Okay, on February 13th, 1542, a teenager walked onto the scaffold at the Tower of London. Once celebrated as young, vibrant, the king's rose without a thorn, Catherine Howard had spent just 16 months as Henry VIII's wife, and now she was condemned for treason.

this wasn't just about alleged affairs or court gossip catherine's downfall was rooted in the failures of the adults who raised her the power struggles at the tudor court and the growing volatility of a king who had lost patience and perhaps even his grip on reality

Today we're digging into what really happened, how Catherine Howard rose so quickly, why her past became political dynamite, and what her story tells us about being a girl at the court in Henry's England.

Catherine Howard was born around 1523, the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard. She had royal blood, but not much else. Her father had no money, no real influence, and according to everyone who knew him, not a lot of sense. By the time Catherine was around seven or eight, she was sent to live in the household of her step-grandmother, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk.

The Duchess's household was large. It was chaotic. Dozens of young people, wards, servants, companions, lived under one roof with little structure or supervision. It wasn't a place of careful guidance or moral instruction. It was a place where older, more powerful individuals often took advantage of the young and the vulnerable girls.

Catherine was still a child. She became entangled in relationships with adult men. First, her music teacher and later Francis Durham, who was a secretary in the household.

These weren't courtly romances. They were imbalanced relationships that reflected the lack of oversight and care in her environment. Let's be clear about that. Yet when Catherine became queen, these past experiences were treated not as signs of a failed upbringing, which they should have been, but as evidence of her personal guilt.

it's important to remember katherine had no formal education no preparation for life at court no tools to navigate the political minefield that she was about to enter by the time she caught henry's attention

She was a teenager shaped by neglect and completely left unprepared for what was coming her way. When Henry's marriage to Anne of Cleves collapsed in 1540, Catherine became his next choice. Young, pretty, flattering in all of the ways that Anne had not been. He was nearly 50. She was around 17. Within weeks of Anne's departure, Henry had married her. He was besotted.

Catherine called him her noble and gentle prince. Henry called her his rose. To the court, it looked like Henry had found happiness again. Catherine was elevated quickly. Her family, especially the powerful Howards, who had lost power and favor when Anne Boleyn had fallen, were back in power and favor. But beneath the surface, things were not so solid. Henry's health was deteriorating. He was increasingly paranoid, prone to violent outbursts.

Catherine was still essentially a teenager. She was isolated from her friends and her family and placed under constant scrutiny. She had no real political power, but enormous symbolic value. And while she had the title of a queen, she was still vulnerable to manipulation by those around her, especially courtiers who believed that her favor could advance their own standings.

Among them was Thomas Culpepper, one of Henry's most trusted servants. Rumors soon began to circulate that Catherine was meeting privately with him. Whether those meetings involved anything more than conversation is actually still hotly debated. But in Henry's court, rumor could be enough to cost you your life, as Anne Boleyn had seen just recently.

of six years earlier everything began to fall apart for catherine in the autumn of fifteen forty one that's when a courtier named john lascelles came forward with information that he thought the archbishop of canterbury needed to know

Lassell's sister, Mary Hall, had once served in the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk's household, the same chaotic environment where Catherine had spent her youth. Mary had told her brother that Catherine had been involved with two men there, her music teacher, Henry Mannix, and a household servant named Francis Derham. Lassell's brought this information to Thomas Cranmer, the archbishop, who then faced the unenviable task of informing Henry VIII.

Cranmer waited for the right moment, reportedly slipping a note to the king during mass at Hampton Court that laid out the allegations. Henry's first response was disbelief. He refused to accept that his young queen, his rose without a thorn, had been involved in any kind of scandal. But he did allow Cranmer to begin to investigate quietly, likely assuming that it would come to nothing. Except it didn't. It actually all escalated really quickly.

Mannix was questioned first. He admitted that he engaged in what he called a familiar relationship with Catherine while tutoring her in music, but he insisted that it hadn't gone all the way. He made sure to emphasize that Derham had come after him, the implication being, if anyone went further, it wasn't me, it was him. Next came Frances Derham, who was already a suspicious figure at court. After Catherine became queen, she had appointed him to her household. Some

something that in hindsight looks like a pretty critical error when questioned derham admitted to the past sexual relationship with her and said that they had considered themselves married in the eyes of god catherine under pressure acknowledged much of it but insisted that the relationship had ended long before she entered any kind of royal service

at that point the investigation still might have been containable an embarrassing past yes maybe enough to send her off to a nunnery and in all the marriage sure but not necessarily treason then the focus unfortunately shifted to the present

Servants in Catherine's chamber began to talk specifically about secret late-night meetings between the Queen and Thomas Culpepper. Thomas Culpepper, of course, had been one of Henry's favorite gentlemen at court.

These meetings, they claimed, were arranged by Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, widow of George Boleyn and sister-in-law to Anne Boleyn. Jane had been placed in Catherine's household and became her confidante. According to the testimony, she facilitated private visits between Culpepper and the Queen while the court was on progress that summer.

Investigators soon discovered a letter from Catherine to Culpepper. It wasn't graphic, but it was intimate and pleading. It includes a sentence, For I never longed so much a thing as I do to see you and speak with you. The witch I trust shall be shortly now. The witch doth comfort me very much. When I think of it, and when I think again that you shall depart from me again, it makes my heart tremble.

to die, to think what fortune I have that I cannot always be in your company.

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Kroger. Fresh for everyone. You ever finish a hike, a workout, or just a nonstop day juggling everything and think, okay, I need a snack and a nap. Yep.

Same. But before you crash, how about a dairy-powered recharge? Milk, yogurt, cheese, they're not just tasty comfort foods, they're tiny nutritional powerhouses. You're getting complete protein to rebuild muscle, carbs to give you an energy boost, and natural electrolytes like potassium and sodium to help you stay balanced and bounce back faster. And hey, chocolate milk after a workout?

It's a game changer. Your body will thank you and so will your taste buds. Even better, it's all super convenient. Shelf-stable milk and on-the-go yogurt packs are perfect for your gym bag, diaper bag, backpack, whatever your adventure looks like today. It's one of the easiest choices you can make for your health. So next time you're fueling your everyday or something more epic, fuel up with something real and satisfying. Find your favorite dairy products at your local grocery store today.

That's not the kind of thing a queen should be writing to someone who serves her husband. The letter didn't confirm a sexual relationship, but it did strongly suggest an emotional attachment, which was enough to be dangerous.

By now, Henry was no longer just angry, he was humiliated. The woman he had married, as a symbol of his renewed youth and virility, was now being painted as faithless. Worse, it looked like she had brought old lovers into her inner circle. Henry's fury turned cold. The investigation ramped up. Derham and Culpepper were both arrested and tortured. Derham insisted that he and Catherine had been involved before her marriage, not after.

Culpepper was more evasive. He admitted to the meetings but denied that anything physical had ever happened. Though under torture, it's hard to say how much of that was choice or strategy.

catherine now detained and alone was reportedly in a state of complete collapse she was interrogated ultimately confessed to her past with derham denied adultery with culpepper it didn't matter the privy council and the parliament were already moving ahead with the bill of attainder declaring her guilty of treason without even a trial

By early 1542, the outcome was sealed, and Catherine's fate, like Anne Boleyn's before her, was no longer a legal question. It was now political. On the morning of February 13, 1542, Catherine was executed on Tower Green inside the walls of the Tower of London. She was only about 18 or 19 years old.

she had spent the previous night praying and preparing and according to eyewitnesses practising how to lay her head on the block jane boleyn lady rochford was executed alongside her that same day both women were buried near anne boleyn in the chapel of st peter

There's a famous quote often attributed to Catherine where she said, I die a queen, but I would rather have died the wife of Culpeper. But like many tidy lines in Tudor history, there's no evidence that she actually said that. Her real final words were likely far more restrained and lost to time.

Henry didn't attend the execution, of course. He stayed at Whitehall, reportedly sinking into a dark mood and refusing any company. Whether he was grieving, enraged, or just tired of another failed marriage is impossible to know, but he never spoke of Catherine again. Catherine's story is often reduced to a simple morality tale. She was too young, too careless, she partied too much, she was too flirtatious, she was a little bit dimwitted.

But that actually misses the real tragedy of her life. She was a teenager raised in an unstable household with no protection. Her early experiences were shaped by adults who exploited her vulnerability. When she was placed in a position of unimaginable pressure as Queen of England, she had no guidance, no allies, and no room for error. The Tudor court judged her harshly for what it helped to create.

Her past relationships, shaped by an imbalance and lack of supervision, were used against her as if she had been in control of them. When it came time to defend herself, there was no one willing or able to stand up for her. Her death wasn't just the result of adultery or betrayal. It was the result of a system that treated women as tools, punished them for the failings of others, and offered no way out once suspicion took hold.

Thanks so much for listening to this week's YouTube highlights. Remember, you can go over and subscribe. History and Coffee, Heather Tesco, you will find me there. And we'll be back again next week with more highlights from what went out on YouTube throughout the week. Thanks so much. Have a great week.

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