Catherine Howard

Catherine Howard (c1518/24–1542) was the fifth wife of the Tudor king Henry VIII. She married Henry on 28 July 1540, just three weeks after the annulment of the king's brief marriage to his fourth wife, Anne of Cleves. Henry was nearly 50 years old and Catherine, whose exact birth date is unknown, was probably just a teenager. The union ended in tragedy: the king learned about Catherine's illicit sexual past and extramarital affair and she was charged with treason. Catherine was executed at the Tower of London on 13 February 1542