Friday, May 12, 2006
Question from Micaela - Elizabeth I and Katherine Howard
i'm wondering if Elizabeth I knew that she was related to Katherine Howard, seeing as her mother Anne Boylen and Katherine Howard were first cousins so what that make Elizabeth I and Katherine Howard? Also some resources spell the names of all the Katherines as Catherine not Katherine,so I'm wondering which is the correct spelling? I'm a fifteen year old girl and am a history buff, I especially like learning about the Tudors and Stuart familes as those families represent my mother's family's native countries (I'm Canadian). I'm not doing a project for school -I'm in grade 8- but one of the sections of my Social Studies course has a lesson on the Tudors, so this might help a little with school if ever I decide to do a project on the Tudors!
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3 comments:
Princess Elizabeth did know that she was related to Catherine Howard. That is one reason she was so prevelent at the Tudor court while Catherine was her step-mother. Historians also think that the death of this relative, in the same manner as her mother's, is what made Elizabeth swear-off marriage forever.
Elizabeth Howard (mother of Anne Boleyn) and Edmund Howard (father of Kathryn Howard) were brother and sister. Anne and Kathryn were direct cousins.
"Katherine" vs "Catherine"...nothing concrete on that score. People spelled their names in any fashion in those days- basically, it was personal preference.
Catherine of Aragon has been seen in books with her first name spelled with a "K"...or vice versa. For myself, "C" of Aragon is what is seen most often, and then Kathryn Howard for Elizabeth's cousin, and Katherine Parr for the sixth wife. Notice the last two are both started with "K"s, but spelled differently in the body.
The same idea goes for Anne Boleyn and Ann (or Anna) of Cleves.
Anne Boleyn & Kathryn Howard were first cousins, grandchildren of Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk and his first wife Elizabeth Tilney. When Elizabeth died Howard married her kinswoman Agnes Tilney who is sometimes said, incorrectly, to be the grandmother of the unfortunate girls. It was while teenager Kathryn was living in the Lambeth household of her step-grandmother that she became involved with a number of unsuitable men, including her music teacher, before she caught the eye of the king.
There is an image of Elizabeth Tilney on my company website at www.queens-haven.co.uk; she is the duchess on the right of the picture.
Kathryn Howard would sometimes spell her name with a 'y' and I use this spelling in my books to distinguish her from the other queens of the same name.
Good luck with your studies.
Spelling in Tudor times was not a priority, as not many people could read or write. So spelling was not set as it is today. Boleyn was often spelt Bullen and both were correct at that time. Even today historians often spell the names Henrys wives differently! So it depends on which books you read! Great books are David Starkey’s' six wives and his book Elizabeth, Alison weirs' six wives of Henry VIII and King and court, by the same author are good starting points.
Elizabeth I's Grandmother was a Howard. She was the 3rd Duke of Norfolk’s sister Elizabeth Howard, until she married Thomas Boleyn (Earl of Wiltshire.) As queen Elizabeth took great care of her Mothers' Howard/Boleyn kin so I expect she knew very well who Katherine was.
Katherine Howards' father was Edmond Howard (yet another brother of Elizabeth and Thomas Howard(3rd Duke of Norfolk.) There were another two Howard siblings I haven't mentioned, who did not have children.) Katherine’s' mother was Joyce Culpepper. Queen Katherine Howard was also a first cousin to Thomas Culpepper one of the men she was accused of sleeping with at her trial.
There was another Catherine Howard in the family at that time who was not Queen! Just to confuse us all! She was the daughter of Thomas Howard the 3rd duke of Norfolk (mentioned above) Norfolk was not either Elizabeth I or Katherine Howard’s Grandfather. (he was Katherine Howard’s and Anne Boleyn’s uncle and therefore Elizabeth’s great uncle.)His first wife was Anne, they had no children and his second wife was Elizabeth Stafford.(3rd Earl of Buckingham’s' daughter) They had 5 children together. One was named Catherine who died in 1529. This Catherine was not Henry VIII's wife. Norfolk did eventually marry one of his children, Mary Howard, to Henrys bastard son Henry Fitzroy. A great book to read about this son is Beverley A Murphy’s' Bastard prince. Which has a detailed family tree in the back. Which I have used to check my details with today! Good luck
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