Why Did Henry VIII Kill Catherine Howard?

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

History Hit

Myths, Folklore, Mystery, History, Ghosts, Society & Culture, Murder, Ufos, True Crime, Paranormal, Supernatural, Serial Killers

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 17 November 2025

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In 1540 Henry VIII was getting old, and his eyes turned to teenager Catherine Howard.

He fell hard and fast for Catherine - his "rose without a thorn" - but when he found out about her past, all hell broke loose.

Amidst all the panic and confusion, who was this young woman who rose to be queen? Why did Henry VIII want her killed? And how should we remember her?

Joining Anthony and Maddy is author and historian Gareth Russell, to help us get to know this woman.

This episode was edited by Tim Arstall and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.

You can now watch After Dark on Youtube! www.youtube.com/@afterdarkhistoryhit

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After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	in henry the eighth's court every corridor is like a cheeseboard what what is it
0:10.2	is it so chestboard does it say cheese did you please tell me you misread it oh my god i'm going
0:18.6	home leave that in whoever is recording Oh my God. I'm going home.
0:22.2	Leave that in.
0:26.6	Whoever is recording this, that has to stay in.
0:29.0	Everything's like a cheeseboard.
0:30.8	And Catherine Howard, Cam and Barrett.
0:31.6	Oh.
0:41.3	In Henry the 8th's court, every corridor is like a chessboard. In Henry the 8th's court, every corridor is like a chessboard. Alliances are struck at supper and broken by sunrise. A misplaced laugh can make an enemy.
0:48.8	Into this crossfire steps Catherine Howard, young, dazzling, flirtatious, and held in such unreasonably high regard
0:56.8	that a fall is almost inevitable. It's a fragile world, where loyalty becomes tested by oaths
1:03.2	and where a memory or a meeting can count as treason. Who profits when such a young queen is killed?
1:10.0	The increasingly disturbing king, or rivals watching
1:13.6	from the shadows. This episode follows the threads of gossip in a merciless world that implicates
1:20.1	a teenage queen and all those around her. From the dark heart of the Tudor court, this is after dark.
1:30.0	Before dawn, the town of the heart of the Tudor Court, this is after dark. Before dawn, the tower runs cold through the stone.
1:34.5	Catherine Howard sits awake, listening to the crows gather and the bells tall outside,
1:40.9	fingers pressed to the grain of the table.
1:43.8	The lieutenant's men wait behind the door,
1:46.6	within a small fire gutters, a queen's last luxury. Except she is no longer queen. Stripped of
1:55.2	titles, her young mind spins from the endless questions she's faced. She's experienced far too much in her short life.
2:03.5	In an attempt to make sense of all that's happened, her memories mix with accusations which
	...

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