01x04 - Katherine Howard and Catherine Parr

[bunniefuu]

'l, Catherine, take thee, Henry,

'to my wedded husband.

'To have and to hold
from this day forward

'for better, for worse
for richer, for poorer,

'in sickness and in health

'to be bon aire and buxom
in bed and at bawd

'till death us do part

'and thereto
l plight thee my troth.'

'Catherine Howard
Henry's fifth queen',

'was only a teenager
when she married the King.'

She was petite, pert and pretty.

She liked men and men liked her.

Henry was one of them.

He thought that he was
the first and the only one.

He also thought that
though he was fat and 5O

she loved him
as much as he loved her.

Catherine's problems began
when Henry found out the truth,

for young though she was,
Catherine was a woman with a past.

[Bells tolling]

[Girls giggling]

'From the age of 10,
Catherine was brought up

'in the household
of her stepgrandmother,

'the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk.

'Her mother had died, young
and her father

'though a nobleman,
was constantly in debt.

'It was a conventional upbringing
for a young Tudor woman

'but Catherine's behaviour
was anything but conventional.

'She enjoyed
the flattering attentions

'of various young men
in the dowager's household.

'Her favourite was Francis Dereham

'a handsome gentleman retainer
with an eye for the ladies.

'They exchanged love tokens

'and once were discovered
kissing by the Duchess,

'who gave them both a good hiding.

'But it seems
that neither was put off.

'As was usual in Tudor England,

'all the unmarried women
of the Duchess's household

'slept in a single dormitory
known as the Maiden's Chamber.'

It contained several beds

one of which Catherine shared
with another lady-in-waiting.

In theory, the Maiden's Chamber
was strictly out of bounds

to the men of the household

and the door was locked each night.

But the practice was very different.

The key was frequently stolen

and favoured young gentlemen were
free to come and go as they wished.

'There were midnight feasts
and bedtime romps.

'Despite her unruly upbringing,
Catherine was a member

'of the second most powerful
family in Tudor England

'and thus a young woman
with certain prospects.

'Howard daughters
had often married well

'bringing great wealth
and property into the family.

'Catherine's uncle
the Duke of Norfolk'

'was head of this ambitious
largely Catholic clan.

'He had already seen
one of his nieces, Anne Boleyn,

'rise to Queen of England.

'Now, in late 1539

'he secured places at court,
for two more of his nieces

'Mary Norris and Catherine Howard.'

[# Tudor music]

'With barely a backward glance,

'Catherine left
the Duchess's household

'to become lady-in-waiting
to King Henry's fourth wife,

'Anne of Cleves.

'For the young girl
from the Dowager's dubious academy,

'it was a dream come true.

'Court life was full
of the things that Catherine loved -

'music, dancing,
beautiful clothes, huge banquets

'and eligible young men.

'But it was an older, married man

'who immediately took interest
in the teenage Catherine

'and began to lavish her
with gifts and attention.

'For Henry,
it was love at first sight.

'For Catherine
it was nothing of the sort.'

She was the chorus girl
who'd got her tycoon

and thought only of
the size of his presents.

But Catherine's uncle,
the Duke of Norfolk

and his conservative allies
spotted the opportunity

to use Catherine
as an unthinking pawn

in a big political game
that would deliver Henry

from his unwanted queen,
Anne of Cleves.

'Under Anne
Catholics like the Howards

'had seen their influence attacked

'and they were eager
to be rid of her.

'Henry's infatuation was a godsend.

'The Duke of Norfolk
would use his niece

'to restore his fortunes
and those of his political allies.

'Catherine was given advice
on how often to see the King,

'on what to wear
and on what to do when with him.

'When Henry sent Anne of Cleves
away from court,

'Catherine withdrew
to the Norfolk residence at Lambeth.

'Here the King visited her

'until his boat
became a routine feature

'on the night-time Thames.

'In mid-July,
Parliament formally ratified

'the annulment of
Henry's marriage to Anne of Cleves.

'Two weeks later

'in a secret ceremony
at Oatlands Palace in Surrey,

'the King married Catherine Howard.

'The royal couple's honeymoon
lasted 10 days.

'Henry was infatuated
with his young bride

'and wanted time alone with her.

'He had been unable to have sex
with Anne of Cleves

'whom he suspected
of not being a virgin.

'But Catherine, he thought,
was his pure Tudor flower.

'The queen was cheerful
and loving to her ageing husband

'and he was more than satisfied
with her as a wife.

'But for her, this was not
the young, impetuous love

'she'd known before.

'The husband whom Catherine
had married seemed old

'very old to her.'

When he'd come to the throne

he had been the young,est king
in Christendom

and he still kept
one or two young, favourite pages,

whose charm
good looks and athleticism

reminded him of his earlier self.

But if for the King,
youth was just a nostalgic memory,

for his wife it was a seductive
and all too easily available reality.

'Back at Hampton Court,
the wedding celebrations continued

'with daily banquets and hunts.

'Although rejuvenated
by his young wife,

'Henry was slowed down
by an abscess on his leg

'that sometimes
prevented him from walking,

'let alone riding or dancing.

'In contrast
Catherine was in the prime of life,

'eager and energetic.

'She loved to dance
and Henry indulged her.

'Sometimes he could only watch

'as she performed
with the pick of his young gentlemen.

'For Catherine now
every day was her birthday,

'as a doting Henry
lavished gifts on her.'

He gave her
the Queen's great landed estate

and a wardrobe of
magnificent dresses.

But the cl*max of Henry's generosity

came at New Year's Day 1541,

when he gave her
a treasure house of Jewels,

everything was studded with diamonds
and rubies of the largest size.

'Catherine took all this
as her right.

'It never occurred to her that
someone who is arrayed like a queen

'is expected to behave like a queen.

'Catherine's behaviour
was under close scrutiny.

'The Howard family,
currently riding high on her success,

'was depending on the
giddy teenager not to let it down.

'Around her were many religious
and political enemies of her uncle,

'waiting with eyes and ears open,

'ready to exploit
any weakness or folly.

'That spring, the ageing King
was frequently ill

'and bitterly disappointed
that after six months of marriage

'Catherine was not yet pregnant.

'He fell into depression
and withdrew from court life.

'Henry looked to his wife
to be a diverrting companion

'but Catherine lacked
the necessary wit and patience.

'For a week in March
Henry closed his doors to' her.

'Catherine was left
to her own devices.

'Almost a year to the day
after their wedding,

'Henry and Catherine left for their
summer progress to north England.

'Good relations had been restored

'and the Queen played
her ceremonial role flawlessly.'

Throughout,
Catherine was moon to Henry's sun.

She wore cloth of silver
he wore cloth of gold.

The Yeomen of the Guard
marched behind Catherine

the pensioners with their
silver halberds paraded behind Henry.

'Henry's delight in showing off
his pretty young queen was evident.

'So too was the fact that Catherine
despite her chaotic upbringing,

'had enough of the great lady

'to Carry off the part
of Queen to perfection -

'in public, at least.

'But behind closed doors
it was a very different story.

'Wherever the royal party stayed,

'Catherine spent much of her time
away in her apartments

'and her ladies-in-waiting
were refused entry.

'Gossip was rife.

'One rumour centred round
the new appointment to her staff,

'a handsome young man from
her past called Francis Dereham.

'Even the King
was kept at a distance.

'In late August,
at Pontefract Castle

'the head of his privy chamber
came with a message

'from the King to the Queen.

'But when he tried
to open the door to her apartments,

'he found it locked.

'In late autumn, 1541

'Thomas Cranmer
the Archbishop of Canterbury,

'was awaiting
the return of the King and Queen

'from their summer progress.

'As a religious reformer,

'Cranmer was opposed to
the influence of the Howards.

'Now he had the opportunity
to do something about it,

'for recently he had received
expl*sive information

'about the Queen's past.

'At the end of October

'Henry and his Queen
returned to Hampton Court.

'The King was still besotted
with his teenage wife.

'On the 1st of November
All Saints Day,

'Henry decided to share
his happiness with the whole court.'

So as the King knelt here
in the Chapel Royal at Hampton Court,

he ordered his confessor
to offer up prayers on his behalf.

[Henry]
'l render thanks to thee, O, lord

'that after so many strange accidents

'that have befallen my marriages,

'thou hast been pleased
to give me a wife

'so entirely conformed to
my inclinations as her l now have.'

Was it because
he was now short-sighted

and had to wear spectacles
that he'd noticed nothing peculiar

in the Queen's behaviour?

Or was he just blinded by love?

At any rate,
Catherine could do nothing wrong.

'The very next day,

'Archbishop Cranmer
handed a letter to the King.

'It outlined serious allegations
about Catherine's youth

'from John Lascelles,
a zealous Protestant.

'His sister Mary had shared
the dormitory with Catherine

'and had told him
details of relationships

'between the young Howard girl
and two men.

'To Cranmer's surprise,
Henry's reaction was calm.

'He believed the accusations
to be malicious and fake.

'But he ordered the archbishop
to get to the bottom of the affair.'

Both the men denounced by
Mary and John Lascelles

were arrested and quickly confessed.

'Henry Mannox,
Catherine's music teacher

'admitted that he'd fallen
passionately in love with her

'but Catherine had told him
that he was only a servant

'and so had limited him
to furtive gropings in the chapel.'

With Francis Dereham
it was very different.

Dereham was a wealthy gentleman,

Catherine the daughter
of an impoverished aristocrat.

They were social equals

so Catherine had allowed him
to go all the way.

'Dereham even claimed
that they'd agreed to marry.'

And after last time l told you
what would happen...

'Catherine was oblivious
to the investigation

'that was going on into her past.

'On the 5th of November, as usual

'she was practising
dance steps with her ladies

'when several
of the King's men burst in,

'declaring that
"it was no more time to dance."

'Catherine was confined
to her apartments.

'She was not told the reason
but she feared the worst.

'The following morning she made
a desperate attempt to reach Henry

'but she was dragged back screaming.

'She would never see the King again.'

Majesty, l crave your forgiveness...

'Cranmer questioned Catherine
several times

'and each time her story changed.

'Frank admissions
were followed by stout denials

'as her moods swung between
the composed and the suicidal.

'But slowly a picture
of the truth began to emerge.'

[Cranmer] Are you sure, Majesty?

[Catherine] 'l, Your Grace's
most sorrowful subject

'and vile wretch in the world

'do only make
my most humble submission

'and confession of my faults.

'First, at the flattering
and fair persuasions of manners...'

[David] 'Catherine was persuaded
to make a confession.

'It was full and explicit,
as far as it went.'

..and touch
the secret parts of my body.

Also Francis Dereham
by many persuasions,

procured me to his vicious purpose

and obtained first to lie upon my bed

and finally he lay with me naked

and used me in such sort
as a man doth his wife...

many and sundry times.

So far Catherine had admitted
only to premarital sex.

It was humiliating for Henry

that his wife hadn't been a,virgin
when he'd married her

and it destroyed his love for her,
but it wasn't a crime.

It wasn't even clear
if there were grounds for divorce.

There were if Francis Dereham
had been telling the truth

in claiming he and Catherine
had only slept together

after they'd promised to marry.

But Catherine always denied
making such a promise.

Was she hoping, even at this stage,
that Henry would forgive her

and allow her to remain as queen?

Whatever her motives

her stonewalling forced Cranmer
to dig up yet more dirt.

Eventually he came up
with the name of another man.

'The name was that
of Thomas Culpepper,

'a trusted favourite of Henry's

'who'd risen to become
a gentleman of his privy chamber.

'He catered for
the King's most intimate needs,

'dressing him and even sleeping
at the foot of the royal bed.

'Culpepper was also
a distant cousin of the Queen

'and it was rumoured they had courted

'whilst Catherine was
a lady-in-waiting.'

Master Culpepper, have you ever
been alone with Her Majesty?

'Under questioning,

'Culpepper admitted to having
fallen in love with the Queen

'and claimed she was languishing
and dying of love for him,

'and during the summer progress

'had sought out ways
for the two of them to meet.

'But despite this,
Culpepper insisted,

'the relationship
had not passed beyond words.'

[Culpepper] 'The Queen is my cousin,

'l love her only as a relative.'

[David] 'The Queen's lady-in-waiting,
Jane Rochford,

'had a different story.

'She claimed that a relationship
between Culpepper and the Queen

'had begun
during the King's depression.

'Furthermore, it was her firm belief

'that during the summer progress

'the Queen and Culpepper
had slept together.

'Catherine strenuously denied
any intimacy with Culpepper

'but a search of his rooms
revealed a letter

'written to him by the Queen.'

[Catherine] 'Master Culpepper,

'l heartily recommend me unto you.

'Praying you to send me word
how that you do.

'It maketh my heart to die

'when l do think that l cannot
always be in your company.

'Come to me
when lady Rochford be here

'for then l shall be best at leisure
to be at your commandment.

'And thus l take my leave of you,

'trusting to see you shortly again.

'Yours as long as life endures,
Catherine.'

'Henry now knew the worst.

'Catherine had cuckolded him

'with a man that
he trusted and favoured.

'There were reports
that his grief had driven him mad.

'On one occasion he burst into tears

'regretting his luck in meeting
such ill-conditioned wives.

'On another he called
for a sword and made every sign

'that he would pre-empt
the course of justice

'and k*ll his wife himself.

'For now, Henry's desire
for revenge had to be sated

'by the trial of his wife's lovers.

'Dereham and Culpepper
were tried for presumptive treason

'and accused of having led
an abominable and licentious life.

'Culpepper was also charged

'with having had criminal
intercourse with the Queen

'on the 29th of August, 1541,
at Pontefract.

'Both were found guilty

'and sentenced to be,hanged,
cut down alive

'disembowelled

'quartered and beheaded.

'Such was the penalty for those

'who dared to be intimate
with the Queen.'

[Bell tolling]

'12 days after the execution
of Catherine's lovers

'so many members of
the Howard clan were arrested

'that it was rumoured the Tower
hadn't enough rooms for them all.'

The intention
was that Catherine's fall

would lead to the fall of her family.

There followed an orgy of disclaimers

led by Catherine's uncle,
the Duke of Norfolk.

'Norfolk had only been too happy

'to hitch his wagon
to Catherine's star

'in the days
of her prosperity as Queen.

'But now, in her hour of need
he deserted her without a qualm'.

'Catherine was left utterly alone.

'When she was informed
of her death sentence

'Catherine, like her cousin
Anne Boleyn before her,

'requested a private execution.

'The night before
it was to be carried out

'she asked the constable of the Tower

'to have the executioner's block
brought to her room.

'And here she practised.

'On the morning
of the 13th of February,

'Catherine was led to execution
on Tower Green.'

She was so weak that she had
to be helped up the scaffold steps

but her nerves steadied
and she made a short speech

confessing her sins
against God and the King

and admitting the justice
of her conviction.

[Catherine] 'l refer the judgement
of all my offences

'with my life and death wholly unto
your most benign and merciful grace,

'to be considered by
your infinite goodness,

'pity, compassion and mercy,
without the which

'l acknowledge myself
worthy of extreme punishment.'

[David] 'Then, just as she'd done
during those bizarre rehearsals,

'she prostrated herself at the block

'and the axe took off her head
with a single stroke.'

Catherine had died with more dignity

than she had ever displayed as Queen.

On the 12th of July, 1543,
here, at Hampton Court,

Henry married his sixth wife,
Katherine Parr.

Katherine was almost twice as old
as Henry's previous wife,

the flighty Catherine Howard,

and the mood
was correspondingly sober.

'l, Katherine, take thee, Henry,

'to my wedded husband.

'To have and to hold
from this day froward...'

'Katherine seemed the perfect wife

'but under the calm exterior

'burned passions sacred and profane.

'She was in love with another man

'and she was devoted to her God.

'In the year that followed
Henry's betrayal by his fifth wife,

'he was often depressed and showed
no signs of intending to remarry.

'Moreover, a new law
made it treason for any future queen

'to conceal her premarital affairs.

'It would take
a bold or a modest woman

'to become Henry's wife.

'In early 1543,

'a 32-year-old widow
called Katherine Parr came to court.

'She'd been married twice.

'Her second husband
a much older man

'had become a chronic invalid.

'His recent death marked
a turning point in Katherine's life.'

She was now independently well-off,

she'd no parents and no children.

In other words, she was free

free to marry whom she wished,
free even to marry for love.

And thanks to her wealth
and her looks

unmarred by child-bearing,
a lover quickly appeared.

'His name was Sir Thomas Seymour,

'brother of the late Queen Jane.

'In his mid-thirties and handsome

'he was one of the most
eligible bachelors at Henry's court.

'Known as something of an adventurer,

'he was exciting,
impetuous and extremely ambitious.

'Katherine found him very attractive

'and encouraged him as a suitor.

'She may have seen in him

'a last chance
for a love marriage and children.

'He certainly saw
a rich and attractive widow -

'a chance to increase his fortune.

'They discussed marriage.

'But there was competition
for Katherine's affections.

'Sometime in the spring of 1543,

'Henry fell in love with Katherine.

'He gave her clothes.

'Her brother
was made a Knight of the Garter.

'He even introduced her
to his two daughters.

'Where would it end?

'Henry's sudden move
confronted Katherine

'with the worst crisis
of her career.'

The position of queen,
which many women found so desirable,

had no attractions for her.

After all, Henry had already beheaded
two of his wives

and divorced two more.

He was old, fat, ill
and increasingly ill-tempered.

'And Katherine had fallen hopelessly
in love with Thomas Seymour.

'It was an impossible dilemma.

'Katherine appealed to a higher power

'and she'd already made up her mind

'to fulfil her duty
to God and the King

'before Henry took the situation
into his own hands.

'In May, he sent Sir Thomas Seymour

'to be resident ambassador
in Brussels.

'Out of sight, he hoped perhaps,
would be out of mind.

'Soon after
he proposed marriage to Katherine.

'She dutifully accepted
the King's offer

'and two weeks later became Queen.

'Other women had married Henry

'in fulfilment of
their personal, their political

'or their dynastic ambitions.

'Katherine married him
because God had told her to.

'Henry was now 52 years old
and ailing.

'Katherine, having already had
one invalid husband

'knew just how to deal with him.

'She proved the ideal companion,

'engaging Henry in long discussions

'on his favourite topic - religion.

'For Katherine, it was a case of
putting the past behind her

'and making the best of the present.

'Henry had already established
good relations with all his children

'and both Mary and Elizabeth
had been present

'at Katherine Parr's wedding.

'Katherine, who'd got on well
with her stepdaughter

'by her second marriage,

'repeated the knack
with her royal stepchildren.

'She became especially close
to Elizabeth.

'The King's son, Edward,
was soon sending her

'chatty little letters in Latin.

'Henry's new wife
took a particularly keen interest

'in the children's learning.

'Katherine's own youthful education

'was as basic as that
of most women of her class.'

She learned to write
in English and perhaps in French,

whilst her reading
was limited to religious works

like Saints' lives.

So when she became stepmother
to the King's children,

she entered into a new world
because all Henry's children

received the most advanced education
of the day,

including Latin and Greek
at the hands of the best teachers.

Katherine
had the intellectual curiosity

to throw herself
into this new world with gusto

and to learn the new studies
alongside her stepchildren.

'Katherine's success
with the King and his children

'increased her standing at court.

'She'd steered a prudent course
between conflicting factions

'but Catholics
increasingly suspected her

'of harbouring reformist sympathies

'and scrutinised her every action

'for signs of illicit belief.

'A year after her marriage,

'the stakes were raised again -

'Henry, in a last act of bravado,

'decided to lead
an English army against France.

'During his absence
he named Katherine Queen Regent

'and placed all three
of his children in Katherine's care.

'The Queen led the county
in a prayer of intercession

'for the King's safety and success.'

Oh, Almighty King and lord of Hosts,

which by Thy angels
there unto appointed

dost minister both w*r and peace.

Our cause now being just
and being enforced...

'Katherine had written
the prayer herself

'and not in the traditional Latin
but in English.

'To those watching the Queen
for evidence of religious leanings,

'it was a sign, perhaps even
a declaration, of intent.'

[Katherine]
..and little damage of innocence

we may to Thy glory obtain victory.

World without end. Amen.

'Archbishop Cranmer may well have
helped Katherine with her composition

'and he would have
been delighted by it,

'for the prayer's form and content

'showed little respect,
for Catholic tradition

'and suggested
that the Queen's sympathies

'lay with Cranmer's own.'

[Quietly reading scripture]

'As a member of the Regency Council,

'Cranmer was in daily contact
with Katherine

'during the King's absence.

'For the next three months
he had an ideal opportunity

'to enlist the Queen
to the cause of religious reform.'

Katherine's own religious
background was very conservative.

Her mother had been
Catherine of Aragon's lady-in-waiting

and Katherine had probably
been named after her.

Now she looked back
on this period with horror.

She had worshipped false idols -

she'd practised the mumbo jumbo
of Roman Catholicism.

[Quietly reading scripture]

'It is likely that Cranmer

'now reprised the role
he'd played with Anne Boleyn,

'becoming the Queen's informal tutor
in matters of religion.

'For Katherine
this was a brave new world of ideas

'a crash course in radicalism

'for which she found herself
ready and eager.'

What had changed Katherine

was her belief
that her marriage to Henry

had been a direct act of God
and God had given her a task.

It was to complete
the conversion of King and county

to the reformed religion.

Katherine was a queen with a mission.

'Steven Gardiner
Bishop of Winchester,

'disliked nothing more
than a woman with opinions,

'especially anti-Catholic opinions.

'At first his relations
with Katherine were good

'and he'd officiated at her wedding.

'But as Katherine's views changed,

'so too did Gardiner's attitude.

'By 1545,
the bishop's hunt for heretics

'began to close in
on the Queen herself.

'Henry's return from France

'did not prevent
Katherine from continuing

'with her religious re-education.

'She read widely
and corresponded frequently

'with her learned stepchildren
and friends.

'She invited scholars
and clerics to speak at court.

'The Queen's progress was rapid

'and soon she was ready
to exchange the role of pupil

'for that of teacher.'

We know the development of
Katherine's religious opinions

because, most unusually
for a 16th-century woman,

and still more remarkably
for a queen,

she was a writer
and a published writer at that.

Her first work
was the Prayers and Meditations.

This was printed in 1545

in a special small format

that imitated the little prayer books

that hung at ladies' girdles.

It's a work of deep
but entirely conventional piety.

If they be women married,

they learn of St Paul
to be obedient to their husbands

and to keep silence
in the congregation

and to learn
of their husbands at home.

'The book was widely read
and was a great public success.

'The university of Cambridge
wrote to Katherine

'asking for her patronage
and protection,

'which she was delighted to give.

'She sponsored
important translations,

'including one
from her other stepdaughter, Mary.

'Katherine was following the trail

'blazed by those two other
learned royal ladies,

'Catherine of Aragon
and Anne Boleyn.'

..may not be evil spoken of.

'The atmosphere
in Katherine's apartments

'was more like a revivalist meeting
than a royal court.'

All Katherine's leading ladies

had adopted
her advanced religious opinions

and they had
the enthusiasm of converts.

They read books,
they listened to sermons

and they tried to win others over.

All this
was at the very margins of legality

because Henry
trod a fine line in religion,

slapping down
those who were too radical

as well as those
who were too conservative.

So when Catherine Duchess of Suffolk

dressed her pet dog in bishop',s robes
and called him Gardiner

her behaviour was dangerous -

to her, and through her,
dangerous to Katherine.

'Meanwhile, the Queen
was at work on a second book

'this one far more controversal
than the first

'for it contained evidence

'of her new and radical
religious opinions.

'But this work
she would be careful not to publish

'whilst Henry was still alive,

'for The lamentations Of A Sinner

'would show that Katherine
had become a Lutheran

'that is, a heretic.

'In late autumn, 1545

'the King suffered a new attack
of thrombosis in his leg.

'He spent many weeks in bed

'and the Queen, as usual
did her best to divert him'

'with lively theological discussion.

'But this time
she seems to have gone further.

'Henry might die at any time.

'Perhaps this would be
her last chance to convert him

'to what she now considered
to be the true faith.

'The Catholic faction believed
drastic measures were called for.

'It had once before succeeded
in ousting a rival queen

'by replacing Anne of Cleves
with Catherine Howard.

'Now it would hatch similar schemes

'in an attempt to discredit
and supplant Katherine Parr.

'One evening,
Gardiner overheard an altercation

'between the King and the Queen.

'This suggested that Henry
was tiring of his wife's preaching.

'The bishop seized the chance
to stoke Henry's annoyance,

'casting doubt
on Katherine's loyalties

'and implying
that she was at the centre

'of an heretical conspiracy.

'Henry's suspicions were aroused

'and he gave permission
to investigate the Queen.'

Do you read the Bible
when you are with the Queen?

'Gardiner questioned
courtiers and their wives

'who were close to Katherine.

'They were interrogated
on what they believed

'and what books they read

'but his real target was the Queen.

You're an educated woman
you do not care for reading?!

'Anne Askew, an avowed Lutheran
was interrogated in the Tower

'about her contacts
in Katherine's court

'and when she proved stubborn
she was tortured on the rack

'until her legs
were dislocated and broken.

'Finally, a warrant was drawn up
for the Queen's arrest

'and Henry signed it.

'But before it could
be delivered officially,

'it mysteriously found its way
into Katherine's hands.

'Gardiner's investigation

'had put the Queen
under extreme pressure

'and the sight of her
husband's signature on the warrant

'pushed her over the edge.'

[Katherine, sobbing] No!

'Katherine was faced
with a desperate decision -

'follow her conscience and face death

'or subdue it and survive.'

[Katherine] 'I considered
to pass away the pain and weariness

'of your present infirmity,
which encouraged me in this boldness

'in the hope of profiting with
Your Majesty's learned discourse.

'l am but a woman

'with the imperfections natural
to the weakness of my sex.

'Therefore in all matters
of doubt and difficulty

'l must refer myself
to Your Majesty's better judgement

'as to my lord and head.'

'Katherine and Henry
sat up long into the night.

'The conversation
inevitably turned to religion

'but for once
Katherine would not be drawn.

'Her opinions, she said,
were woman's opinions,

'of no importance and never had been.

'She'd only ever wished
to learn from Henry,

'not to preach to him.

'The King listened and slowly
his anger and suspicions ebbed.

'By the night's end,

'he was entirely convinced
of his wife's innocence.'

[Birds singing]

'The next day the King and Queen
were walking in the gardens

'when a posse of the guard
arrived to arrest the Queen.

'The councillor in charge

'hadn't been told of
the previous night's reconciliation

'and he thought he was still
carrying out Henry's wishes.'

He was quickly disabused

and the King drove him
from the scene with furious words.

Katherine was magnanimous in victory

and begged the King to forgive
the conspirators against her.

There's an element
of farce in all of this

but it is a black farce

in which people lost
their heads, not their trousers.

Katherine's life had been in danger.

Now she was safe.

'Katherine's triumph
marked the beginning of the end

'for her enemies at court.

'Gardiner was dismissed
from the Privy Council in November.

'The following month the
Duke of Norfolk was sent to the Tower

'and despite his letters
begging for mercy,

'a death warrant was drawn up
for the King to sign.

'But Henry was in no condition
to sign anything.

'That Christmas
he became dangerously ill.

'A month later, he was dead.

'Katherine was prevented
from seeing the King

'during his final weeks of illness

'and, due to court protocol,

'she witnessed, but did not
take part in, his funeral.

'Already Katherine's thoughts

'had turned back
to life before Henry.'

[Katherine] 'I would not
have you think that this,

'mine honest good will towards you,

'proceeds from
any sudden motion of passion,

'for as truly as God is God

'my mind was fully bent
when l was at liberty to marry you

'before any man l know.

'How be it?

'God withstood my will therein
most vehemently for a time

'and made that seem possible

'which seemed to me most impossible,

'that was, made me renounce
utterly mine own will

'and follow His most willingly.'

'Katherine
had taken Henry's proposal

'as a sign from God
that she should marry him.

'She took his death
as a sign that she was free at last

'to return to her true love
Thomas Seymour.'

Etiquette, and even decency,

required that Katherine
should have observed

a substantial period of mourning
and widowhood for Henry.

Instead
she threw herself immediately

into a passionate love affair.

'They were married,in May
and Elizabeth

'her favourite stepchild,
joined the household.

'Katherine now had the man
and the life that she wanted.

'Happiness, it seemed,
was hers at last.

'A year after Henry's death,

'Katherine was found
to be pregnant with Seymour's child.

'For a woman in her mid-thirties
and on her fourth marriage,

'it was a wonderful surprise.

'But her joy was not to last.

'She discovered
that her ambitious husband

'was planning to replace her

'with her own step,daughter,
Elizabeth

'an ex-queen for a future queen.

'Katherine was heartbroken.'

In June 1548, Katherine came here,
to Sudeley Castle,

for the birth of her child.

At first all went well

Katherine was even reconciled
to her stepdaughter Elizabeth,

though at a safe distance
and by letter.

And the baby kicked so vigorously
in the womb

that everybody thought
it must be a boy.

But, as so often with Henry's wives,

childbirth proved
Katherine's undoing.

'The baby,
born on the 30th of August,

'turned out to be a girl

'and Katherine fell dangerously ill
with puerperal fever.

'In her delirium
her moods swung wildly.'

One moment her jealousies and fears
about Seymour came into the open,

the next
she was all loving wifely devotion.

On the 5th of September,
Katherine died

and was buried as Henry's widow

but not in a fashion
that Henry would have approved of,

for Katherine's was
the first Protestant royal funeral.

'Henry's six wives were
each expected to be queen, lover,

'companion and mother
to a Tudor dynasty.

'Most failed, and for them
there was rejection or execution.

'Only Jane Seymour succeeded

'and she died
giving birth to Henry's son.

'But their story has become
one of the great historical myths

'and one of their children
Elizabeth

'England's greatest ruler.'