There was no reason to have her beheaded. He could have exiled her to some other country, stripped of all her titles and wealth. He was just a horndog when it came to women. Ugh. Of course Katherine Howard would've rather been with Thomas Culpepper. Henry treated her awful. She was just a young and immature teenager that old ugly goat took advantage of. I don't think it was ever proven QK ever cheated with TC.
shareI think several things came together. A dead Anne ensured there would be no neverending story a la Katherine (who referred to herself as queen of England until she died, although they were divorced). Anne, annulment or not, was a crowned queen (consort) of England. Stripped of her titles, but still anointed.
Having her executed meant no supporters of Anne could use her as a figurehead or a reason to rebel in the future.
With Katherine and Anne dead, no one could say that he wasn’t absolutely free to marry Jane.
Also, how do you justify to your subjects breaking with Rome because your first marriage is not lawful even though the pope says it is, then marry wife no #2 claiming that this marriage is right and lawful in God’s eyes and then, only a few years later be like “Sorry peasants, I was wrong, I’ll just get me another wife and let this one go”. Anne had to be the guilty party beyond any doubt and the only way to achieve that was to accuse her the way she was. And those alleged offences were too severe to spare her life. Commuting the sentence for high treason from being hanged, drawn and quartered to beheading or, in Anne’s case, to beheading with the sword, was probably the biggest concession Henry could make after that mock trial.
Having her executed meant no supporters of Anne could use her as a figurehead or a reason to rebel in the future.
I agree. It doesn't seem like she was that popular with or loved by the common people.
I guess no one knew how things would turn out with Jane Seymour or with the church of England long-term and someone with an agenda might've liked to have Anne as a card to stir the pot with. Obviously, it's all speculation since she was executed.
he didn't want any impediment to making another marriage. keeping Anne alive might have caused complications. i don't know whether he really believed she had conspired against him. or even whether he believed she had committed adultlery.
I'm afraid katherine Howard wasn't very bright. She must have known the risks involved in getting intimate with Culpepper - she knew what had happened to Anne boleyn.
Henry had nothing to forgive Anne for.
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