From Queen Catherine Howard
November 16, 2009 by Carol
Filed under
This Romantic love letter was written by the queen of Henry VIII.
Catherine Howard was the fifth wife of King Henry of England. This letter was written in the spring of 1541 to her lover only about eight months of so after her marriage so she was perhaps not the most faithful of his six wifes. Most of them were sent to be executed to enable the kng to remarry again.
Culpeper to whom this letter was written was later beheaded for the reason of adultery with the wife of the King (as was a Francis Derheam for the same offense with the same Queen). Culpeper although not denying he had met with her on a number of occasions said he had only done it because she forced him and he was too scared to end his romantic but adulterous relationship with this very powerful woman.
Catherine claimed in return when questioned that she was forced by Culpeper to keep meeting with him however the love letter below written in her own handwriting suggests otherwise. For example she wrote write ‘it makes my heart die to think what fortune I have that I cannot be always in your company.’ Hardly the words of someone who was very reluctant to have a romantic relationship and only meeting her lover under pressure.
What do you think?
Master Culpeper,
I heartily recommend me unto you, praying you to send me word how that you do. It was showed me that you was sick, the which thing troubled me very much till such time that I hear from you praying you to send me word how that you do, for I never longed so much for a thing as I do to see you and to speak with you, the which I trust shall be shortly now.
That which doth comfortly me very much when I think of it, and when I think again that you shall depart from me again it makes my heart die to think what fortune I have that I cannot be always in your company. It my trust is always in you that you will be as you have promised me, and in that hope I trust upon still, praying you that you will come when my Lady Rochford is here for then I shall be best at leisure to be at your commandment, thanking you for that you have promised me to be so good unto that poor fellow my man which is one of the griefs that I do feel to depart from him for then I do know no one that I dare trust to send to you, and therefore I pray you take him to be with you that I may sometime hear from you one thing.
I pray you to give me a horse for my man for I had much ado to get one and therefore I pray send me one by him and in so doing I am as I said afor, and thus I take my leave of you, trusting to see you shortly again and I would you was with me now that you might see what pain I take in writing to you.
Yours as long as life endures,
Katheryn.
One thing I had forgotten and that is to instruct my man to tarry here with me still for he says whatsomever you bid him he will do it.
By the way the grammar in this letter has not been changed by me and is just as she wrote it. Although a member of the high aristocracy she was not well educated.
