Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII, was executed for adultery and treason. After it was revealed that she had premarital affairs and an alleged adulterous relationship with Thomas Culpeper during her marriage to Henry VIII, she was stripped of her title as queen in November 1541 and imprisoned at Syon Abbey
. Her former lovers, Culpeper and Francis Dereham, were executed in December 1541, and their heads were displayed on London Bridge
. Catherine was taken to the Tower of London on 10 February 1542, where she was held until her execution three days later. On 13 February 1542, she was beheaded at the Tower of London. She was reportedly so weak that she had to be supported onto the scaffold but managed to confess that her sentence was justified before the executioner’s axe fell
. She was likely around 18 years old at the time of her death
. Her body was buried in the Chapel Royal of St Peter ad Vincula within the Tower of London, alongside other notable figures such as Anne Boleyn
. Catherine’s execution was a result of a new law passed by Henry VIII that made it treason for an unchaste woman to marry the king or to incite adultery, reflecting the king’s shattered ego and desire for retribution
. In summary, Catherine Howard was executed by beheading at the Tower of London in February 1542 after being found guilty of adultery and treason during her brief marriage to Henry VIII
