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eventVerified

Catherine Howard is executed on 13 February 1542 as a completed royal killing

Dated 13 February 1542: Catherine Howard is executed on 13 February 1542 as a completed royal killing. In the causal graph this event strengthens Judicial independence erosion (court capture), a driver that strengthens Rule of Law Gap from the Highest Governance Score — a worsening welfare path.

Sources: [1][2]

Read the full account

Allegations in the attainder remain a legal file, not a modern private verification. The king and council share the machine.

Context

A queen killed by attainder is a justice path.

Henry VIII’s documented role is bounded by other offices and collaborators named in the sources below.

Reign 1509–1547. Later legislation.gov.uk and TNA pages are carriers, not autographs. Complex contribution is required.

Why it matters

It is not a proof of every sexual count as historical fact.

Who was responsible

Contribution type and responsibility level for each recorded actor — not sole-author shorthand.

  • Henry VIII

    Person

    Direct responsibility

    responsibility level 0.4 · verified

What changed

Fact → Driver → Indicator. Relationship strength orders the paths; it is not the observed indicator movement.

Evidence

The sources behind this fact and its verification state.

Verified2 sources on file
  1. 1.HRP — Henry VIII at Hampton CourtHistoric Royal Palaces · High credibility · verified
  2. 2.Britannica — Henry VIII, Calais interview 1532Encyclopaedia Britannica · High credibility · verified
What the sources establish

HRP, Britannica, and calendars print 13 February 1542 as the beheading of Catherine Howard after a parliamentary attainder addressing alleged premarital and later sexual conduct.

Britannica and HRP independently describe the 1542 execution.

Established: 13 February 1542 execution as calendared. Not established: a complete private sexual diary.

Henry VIII did not file a later UNESCO form, a later Loeb colophon, or a later museum label as a personal act. Attainder is the process named. Keep 1542 distinct from 1536.

Causal path

How this event connects to drivers and indicators in the graph.

  1. ActorHenry VIII
  2. contributed toFactCatherine Howard is executed on 13 February 1542 as a completed royal killing
  3. strengthensDriverJudicial independence erosion (court capture)
  4. strengthensIndicatorRule of Law Gap from the Highest Governance Score

Cite this page

Factrail. (2026). Catherine Howard is executed on 13 February 1542 as a completed royal killing. Factrail. https://factrail.ai/facts/h8-catherine-howard-1542

https://factrail.ai/facts/h8-catherine-howard-1542

Accessed 16 October 2026.

By the Factrail desk · Method: how we source and score · Last reviewed

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