Thomas Culpeper

Thomas Culpeper (executed 10 December 1541) was a courtier of Henry VIII. He was distantly related to the Howard clan, who were immensely powerful at the time. They were particularly influential after the fall of Cardinal Wolsey in 1529, and for a brief time under the reign of Anne Boleyn, who was one of their cousins.

Royal intrigues, conspiracies

It seems that Culpeper entered royal service during Anne's time, although there is no record of any meeting between either Anne Boleyn or Jane Seymour and Culpeper, which would suggest that his real prominence didn't begin until after 1537.

Culpeper was reportedly exceedingly attractive. He was described as 'a beautiful youth' and he was a great favourite of the king's. Henry eventually made Culpeper gentleman to the King's Privy Chamber, giving him intimate access to the king, as the role involved dressing and undressing Henry and often sleeping in his bedchamber. He was part of the group of privileged courtiers who greeted Henry's German bride Anne of Cleves when she arrived in England for her marriage.

Affair with Catherine Howard

In 1540, Culpeper caught the attention of Henry's new teenage bride, Catherine Howard. By 1541 they were spending time together, often alone and late at night, abetted by Catherine's lady-in-waiting, Lady Rochford, the widowed sister-in-law of Anne Boleyn. The affair would cause the downfall of all involved.

Stories of the queen's premarital indiscretions had meanwhile come to the attention of Thomas Cranmer, then Archbishop of Canterbury. During Cranmer's investigations, he came across rumours of an affair between the queen and Culpeper. Culpeper was arrested for questioning. Both he and the queen denied the allegations, but a love letter from Catherine to Culpeper found during a search of Culpeper's quarters provided the evidence Cranmer was looking for. Whether the affair between Culpeper and the queen was consummated is still debated by historians, but the letter gives clear evidence of Catherine's feelings for Culpeper. Also in the love letter was a reference to Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford.

It is, however, speculative how much of Culpeper's desire for the queen came from love and how much from political ambition. With Henry in poor health and with only his very young son Edward to succeed him, being Catherine's favourite would undoubtedly have put Culpeper in a very strong political position. However, he misjudged the whole affair, relying too heavily on his friendship with the king and on the queen's discretion.

Downfall and execution

Culpeper was arrested on the orders from the king. In December 1541, Culpeper was tried for treason alongside Francis Dereham, who was separately accused of sexual relations with the Queen before her marriage to Henry. Catherine had not hidden the affair with Culpeper from members of her household, who now testified against her to protect their own necks.

The Queen was portrayed as having seduced Culpeper, although it could easily have been the other way around. With testimony given of private meetings at Hatfield House and during the Royal progress to the north of England in the summer of 1541, his fate was sealed. Culpeper admitted after torture to having had sexual relations with Catherine. The two men were found guilty and sentenced to death.

The means of death was to be particularly gruesome. They were both to be hanged, drawn and quartered. That is to be hanged by the neck, cut down while still alive, disemboweled, beheaded and quartered. Both men pleaded for leniency, and Culpeper, presumably due to his former closeness to the King, received a commuted sentence of simple beheading. Dereham received no such mercy.

Culpeper was executed along with Dereham at Tyburn on 10 December 1541, and their heads put on display on London Bridge. Culpeper was buried at St Sepulchre-without-Newgate Church in London. The Queen, Katherine Howard, and Lady Jane Rochford were both subsequently executed on 13 February 1542.

External links

* [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/museum/item.asp?item_id=13 Letter from Catherine Howard to Thomas Culpeper]

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NAME= Culpeper, Thomas
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION=Courtier in Henry VIII's time
DATE OF BIRTH=
PLACE OF BIRTH=
DATE OF DEATH=December 10 1541
PLACE OF DEATH=