Today in 1541 Henry VIII and Catherine Howard left for their progress to the North. Henry wanted to meet with his nephew, James V of Scotland, and also show just how fully the rebels from the Pilgrimage of Grace a few years earlier had been put down. The meeting with James never took place, much to Henry’s chagrin as James stood up Henry.
And this is also the trip where Henry’s fifth wife distracted herself on the trip by meeting in secret with a certain Thomas Culpepper. Jane Boleyn helped them arrange secret meetings along the way, and they were almost discovered at one point. Later on in the autumn Henry would learn of Catherine’s infidelities, and she was executed within several months, in early 1542. But for now, in every way except the meeting with the Scottish King, it appeared that the Progress was a success.
That’s your Tudor Minute for today. Remember you can dive deeper into life in 16th century England through the Renaissance English History Podcast at englandcast.com