Thomas Culpeper facts for kids
Thomas Culpeper (born around 1514 – died December 10, 1541) was an English nobleman who worked closely with King Henry VIII. He was a good friend of the King and was related to two of Henry's queens, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. Thomas Culpeper is known for having many private meetings with Queen Catherine Howard after she married the King. These meetings might have been about political plans. A letter from Queen Catherine to him was found, where she signed, "Yours as long as life endures."
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Early Life
Thomas Culpeper was born around 1514. He was the second of three sons of Alexander Culpeper and Constance Harper. His family lived in Bedgebury, Kent. Thomas and his older brother, also named Thomas, were known for finding valuable items for the royal family. He was also a distant cousin of Joyce Culpeper, who was Catherine Howard's mother. This meant he was distantly related to the powerful Howard family.
Working for the King
By 1535, Thomas Culpeper was working for important people like Viscount Lisle and his wife, Honor. He helped them collect various items. In 1538, Honor gave Culpeper a hawk, and he also helped get a hawk for King Henry VIII.
Culpeper was known as a "beautiful youth" and was a great favorite of King Henry. He had a lot of influence with the King. People often gave him gifts hoping he would use his influence to help them. Henry VIII made Culpeper a Gentleman of the Privy Chamber. This was a very close role, as it involved helping the King get dressed and sometimes even sleeping in his room. He was also part of the group that welcomed Henry's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, when she arrived in England.
From 1537 to 1541, Culpeper received many gifts from the King. These included the job of looking after the manor at Penshurst Palace and land in several counties like Kent, Essex, Gloucestershire, and Wiltshire.
Meetings with Queen Catherine Howard
In 1540, Thomas Culpeper became close with Henry's new young wife, Queen Catherine Howard. By 1541, they were spending time together, often alone and late at night. This was helped by Catherine's lady-in-waiting, Lady Rochford. Culpeper could easily get into the Queen's rooms and often met with her and her helpers.
The private meetings between them are thought to have started around May 1541. During these times, only Lady Rochford and another lady-in-waiting, Katherine Tilney, were allowed in the Queen's room.
In June 1541, Catherine and Henry traveled north. They arrived in Lincoln on August 9, where Culpeper met Catherine for another secret meeting in her bedroom. These meetings continued at Pontefract Castle. It is believed that the letter Queen Catherine sent to Culpeper was sent around this time. In the letter, she asked how he was and said she was worried he was ill. Catherine also wrote: "I never longed so muche for [a] thynge as I do to se you and to speke wyth you, the wyche I trust shal be shortely now," and "my trust ys allway in you that you wolbe as you have promysed me..."
These words make some people think that their close relationship might have also involved political plans. King Henry was not in good health, and his only son, Edward, was still very young. Being a favorite of the Queen would have given Culpeper a very strong position in politics. He was already close to the King as a member of his privy chamber. If the "promise" Catherine mentioned was about his knowledge of her past relationships, Culpeper might have used this to gain power over the Queen. In this letter, Catherine said she wanted to talk with Culpeper but did not mention wanting to be intimate with him. However, she did sign off with, "Yours as long as life endures."
Arrest and Execution
Thomas Culpeper was arrested by order of King Henry VIII. In December 1541, he was put on trial with Francis Dereham. Dereham was accused of having a relationship with Queen Catherine before she married the King. Queen Catherine had not kept her closeness with Culpeper a secret from some people in her household. These people now spoke against her to protect themselves.
Both Culpeper and Dereham were found guilty and sentenced to death. They were both supposed to face a very harsh punishment. Both men asked for mercy. Culpeper, probably because he had been so close to the King, had his sentence changed to simply being beheaded. Dereham did not receive this mercy.
Thomas Culpeper was executed along with Francis Dereham at Tyburn on December 10, 1541. Culpeper was buried at St Sepulchre-without-Newgate church in London. Queen Catherine and Lady Rochford were both executed on February 13, 1542. They were buried in the Church of St Peter ad Vincula, inside the Tower of London.
How He Is Shown
Thomas Culpeper is mentioned in almost all books about King Henry VIII and Queen Catherine Howard. He is not as often shown in movies or books that are fiction, except for his relationship with Catherine.
On-screen portrayals
- In the 1933 film The Private Life of Henry VIII, Robert Donat played Culpeper.
- In the 1970 BBC series The Six Wives of Henry VIII, he was played by Ralph Bates.
- In the 1972 film Henry VIII and His Six Wives, Robin Sachs played the role.
- In the 2003 TV film Henry VIII, Thomas Culpeper was played by Joseph Morgan.
- In the Showtime TV series The Tudors, Thomas Culpeper was played by Torrance Coombs. In this series, he is shown as a mean and proud man. His relationship with Catherine is helped by a previous relationship he had with Lady Rochford, but there is no known historical proof for this.
See also
In Spanish: Thomas Culpeper para niños
