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She notoriously accused both her husband- George Boleyn, and his sister- Anne Boleyn of incest and treason which sent them both to the executioner's block. She later testified against Anne of Cleves , which could (but didn't) have resulted in the latter's death and then against Catherine Howard , which sent both Lady Rochford and Catherine Howard to their death. This woman is rarely spoken about but she was lady-in-waiting to five of Henry VIII's wives. Lady Jane Rochford was born in Norfolk in circa 1505. Her father was Henry Parker, 10th Baron Morley, a court translator and peer; he was knighted at the coronation of Anne Boleyn. Her mother was Alice St. John and her father was a 1st cousin to Henry VII. Jane had two siblings, the first was Margaret Parker, who married Sir John Shelton and the second was Henry Parker, a politician for Hertfordshire. Probably educated at home, Jane went to court to be a lady-in-waiting to Henry VIII's first wife- Catherine of Ar...

Henry VIII is probably most famous for marrying six wives:  Catherine of Aragon , Anne Boleyn , Jane Seymour , Anne of Cleves ,  Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr .  But not everyone can remember them just like that, so here's a few ways to remember it. 1. The rhyme This doesn't tell you the names of the wives however it dose tell you what happend to them. Divorced,  Beheaded,  Died,  Divorced,  Beheaded,  Survived. 2. A song  I heard this song and loved it! It is really fun and it helps you to remember the basic information about Henry VII's six wives! 3. Get to know the six wives If you want to know a little more detail about King Henry VIII's six wives, then you can take a look at this blog series by us! 1.  Catherine of Aragon 2.  Anne Boleyn 3.  Jane Seymour 4.  Anne of Cleves 5.  Catherine Howard 6.  Katherine Parr 4. A...

Portrait of Catherine Howard by Hans Holbein the Younger Despite the ridiculous age gap, King Henry VIII, who was aged forty- nine, took nineteen year old Catherine Howard to be his fifth wife on 28th July 1540! Henry doted on his young wife and presented her with beautiful gifts and tokens of love. Catherine was Henry's 'rose without thorns' and a 'perfect jewel of womanhood'. However, after no more than two years marriage, Catherine was laying her fragile neck upon her husband's chopping block. Upon arriving at court in 1540 from her step- grandmother's residence, Catherine was to serve the king's German wife: Anne of Cleves. She quickly attracted attention from the king because of her confidence and cheerful personality. Her paternal uncle: the Duke of Norfolk urged on his niece, as he had with his other niece the late Anne Boleyn (!) (Catherine's first cousin). Her one flaw which would assist in leading her to the executioner was her fl...

'Eliza Rose' is a historical novel for teenage girls written by Lucy Worsley. It is set in the late reign of Henry VIII and is about a young girl who is sent to court by her guardian, the Duchess of Northumberland, with her cousin- Catherine Howard. This is a thrilling tale of love and betrayal in the boisterous court of King Henry VIII as he marries his fifth wife Catherine Howard. I would highly recommend this to any historical novel lover because this is excellent. 

Recently the historian Lucy Worsley (historian and chief curator of Hampton Court Palace, London) completed a documentary/ historical re-enacment program for the BBC, it is currently available on BBC iPlayer. This series is titled: 'Six wives with Lucy Worsley'. The series consists of three episodes, each focusing on a few of Henry VIII's wives at a time. The first is about Catherine of Aragon, the second is about Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour and the third is about Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard and Catherine Parr. During the series, Worsley dresses up as a servant and a courtier and re- visits historic events that usually get forgotten but are key events in the downfall of his unfortunate wives. Personally, I really enjoyed it and I hope you do too.  Beth