Catherine Carey

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Catherine Carey by Steven van der Meulen

Catherine Carey (also Katherine ), married Knollys (* approx. 1523 , † January 15, 1569 ) was an English noblewoman and both a cousin and the Lady of the Bedchamber of the English Queen Elizabeth I. Her mother Mary Boleyn , sister of the Queen Anne Boleyn was the mistress of King Henry VIII for a long time . Therefore, it has often been speculated that it was not Mary's husband Sir William Carey but the king himself that was Catherine's father. Under the rule of the Catholic Queen Maria I , Catherine went into exile as a staunch Protestant with her family. She only returned to court with Elizabeth's accession to the throne and remained a close friend of the Queen throughout her life.

She is not to be confused with her niece of the same name Catherine Carey, daughter of Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon and wife of Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham .

Life

Catherine Carey's mother, Mary Boleyn

Catherine Carey was born between approximately 1523 and 1524. Her exact date of birth is unknown, but her conception took place at a time when her mother Mary Boleyn was having an affair with King Henry VIII . So even though she could theoretically be Henry's illegitimate daughter, she was recognized as his child by Mary Boleyn's husband, Sir William Carey. Not much is known about her childhood, and it is uncertain whether she was older or younger than her brother Henry Carey , although she is traditionally considered the older. Victorian literature sometimes claims that Catherine accompanied her aunt Anne Boleyn into the Tower and even onto the scaffold, but it was only three years after Anne Boleyn's execution that there was evidence that Catherine was at court. In November 1539 she became a Maid of Honor to the new Queen Anne of Cleves . A year later, on April 26, she married Francis Knollys , who would later be the guardian of Queen Mary of Scots .

From the 1540s onwards, the Careys were steadily improving. Parliament granted them the rights to the Knollys family mansion in Oxfordshire in 1540 and Knollys was knighted in 1547. Catherine herself maintained contact with her cousin, Princess Elisabeth , with whom she was a close friend from the beginning. She and her husband converted to Protestantism, which is why they had to go into exile under the reign of Queen Maria I. As a farewell, Princess Elisabeth wrote a letter to Catherine, which she signed with cor rotto (German: broken heart ). Traditionally, the year 1553 is given for their escape, but historians believe it is also possible that they did not leave England until the spring of 1556. Knollys himself stayed in Basel in the winter of 1556 and Catherine's presence in Frankfurt am Main is recorded for June 1557, together with five of her children.

Exactly when the family returned is not known, but on January 3, 1559 Catherine was listed as one of the four paid ladies of the royal bedchamber. She served Elisabeth in the role of Supreme Lady of the Bedchamber until the end of her life and her children, including Lettice Knollys , received good positions at court. The wedding of their eldest son Henry in 1565 was celebrated with a big tournament. However, the queen seemed to be quite demanding at times, because a letter stated that Catherine had "cried often because of unkindness". Finally, in December 1568, Catherine fell seriously ill at Hampton Court Palace , so that Elizabeth often sent her “her own comforting presence”. Her husband Francis Knollys was at Bolton Castle as guardian of Queen Mary Queen of Scots and asked Elizabeth for permission to return home in vain.

Francis Knollys wrote letters to Catherine at this time, in which he suggested that she withdraw from the court and lead a simple life in the country. William Cecil, 1st Baron Burghley assured him that Catherine would be well looked after, but she died on January 15, 1569. According to contemporary witnesses, Elisabeth deeply mourned the loss of her cousin, so that she "neglected her own health". She hosted a lavish funeral for Catherine at Westminster Abbey , on which she spent significantly more money than on the funerals of her royal cousins Frances Brandon and Margaret Douglas . On her grave is an epitaph by Thomas Newton: "In favor with our noble queen, above the common sort" - in German: "In the favor of our noble queen, beyond the normal range".

progeny

The marriage to Francis Knollys produced a total of sixteen children, including fifteen known names:

  • Sir Henry Knollys (April 12, 1541; † 1583) ∞ Margaret Cave (1549–1600)
  • Mary Knollys (* 1542)
  • Lettice Knollys (1543-1634)
  1. ∞ Walter Devereux, 1st Earl of Essex
  2. ∞ Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester
  3. ∞ Christopher Blount
  1. ∞ Dorothy Bray
  2. ∞ Elizabeth Howard, daughter of Thomas Howard, 1st Earl of Suffolk
  • Elizabeth Knollys (June 15, 1549; † 1605) ∞ Sir Thomas Leighton
  • Edward Knollys (1546–1580), Member of Parliament.
  • Maud Knollys (* 1548)
  • Sir Robert Knollys (1550–1626), Member of Parliament, ∞ Catherine Vaughan
  • Richard Knollys (1552–1596), Member of Parliament, ∞ Joan Heigham
  • Sir Francis Knollys, the Younger (1553–1643), Member of Parliament, ∞ Lettice Barrett
  • Sir Thomas Knollys (* 1558), known as a military leader in the Eighty Years' War , governor for Ostend , ∞ Odelia de Morana
  • Anne Knollys (1555–1608) ∞ Thomas West, 2nd Baron De La Warr
  • Catherine Knollys (1560 - December 30, 1632)
  1. ∞ Gerald Fitzgerald, Baron Offaley
  2. ∞ Sir Phillip Butler of Watton Woodhall.
  • Cecily Knollys
  • Dudley Knollys (* 1562)

Fictional representations

In Margaret George's fictional autobiography I, Henry VIII , Catherine Carey is the illegitimate daughter of Henry VIII. She is in correspondence with Will Somers, the king's old court jester, and has fled to the continent because of her Protestant beliefs from Queen Mary's heretic persecution. Will sends her Heinrich's diary to protect the king's memory from the vengeful Maria and reveals to the incredulous Catherine that she is Heinrich's daughter.

In Karen Harper's book The last Boleyn , Catherine is Mary Boleyn's younger daughter, who, unlike her brother, was fathered by William Carey.

In Philippa Gregory's novel The Queen 's Sister , Catherine is also the king's illegitimate daughter, although she is recognized here by her father. She and her little brother Henry grow up separately from their mother and are often used as leverage by their great uncle Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk , to blackmail Mary Boleyn. At the age of twelve she came to court and witnessed the execution of her aunt Anne Boleyn.

In the following novel, The Queen's Legacy , Catherine returns to court, where she and her relative Catherine Howard serve Queen Anne of Cleves. She tells Catherine Howard that Anne Boleyn was innocent and that she cannot trust Jane Boleyn . When the situation at court comes to a head, Catherine is brought back home by her mother Mary.

literature

  • Sally Varlow: Knollys, Katherine, Lady Knollys (c.1523–1569) . In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . 2006 Oxford University Press
  • Antonia Fraser: The 6 wives of Henry VIII. 1993 Vintage

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Sally Varlow: Knollys, Katherine, Lady Knollys (c.1523–1569) . In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . 2006 Oxford University Press. Online edition: January 2009 Access on January 11, 2012 License required
  2. ↑ Catherine CAREY (Chief Lady of Bedchamber), accessed January 17, 2012
personal data
SURNAME Carey, Catherine
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Knollys, Catherine
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Lady of the Bedchamber to Queen Elizabeth I of England
DATE OF BIRTH around 1523
DATE OF DEATH January 15, 1569