E said:

I don’t think she was stupid because she wasn’t book learnt. I think she was stupid to have an affair on a man as vindictive and cruel as Henry.

I agree that she had her childhood robbed. I disagree with the statement that had her family supported her she may have turned out different. Anne had the support of her family after all.

It seems that AB Files fans show quite a lot of support for Kitty Howard and I wonder why this should be?

Its not that I don’t feel a great pity for her, of course, I feel the poor lovely little thing was isolated and very alone. It is terrible that she was picked up and though unsuitable as consort created as such. But surly, she was aware of Henry’s treatment of his previous queens- all she had to do was continue with Henry, not employ those two she chose to and not fool around with Culpepper.

Perhaps she should have mentioned to Henry her past, and indicated that she would enjoy to be his mistress, not his wife…. Then she could have been with, maybe even married Culpepper.

Mya-Elise, what on earth makes you think pedophiles were non existent in the 16th Century? If the oldest profession is prostitution, the oldest crime is pedophilia! Any way, after reading my post, what made you think I was serious? None of us here is overly fond of Henry. And in your opinion, when were pedophiles invented?

Hi E,

 I just don't think Katherine knew any better.  She had never been taught right from wrong.  She had seen the other young girls in her life freely give themselves to men.  She did not know any better.  In that respect Anne and her were from different planets.  They may have both ended up being killed by Henry, but Anne had values that were lacking in Katherine.  What I was trying to say was Katherine was not educated in books, true; but more importantly she was not educated in how a woman should behave. She was never taught to respect herself.

Katherine probably thought that all she needed to do was keep Henry interested in her physically and she would have the world at her feet. I agree it was wrong to bring those people into her service as she did, but we don't know the circumstances for that decision.  Maybe they threatened to tell someone about the lifestyle she lived at her Grandmother's unless she brought them in.  Maybe she wanted to fill positions with the young people she knew.

 Katherine was a young, sexually active girl.  She may have thought that it wouldn't hurt anyone if she met Culpeper in secret.  Maybe she did fall in love.  Or maybe it was plain and simple lust.   People in her employ knew about Culpeper. Yet, she trusted them to keep her secret. She didn't seem aware of the danger she was putting herself in. Her trust speaks to her lack of good judgement. I just can't call her behaviour stupid or idiotic.  She lacked the ability to make wise choices.

As I am writing this, I feel like I am writing about a young child, not a young woman. Katherine lacked the ability to think through the consequences of her actions.   

The more I learn about Henry's wives on the ABFiles, the more I tend to support each and every one of them.  Supporting Henry is my problem.  I'm working on it, but it seems to get tougher, not easier. 

 

With regards to paedophilia – It all depends on the moral and cultural view of the country your in or the religious group you are part of. In my country for instance (UK), a 16 year old girl and a 60 year old man is not a crime, as she is past the age of consent – yet in America he is a paedophile. In Iraq the age of consent is 9 years old, I believe in India it may be 12? What we may find disgusting in one country is not so in another – as the moral idea's on the age of consent are different.

I know for our country, the age of consent was placed at 16 as that is the time when a girl is considered both physically and mentally prepared for sexual activity. It does, however, often happen a lot sooner.

In Tudor times, they were not paedophiles, because it wasn't considered so in their society. We are seeing it that way because of our moral view. I presume it made sense in their eyes, if life expectancy was far less than it is now, that people would marry younger in order to produce the maximum amount of children during their lifespan.

I am in no way condoning their actions, by the way.

Exactly Boleyn Blue. Most women had next to no education. Niether did the average man. Henry was lucky to be married to 3 exceptionally well educated women in KoA, AB and KP.

JS and probably AoC were educated simply to be wives. Poor Kathryn was left to pick up her education piecemeal since her grandmother or her uncle didn't seem to overly concerned about one more daughter of the family.