An Innocent Person Executed!!!

[Ralph]

In 1542 on this date, the fifth and faithful wife of England's King Henry VIII, Catherine Howard, was executed for adultery, a trumped up charge.

[RebLem]

In 1542 on this date, the fifth and faithful wife of England's King Henry VIII, Catherine Howard, was executed for adultery, a trumped up charge.

No, it really wasn't, mostly. She had, at the very least, a very intense personal realationship and probably a consummated love affair with Thomas Culpepper, on of Henry's courtiers. Her last words were "I die a Queen [actually, Parliament, at Henry's behest, had already deprived her of that title], but I would much rather have died the wife of Culpepper," essentially admitting her moral guilt whether the relationship had actually been consummated or not. Of course, Henry himself fooled around so much that his action offends modern sensibilities regarding double standards, but they are precisely that--modern sensibilities, and rather new. The case against her was based partly on an alleged affair with another man as well, evidence for which may well have been trumped up.

Now, the execution of Anne Boleyn some years earlier is a different story. That one almost certainly was based on trumped up charges.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Boleyn#Downfall

[Ralph]

In 1542 on this date, the fifth and faithful wife of England's King Henry VIII, Catherine Howard, was executed for adultery, a trumped up charge.

No, it really wasn't, mostly. She had, at the very least, a very intense personal realationship and probably a consummated love affair with Thomas Culpepper, on of Henry's courtiers. Her last words were "I die a Queen [actually, Parliament, at Henry's behest, had already deprived her of that title], but I would much rather have died the wife of Culpepper," essentially admitting her moral guilt whether the relationship had actually been consummated or not. Of course, Henry himself fooled around so much that his action offends modern sensibilities regarding double standards, but they are precisely that--modern sensibilities, and rather new. The case against her was based partly on an alleged affair with another man as well, evidence for which may well have been trumped up.

Now, the execution of Anne Boleyn some years earlier is a different story. That one almost certainly was based on trumped up charges.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Boleyn#Downfall

*****

Until proven otherwise, highly unlikely, I discount Catherine's execution spiel as evidencing adultery. And "moral guilt?" Sir, I know of no such concept that can justify a person to be executed.

[jbuck919]

If I remember correctly, Henry had no motivation for getting rid of Catherine (as he had for getting rid of Anne Boleyn)--quite to the contrary--and had his hand forced when it was revealed that she did not come to his bed a virgin. Her pre-marital lover (not Culpepper) was also executed for treason even though there was not way for him to know his gal would someday be queen. Henry's embarrassment in this matter ended the career of Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk, Catherine's uncle who had arranged the marriage (he was also an uncle of Anne Boleyn). Thrown out of favor, Norfolk had to flee court and was evenetually put on Henry's short list for execution himself, saved only by Henry's death.

The problem with all these court intrigue things is that they depend on assumption, rumor, and at best secondary documentation. For instance, if I went with the whole story as dramatized in The Six Lives of Henry VIII, I'd have to accept that the reason Culpepper was introduced into the picture was to produce a son who would have been passed off as the allegedly impotent Henry's. That's a little hard to take, and many other parts of the story may be embellishments as well, but Catherine was beloved of Henry and hadn't had time yet to make herself tiresome by failing to bear sons among other things. So while contumaciousness is not anything we consider a crime at all, in the logic of the times she was probably guilty of it.

[Ralph]

If only Queen Catherine had ME as her defense counsel!

[Reed]

Re-open the case!!!

[Ralph]

Re-open the case!!!

*****

I've tried but the "expert witness" the Crown Proesecution Service sent me in response to my request turned out to be a shrink!

[RebLem]

If only Queen Catherine had ME as her defense counsel!

Sounds like a fit subject for one of those lawyer conventions at which cases based on Shakespeare plays or historical or literary events are tried in mock courts.

While I'm on the subject, I always thought it would be a good idea to have a mock trial in which the estate of Humpty Dumpty files a wrongful death suit. Of course, you would have to stipulate some "facts" which are not part of the traditional story to make it a fair and even contest, but I think it would be fun for everyone.

[Ralph]

If only Queen Catherine had ME as her defense counsel!

Sounds like a fit subject for one of those lawyer conventions at which cases based on Shakespeare plays or historical or literary events are tried in mock courts.

While I'm on the subject, I always thought it would be a good idea to have a mock trial in which the estate of Humpty Dumpty files a wrongful death suit. Of course, you would have to stipulate some "facts" which are not part of the traditional story to make it a fair and even contest, but I think it would be fun for everyone.

*****

It's been done many, many times. Here's Humpty Dumpty's trial for 4th-6th grades:

http://www.classbrain.com/artteensm/uploads/humpty.pdf

[Ralph]

FindArticles > Daily Record (Rochester, NY) > May 9, 2005 > Article >

Humpty Dumpty declared winner in Harter Secrest's mock trial play
Helen Nguyen

Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall. Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. All the king's horses, and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty together again.

Did you ever wonder how Humpty Dumpty fell off the wall? Putting a creative twist on the popular nursery rhyme, attorneys from the litigation unit at Harter, Secrest & Emery LLP presented a mock trial play entitled Humpty Dumpty v. The Greatwall Construction Co., et al. The mock trial was performed before elementary school students from Rochester City Schools 14, 29 and 54 on Friday, April 29.

The law firm started performing mock trial plays five years ago. The other plays presented included Cinderella v. Wicked Stepmother, People (and Bears) v. Goldilocks, Second Little Pig v. The Gone With the Wind Construction Co. and The Boy Who (Allegedly) Cried Wolf v. The Lamb Guard Co.

I'd say that all of us at HS&E recognize the need to contribute in some way to the educational experience of children in our city schools, said Tom Smith, who wrote many of the plays, including Humpty Dumpty. It's a community priority and our law firm is heavily invested in the Rochester community.

The Case

Putting a legal spin on the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme, the mock trial play presented Humpty as the plaintiff. He allegedly was injured while watching the Kingsmen - his favorite baseball team. Because the game was sold out, he decided to watch the game for free by sitting on a nearby fence. During the second inning, an outfielder in left field crashed into the fence while attempting to catch a fly ball. The fence shook and Humpty fell.

I sort of did an egg roll, said Humpty when he took the witness stand.

Humpty was played by Brad Salai who wore a large egg foam costume.

I've always dreamt of playing Humpty, Salai said jokingly. Some might think that no one else would want to sweat inside a giant foam egg for an hour, but I can tell you that there was a lot of competition for the part. I've played lots of characters in the past, including the Big Bad Wolf, and even some female parts, but Humpty was as challenging as any of them.

John Jennings played the part of Doc Gooden, who was an eyewitness to the game and testified on behalf of Humpty. He also provided medical assistance to Humpty who allegedly cracked his head in 11 different places when he fell.

Humpty's attorney - Mr. Hammer - was played by Smith who argued the baseball team, along with the Greatwall Construction Co., who built the fence, were responsible for Humpty's injuries. He argued they should have built a stronger fence and provided better warnings.

The baseball team and the construction company, however, asserted Humpty was responsible for his injuries since he assumed the risk of getting hurt by sitting on top of the fence.

Shaleeya Link played Ms. Erables, the attorney for Greatwall. Mike Damia played the part of Otis Greatwall, president of the construction company. During his testimony, he recalled how his family built the Great Wall of China.

Dave Robinson played Al Toebelly, general manager of the Kingsmen and Rob Weissflach played James Seymour, attorney for the baseball team. The baseball team argued it did not intend the fence to be sat on and that Humpty should not have tried to see the game for free.

The students heard a total of four witnesses. Each were sworn by Tikisha Diggs who played the court bailiff.

The Verdict

After listening to the witnesses and hearing the attorney's closing arguments, the students learned about the jury deliberation process. The students were given the most important role - the jury.

Jim Moore played the part of Judge Wannabe and instructed the students about the deliberation process. Jeff Calabrese moderated the deliberations by asking the students questions about the case and encouraging them to participate in the discussion.

Humpty Dumpty shouldn't have sat on the fence, said a student. He knew it was dangerous and that he could fall.

Other students argued the baseball club should not have bought a cheap fence.

One student said: The construction company isn't at fault since it just built the fence the baseball team told it to.

So what was the final verdict?

The majority of students voted in favor of Humpty, saying the baseball team should have built a stronger fence and provided better warnings. The students were split on whether the construction company was at fault.

Personally, I'm particularly gratified this year that, as Humpty's lawyer, I finally won a case, said Smith. My prior experience as trial attorney for Goldilocks and for The Gone with the Wind Construction Co., and as shepherd boy in last year's play just didn't turn out so well for my characters.

Overall, the students responded positively to the mock trial play.

We make a very sincere effort to provide the students real insight into the trial process - in a fun way, said Calabrese. It is a very rewarding experience for all involved.

The Real Story Behind Humpty

The origins behind the real Humpty Dumpty is thought to stem from a large cannon used during the English Civil War.

The cannon was mounted on top of a wall in England. Yet, the cannon fell from the wall and the king's men along with their horses were unsuccessful when they tried to raise the cannon to another part of the wall.

Copyright 2005 Dolan Media Newswires
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company.