Catherine Howard (c. 1521 – 13 February 1542), also spelled Katherine or Katheryn, is the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, and sometimes known by his reference to her as his "rose without a thorn".

Catherine's birth date and place of birth are unknown (but occasionally cited as 1521 or 1525, possibly in Wingate, County Durham).

She is the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard, a younger son of the 2nd Duke of Norfolk.

This makes her a first cousin of the King's second wife, Anne Boleyn.

Catherine marries Henry VIII on 28 July 1540, at Oatlands Palace in Surrey, almost immediately after the annulment of his marriage to Anne of Cleves is arranged.

However she is beheaded after less than two years of marriage to Henry on the grounds of treason, meaning adultery committed while married to the King.