Catherine Howard, the fifth wife of Henry VIII of England, is executed for adultery.

Catherine Howard was Queen of England from July 1540 until November 1541 as the fifth wife of King Henry VIII. She was the daughter of Lord Edmund Howard and Joyce Culpeper, a first cousin to Anne Boleyn, and the niece of Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk. Thomas Howard was a prominent politician at Henry's court. He secured her a place in the household of Henry's fourth wife, Anne of Cleves, where Howard caught the King's interest. She married him on 28 July 1540 at Oatlands Palace in Surrey, just 19 days after the annulment of his marriage to Anne. Henry was 49, and it is widely accepted that Catherine was about 17 at the time of her marriage to Henry VIII.

Henry VIII was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage annulled. His disagreement with Pope Clement VII about such an annulment led Henry to initiate the English Reformation, separating the Church of England from papal authority. He appointed himself Supreme Head of the Church of England and dissolved convents and monasteries, for which he was excommunicated by the pope.

Adultery is generally defined as extramarital sex that is or was considered objectionable on social, religious and moral grounds, and which often resulted in legal consequences. Although the sexual activities that can be described as adultery vary, as well as their consequences, the concept is found in many cultures and shares similarities in Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Adultery was and continued to be viewed by many societies as offensive to public morals, and as undermining the "marital" relationship.

February 13 is the 44th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar; 321 days remain until the end of the year.