Young and Damned and Fair

February 1, 2017
An intimate biography of Henry VIII's fifth queen: vivacious young woman who only wanted to have fun or a tragic victim of abusive elders?In his largely sympathetic portrait of Catherine Howard (1523-1542), whose youthful flirtations spelled her downfall, Irish playwright and historian Russell (The Emperors: How Europe's Rulers Were Destroyed by the First World War, 2014, etc.) renders a fully fleshed portrait of Howard based around the details of her household and intimates. Indeed, the author's study is so intricately woven in contextual detail that he often fails to see the forest for the trees--e.g., what were Catherine's true motivations; was she just a flimsy bystander to her own fate? Her pampered upbringing as a noblewoman (granddaughter to Thomas Howard, the 2nd Duke of Norfolk) and sense of natural entitlement did not shield her from her father's habitual indebtedness, and she received little in the way of formal education. Catherine was a ward of her rich aunt Agnes, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, and her teenage years were dotted with infatuations--e.g., with her music teacher, Henry Manox, and her aunt's secretary, Francis Dereham. Russell sifts carefully through the evidence and dismisses the explanation of sexual abuse, as clearly Catherine was in love, especially with Dereham and later, as queen, with Thomas Culpeper, a handsome favorite of her husband. Her 16-month stint as queen revealed "the Henrician court in its twilight, a glittering but pernicious sunset," when Henry had just divorced Anne of Cleves because he disliked her and impulsively married the charming Catherine on the day Thomas Cromwell was executed, July 28, 1540. Perhaps the marriage was engineered by her uncle Norfolk, who had grown jealous and suspicious of the former Protestant chief minister. Russell's portrait effectively underscores the machinations of this volatile court, the treachery of sycophants, and the importance of the all-seeing servants. Dense with material and flavor of the epoch.

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February 1, 2017

Russell (From Albion to Zazzera) builds upon his extensive scholarly research of the 16th-century royal household to produce this sympathetic biography of Catherine Howard (1523-42). Henry VIII called Catherine "a jewel for womanhood," and married her shortly after his divorce from Anne of Cleves, for whom Catherine had served as lady-in-waiting. This portrayal shows Catherine to be an immature yet attractive girl who had the misfortune of becoming the object of Henry VIII's ardor. Russell discusses the impact that religious rivalry, international diplomacy, and court etiquette had on Catherine's precipitous fall from grace. She was executed on charges of adultery and treason after serving as queen consort for less than 16 months, well before her 21st birthday. Possibly sexually abused as a young girl, promiscuous before her marriage, and unfaithful after it, Catherine was the least politically consequential of Henry's wives, yet her story is important for what it reveals about the brutality and chauvinism of Henrician England. Highly readable and peppered with engrossing stories, this book is also fascinating for its details about what was considered sexually moral in 16th-century England. VERDICT Biography lovers and those intrigued by the lives of the royals will welcome this tragic story of Henry VIII's fifth wife. [See Prepub Alert, 5/23/16.]--Marie M. Mullaney, Caldwell Coll., NJ

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