Katherine Howard: A Tudor Conspiracy by Joanna Denny: A Book Review

Katherine Howard: A Tudor Conspiracy

Author: Joanna Denny

Genre: Nonfiction, History, Biography

Publisher: Pitakus Books

Release Date: 2005

Pages: 304

Source: Personal Collection

Synopsis: A riveting new biography of a much neglected Queen - the doomed child-bride of Henry VIII Joanna Denny, author of Anne Boleyn, reveals another sensational episode in Tudor history - illuminating the true character of Katherine Howard, the young girl caught up in a maelstrom of ambition and conspiracy which led to her execution for high treason while still only seventeen years old. Who was Katherine, the beautiful young aristocrat who became a bait to catch a king? Was she simply naive and innocent, a victim of her grasping family's scheming? Or was she brazen and abandoned, recklessly indulging in dissolute games with lovers in contempt of her royal position? Joanna Denny's enthralling new book once again plunges the reader into the heart of the ruthless intrigues of the Tudor court - and gives a sympathetic portrait of a beautiful young girl trapped and betrayed by her own family.

My Review: Katherine Howard was Henry VIII’s fifth queen and his teenage wife. She was executed because she had an affair with her husband’s servant, Thomas Culpepper. In this biography of Queen Katherine Howard, she is portrayed as a pawn for her uncle in order to restore Catholicism in England. Once her past was revealed, her uncle betrays her in order to save himself. This biography portrays Queen Katherine Howard in a sympathetic light. She was an obscure teenager who suddenly became Queen of England, a role in which she was unprepared for.

I liked Ms. Denny’s portrait of Queen Katherine Howard. Queen Katherine Howard was a neglected and often forgotten child. Because of this, she was forced to become an adult and learned more about sensual pleasures. Thus, she lost her innocence in her youth. Because of this, it would be her first step that would lead her to the execution block. Ms. Denny also shows how Katherine was a pawn and that she was unequipped to be queen. Therefore, Queen Katherine Howard was very sympathetic. If only she was looked after, cared for, and was brought up, then her fate might have turned out differently.

Overall, this was a very comprehensive biography of Queen Katherine Howard. Even though it was a short book, I did find it to be unnecessarily drawn out. I wished it was more focused on Queen Katherine Howard. Instead, it tended to go off on tangents not related to the subject. There was also a lot of speculation that was not founded on evidence. Still, it is a fascinating account of a young queen who died a tragic death. It also read like a thriller, for Queen Katherine Howard made many mistakes that caused to be executed. I recommend this for fans of Alison Weir, Gareth Russell, and Antonia Fraser!

Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Theodora: Actress, Empress, Saint (Women in Antiquity) by David Potter: A Book Review

Theodora: Actress, Empress, Saint (Women in Antiquity) Author: David Potter Genre: Nonfiction, Biography, History Publisher: Oxford University Press Release Date: November 4, 2015 Pages: 288 Source: Publisher/Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Two of the most famous mosaics from the ancient world, in the church of San Vitale in Ravenna, depict the sixth-century emperor Justinian and, on the wall facing him, his wife, Theodora (497-548). This majestic portrait gives no inkling of Theodora's very humble beginnings or her improbable rise to fame and power. Raised in a family of circus performers near Constantinople's Hippodrome, she abandoned a successful acting career in her late teens to follow a lover whom she was legally forbidden to marry. When he left her, she was a single mother who built a new life for herself as a secret agent, in which role she met the heir to the throne. To the shock of the ruling elite, the two were married, and when Justinian...

Guest Post: The Ladies-in-Waiting: Lady Isabel Baynton by Alexandra Walsh

Today's guest writer is Alexandra Walsh. She is the author of The Catherine Howard Conspiracy , which is a historical thriller surrounding the infamous Tudor queen. In this guest post, Mrs. Walsh discusses the life of Catherine's lady-in-waiting, Isabel Baynton. This post will be sure to fascinate fans of Tudor era. If you enjoy her post, please pick up a copy of The Catherine Howard Conspiracy ! Thank you, Mrs. Walsh! The Ladies-in-Waiting – Lady Isabel Baynton by Alexandra Walsh One of the most enjoyable things about writing an historical novel is discovering the tiny details that make the period real on the page. While I was researching The Catherine Howard Conspiracy , I spent a great deal of time hunting out the life stories of the women who surrounded the young queen in order to create a group of realistic friends and confidants. There are some well-known names linked with Catherine and her downfall: Lady Jane Boleyn,...

Guest Post by Cheryl Anne Stapp: Sacramento Women in the Pioneer Era

Today's guest writer is Cheryl Anne Stapp. She is the author of Before The Gold Rush - The Sinclairs of Rancho del Paso 1840-1849 , and Disaster & Triumph: Sacramento Women, Gold Rush Through the Civil War . I am currently reading Before the Gold Rush , and I find it fascinating! In this guest post, she writes about stories of pioneer women that settled in Sacramento. I hope you find these stories captivating and that it will give you some insight into her novel. Thank you, Mrs. Stapp! Sacramento Women in the Pioneer Era I don’t write fiction. I tried, but soon found that I have no talent for plotting. My first and only attempt at a historical romance was actually pretty far along when an editor friend pointed out there was more historical matter than romance in the manuscript…and as far as a well-constructed storyline with surprising plot twists, well… But in 2009 I found my niche, largely inspire...

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