Skip to main content

Katherine Howard: A Tudor Conspiracy

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


Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki: A Book Review

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post Author: Allison Pataki Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Ballantine Release Date: February 15, 2022 Pages: 381 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: Mrs. Post, the President and First Lady are here to see you. . . . So begins another average evening for Marjorie Merriweather Post. Presidents have come and gone, but she has hosted them all. Growing up in the modest farmlands of Battle Creek, Michigan, Marjorie was inspired by a few simple rules: always think for yourself, never take success for granted, and work hard—even when deemed American royalty, even while covered in imperial diamonds. Marjorie had an insatiable drive to live and love and to give more than she got. From crawling through Moscow warehouses to rescue the Tsar’s treasures to outrunning the Nazis in London, from serving the homeless of the Great Depression to entertaining Roosevelts, Kennedys, and Hollywood’s biggest stars, Marjorie Merriweath...

Iceberg by Jennifer A. Nielsen: A Book Review

  Iceberg Author: Jennifer A. Nielsen Genre: Children, Historical Fiction, Mystery, Adventure Publisher: Scholastic Release Date: March 7, 2023 Pages: 317 Source: My State Public Library Synopsis : As disaster looms on the horizon, a young stowaway onboard the Titanic will need all her courage and wits to stay alive. A thrilling tale from New York Times bestselling author Jennifer A. Nielsen!     Hazel Rothbury is traveling all alone from her home in England aboard the celebrated ship Titanic . Following the untimely death of her father, Hazel’s mother is sending her to the US to work in a factory, so that she might send money back home to help her family make ends meet.     But Hazel harbors a secret dream: She wants to be a journalist, and she just knows that if she can write and sell a story about the Titanic ’s maiden voyage, she could earn enough money to support her family and not have to go to a sweatshop. When Hazel discovers that m...

The Rose Code by Kate Quinn: A Book Review

The Rose Code Author: Kate Quinn Genre: Historical Fiction Publisher: Harper Collins Release Date: 2021 Pages: 635 Source: Netgalley/Publisher in exchange for an honest review. Synopsis: 1940, Bletchley Park, Buckinghamshire.        Three very different women are recruited to the mysterious Bletchley Park, where the best minds in Britain train to break German military codes.       Vivacious debutante Osla has the dashing Prince Philip of Greece sending her roses – but she burns to prove herself as more than a society girl, working to translate decoded enemy secrets. Self-made Mab masters the legendary codebreaking machines as she conceals old wounds and the poverty of her East-End London upbringing. And shy local girl Beth is the outsider who trains as one of the Park’s few female cryptanalysts.       1947, London.        Seven years after they first meet, on the eve of the roya...