I always get slightly excited when I see that I have email, so you can imagine how much more excited I was when I was asked to review this book. “Katherine Howard: A New History” is the first book by young Tudor Historian Conor Byrne. Katherine is often portrayed as the vapid teenaged fifth wife of the indomitable Henry VIII of England. Her time as Queen was cut short, and her life ended with the stroke of the axe, after her alleged infidelity. Modern day TV and movies show her as just a girl who wanted nothing more than to “party” and have fun, unconcerned for anything but herself, to the point of having an affair with one of Henry’s most trusted courtiers. Like many people misaligned from this time period, I can’t help but wonder… How much of that is true, and how much is made up?

While we will never be able to answer many of the questions we have about Katherine, Mr. Byrne has gone to great lengths to make us rethink our positions. By referencing a wide variety of sources, the writer seeks to repaint the image of Katherine from that of the silly girl who was in over her head and just looking for a good time, to that of a young woman, abused throughout her early life, and used as a pawn by her status-seeking family. Mr. Byrne sets the stage for Katherine’s rise to fame by starting with the politics of the Henrician court, and how after the tumultuous reign of her cousin, Anne Boleyn, the Howard family looked for a way to once again emerge as the top dogs in the palace.

The author starts before Katherine’s birth, describing the world she was born into. He tells us of the proud Howard family, humbled by the scandal of Anne Boleyn’s execution, because of her Howard lineage. The noble family sought to gain the King’s ear and trust again, and thrust Katherine forward as a means to do just that. Mr. Byrne believes that Katherine was the true victim of her story, as a young woman who was used by ne’er do well men for her entire life. Her life was one of continued sexual abuse by the likes Henry Manox, Francis Dereham, and Thomas Culpeper. His further analysis even looks into portraits of Katherine and their identifications, and re-examines her reign, pointing to evidence that shows she was not a frivolous party girl, but took her duties as Queen seriously.

If you are a tried and true Tudor-holic, I highly recommend this book. It’s chock-full of details, and Mr. Byrne does his absolute best to rehabilitate the reputation of the ill-fated consort. I always enjoy new perspectives of historical figures, so for me, this was a pleasure to read, and it definitely turned what I thought I knew of Katherine on its side.

“Katherine Howard: A New History” by Conor Byrne is available on Amazon US and UK in both Kindle and Paperback formats. You can follow the authors blog here.

George Boleyn is quite the enigmatic character. Often misaligned with his sister, Anne Boleyn, as they suffered the same fate in 1536 when they were executed on trumped up charges, stemming from Henry VIII’s wish to have a son- which seemingly he could not with Anne. But were the siblings guilty of incest? Was the lesser known brother homosexual or a womanizer? Who was George Boleyn?!
Clare Cherry and Claire Ridgway sought to try and answer these questions as best they could with the information available. There are no known portraits of George, but they’ve been able to compile an outline of his life, based on letters, diplomatic cables and state papers.The writers really strive to separate fact from fiction. As with many historical figures from that time, there are gaps in George’s life and details that we will never know, but with this resourc, we can begin to truly paint a picture of who George Boleyn was- and who he most certainly was not.
I found that the book gave me some real insights into court life under Henry VIII. “Bluff King Hal” was definitely a pleasure-seeking man, but he relegated state business to the men he trusted most. George was among the men he trusted deeply, as shown by the offices and duties assigned to the young Boleyn. George acted on behalf of Henry many times, negotiating with the King of France. From the numerous missions, assignments and offices George was given, it’s obvious to see that he was not just the partying playboy that some modern fiction plays him to be.
This book is a must have for anyone who is interested in learning about the inner workings of the court during Tudor rule. If your focus is mainly on the wives of Henry VIII, this probably isn’t the reading material for you. Of course, there are mentions of Anne, Jane Seymour and Catherine of Aragon, but they are not the focus of the book. You will learn more about the proud man who also bore the now infamous name and how he contributed to the court before the rise of his sister. Claire and Clare also spend a whole chapter addressing the relationship of George with his wife, Jane, Lady Rochford, who later shared her husband’s fate. They lay out the evidence we have to dispel the popular myths of Jane’s complicity in the investigation against her husband and sister-in-law. Also, there are some great resources towards the end of the book, with timelines, poetry and writings about George.
“George Boleyn: Tudor Poet, Courtier, and Diplomat” is available for purchase through Amazon US and UK, and I encourage anyone wanting to know more about the real Tudors to visit Claire Ridgway’s site The Anne Boleyn Files for true and factual information.