Catherine Howard: The Queen Whose Adulteries Made a Fool of Henry VIII (History Revealed) [Hardcover]

Lacey Baldwin Smith (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 2009

A biography of Henry VIII of England's fifth wife, beheaded for playing Henry at his own game - adultery. At seven o'clock on the morning of 13th February 1542, Catherine Howard stepped out into the cold of the great courtyard of the Tower of London. Slowly she was escorted across the yard and carefully helped up the steps of the wooden scaffold. Only a small group of sightseers had gathered to watch the death of a queen; there was no weeping, no remorse, only chilly curiosity. The ax rose and fell, a life ceased, an episode came to an end. The life and death of Catherine was truly a Tudor tragedy.

A mere teenager, the vivacious and flirty Catherine Howard was an unsuitable bride for the elderly and fat Henry VIII. Like most of Henry's wives she had come to his attention at court whilst lady-in-waiting to his fourth wife of only a few months, Anne of Cleves. Henry was soon besotted and came to adore Catherine, his 'very jewel of womanhood'. His head already turned by the 19 year old, Henry never consummated his marriage to Anne, he divorced her and married for the fifth time on 28th July 1540.

Lacey Baldwin Smith, one of the finest historians of the Tudor age, narrates the rise and fall of the most tragic of Henry's queens, the woman who dared to cuckold the king of England.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Lacey Baldwin Smith is Professor Emeritus of History at Northwestern University. He has published nine critically acclaimed books including: Henry VIII: The Mask of Royalty, Elizabeth Tudor: Portrait of a Queen, and Treason in Tudor England. The recipient of M.A. and PhD degrees from Princeton University, he has been a Fulbright Scholar, a Guggenheim Fellow, a Senior Fulbright Fellow at the University of London and a Senior Fellow of the National Endowment for the Humanities. He lives with his wife, Jean, in Illinois and Vermont. They have two daughters.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Amberley (March 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 184868214X
• ISBN-13: 978-1848682146
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,086,783 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #80 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > British > King Henry VIII

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Tudor Tragedy-re released with new title, April 2, 2009

By 

Lane White (Brentwood, TN) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Catherine Howard: The Queen Whose Adulteries Made a Fool of Henry VIII (History Revealed) (Hardcover)

The book itself is excellent,but don't purchase if you already own "A Tudor Tragedy" published in 1961. Although not advertised as such, this is a re-release of that title. BTW- the portrait on the cover isn't Catherine Howard, it's a portrait of Jane Seymour's sister.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Catherine the rose without a thorn, February 4, 2010

By 

love to read "Mary" (San Marino, Ca. United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Catherine Howard: The Queen Whose Adulteries Made a Fool of Henry VIII (History Revealed) (Hardcover)

This was an excellent book explaining Catherine's background. She was basically in a "group" home (as it is called today) with no one to look after her or train her in the morals of the day. She became sexually active at a young.