Katherine Howard: A New History (33 page)
Read Katherine Howard: A New History Online
Authors: Conor Byrne
Cover
- Portrait of a Young Woman. workshop of Hans Holbein the Younger. Accession Number: 49.7.30 from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Image © Metropolitan Museum of Art
Figure 1
- Engraving of Thomas Howard, 3
rd
Duke of Norfolk, from
Portraits of Illustrious Personages of Great Britain
,
Volume II (1814, &c.), Edmund Lodge
Figure 2
- Engraving of Anne Boleyn by Henry Thomas Ryall (1811-67), after a painting by Hans Holbein the Younger (1497/98-1543)
Figure 3
- Engraving of Jane Seymour, from
Lives of the Queens of England
, Agnes Strickland (1851)
Figure 4
- Engraving of Anne of Cleves, from
Lives of the Queens of England
, Agnes Strickland (1851)
Figure 5
- Portrait of a Lady by Hans Holbein the Younger (1497/98-1543). Object number 1926.57 in the Toledo Museum of Art, Ohio.
Image © Toledo Museum of Art.
Figure 6
- Portrait of a Lady, perhaps Katherine Howard, by Hans Holbein the Younger (1497/98-1543). Reference RCIN 422293 supplied by Royal Collection Trust / © HM Queen Elizabeth II 2012
Figure 7
- Portrait of a Young Woman. workshop of Hans Holbein the Younger. Accession Number: 49.7.30 from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York.
Image © Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Figure 8
- Chesworth House, Horsham.
Image © 2014 MadeGlobal Publishing
Figure 9
- The White Tower, Tower of London.
Image © 2014 MadeGlobal Publishing
Figure 10
- St. Peter ad Vincula Church, Tower of London
Image © 2011 MadeGlobal Publishing
Figure 11
- Hampton Court Palace, London.
Image © 2014 MadeGlobal Publishing
Figure 12
- Engraving of Henry VIII from
Casell’s Illustrated History of England (New and Revised Edition)
, Volume II. Casell & Company Ltd. (poss. 1874 edition)
Acknowledgements
The fall of Katherine Howard contained none of the tragedy or dignity of the end of Anne Boleyn. She was a foolish girl who lacked either the moral sense or common sense to see that behaviour which could be tolerated in the girls’ dormitory would be unacceptable in a queen.
Anne Crawford,
Letters of the Queens of England
Or so I, and the majority of both general and academic readers, believed. At an early age, I fell in love with Tudor history, and my passion for it has never subsided. Initially intrigued – no, obsessed – by Anne Boleyn and the dramatic story of her life, my interest eventually extended to her equally tragic, if far less studied, cousin Katherine Howard. Although I spent these early years mainly reading Tudor novels, biographies, and watching television series concerning the period, it was while a student of history that I decided to research her life in some detail. While still doing my A-levels, I researched Katherine’s date of birth and argued against the generally accepted belief that she was born circa 1521, favouring a later date of 1523-4. Later, I researched in detail the mysterious story of her downfall, submitting this research to St Hugh’s College, Oxford. I wish to thank that college for their generous support of this essay. It should be noted that, since that publication, I have somewhat amended my theories concerning Katherine’s downfall in 1541-2, having interpreted evidence in a new light. Some of my essays on Katherine’s life can be accessed online at my blog (http://www.conorbyrnex.blogspot.co.uk), which has received a wide reading since its beginning.
The reader might find the picture presented of Katherine in this book to be contrary to what they think they know of her. It has been an immensely exciting and enlightening journey, from initial research to publication. I owe many thanks. Firstly, I wish to thank my history tutors at the Sixth Form College, Farnborough - Diana Laffin and Jo Chambers - who encouraged my passion for history, read my essays on Katherine, and offered helpful insights, while also delivering fascinating and thought-provoking lessons. They fully supported my research, and I am very grateful. I especially wish to thank Jo Chambers for putting me in touch with Dr Helen King of the Open University, whose assistance concerning this project has been important and encouraged me to reconsider the experiences of Katherine in line with medical customs and beliefs about fertility and hysteria. I wish to pay tribute and offer warm thanks to Dr Retha Warnicke of Arizona State University, who generously emailed me her chapter of Katherine’s life from her 2012 book
Wicked Women of Tudor England
, and provided invaluable and helpful assistance. I warmly recommend Dr Warnicke’s book and praise her for her original insights into Katherine’s career that, it will be clear, have greatly informed my own conclusions.
I would also like to thank Una McIlvenna, Marilyn Roberts and additionally Claire Ridgway of The Anne Boleyn Files, all of whom assisted me in my research and encouraged me to consider new possibilities of studying both Katherine and the Tudors more widely. In particular, Claire’s support has been phenomenal. I wish to thank her and her husband Tim Ridgway for deciding to take on my book in the first place, and by extension I thank MadeGlobal Publishing for a fine job. I would also like to take this opportunity to congratulate Claire on her deserved success.
I wish to offer thanks and acknowledgement: to Susan Bordo, who generously allowed me to write numerous articles for her compelling and entertaining blog “The Creation of Anne Boleyn” (thecreationofanneboleyn.wordpress.com), and who has supported my research warmly and fully.
To Alison Weir, a historian I admire very much, who I have had the privilege of corresponding with over the years and who has facilitated my love for Tudor history, and to Dr. Suzannah Lipscomb, whose work I continue to highly enjoy.
I also wish to thank Natalie Grueninger from “On The Tudor Trail”, who, similarly to Susan, generously published my research, and to Gareth Russell, who I have had the pleasure of corresponding with in recent years and whose blog I admire deeply.
Twitter has proven fantastic in allowing me to engage with a number of intelligent, bright and thoughtful individuals who share my love for history and with whom I correspond with regularly: you know who you are. As a piece of self-promotion, anyone interested in following my insights can find me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/ConorByrnex.
My research has profited immensely from visiting the National Archives and other local libraries, including that of Fleet and the University of Exeter; I wish to thank the staff for providing me with invaluable research assistance. The staff at Lambeth Archives and the Surrey History Centre have both also been very receptive to my queries.
I wish to pay tribute to particular writers: Lacey Baldwin Smith, Joanna Denny, Retha Warnicke, David Starkey, and Elisabeth Wheeler. While I do not agree with some of their conclusions, these authors have been instrumental in challenging me (and others) to think differently about Katherine and the experiences of the Tudors more broadly.
Lastly I wish to thank my friends who have supported me every step of the way, whether by reading excerpts of the book, offering advice, or providing more general support and friendship in trying circumstances. My family have also proven to be very interested in the project and have fully supported my endeavours. I thank them with love for all that they do. My mission throughout was to (as far as was possible) discover the historical Katherine, placing her in her appropriate social, cultural and political environment in order to render as accurate and enriching an interpretation as possible. I hope that I have done so, for it is high time that the real circumstances of her life be made available. Of course, any errors, omissions and mistakes are entirely my own. To anyone else that I have forgotten to thank and acknowledge, I thank you for your support and assistance.
Author Biography
Conor Byrne
, author of
“Katherine Howard: A New History”
is a British undergraduate studying History at the University of Exeter.
Conor has been fascinated by the Tudors, medieval and early modern history from the age of eleven, particularly the lives of European kings and queens. His research into Katherine Howard, fifth consort of Henry VIII of England, began in 2011-12, and his first extended essay on her, related to the subject of her downfall in 1541-2, was written for an Oxford University competition. Since then Conor has embarked on a full-length study of qyeen Katharine’s career, encompassing original research and drawing on extended reading into sixteenth-century gender, sexuality and honour. Some of the conclusions reached are controversial and likely to spark considerable debate, but Conor hopes for a thorough reassessment of Katherine Howard’s life.
Conor runs a historical blog which explores a diverse range of historical topics and issues. He is also interested in modern European, Russian, and African history, and, more broadly, researches the lives of medieval queens, including current research into the defamed ‘she-wolf’ bride of Edward II, Isabella of France.
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Table of Contents
‘His Vicious Purpose’: A Tainted Upbringing