![]() ![]() Instead Russell truly seeks to consider Catherine objectively and carefully and come to understand her, and that he does so means we do so as well, and all the better than I was consistently entertained and informed throughout. ![]() ![]() But there's no agenda here: Russell neither seeks to restore Catherine's good name at the expense of the various men who abused and exploited her, nor does he slander hers and dismiss her on account of her actions at Lambeth and later at court. Throughout Russell weighs various theories about her (from her actual year of birth, to whether or not she and Culpeper consummated their relationship), then uses multiple pieces of historical evidence to show the weaknesses of each and advances what he considers the most likely theory from the available evidence. Portrayed by contemporary and modern writers as a vixen, temptress, whore, idiot, pawn, simpleton, innocent and thought of as empty-headed, frivolous, lewd, lascivious, faithless, deceptive, ignorant, only in Gareth Russell's extremely engaging and readable biography do we finally achieve a comprehensive picture of the elusive fifth consort of Henry. ![]() Of the six wives of Henry VIII, Catherine Howard is usually the least enviable and least admired of the lot. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |