{"product_id":"young-and-damned-and-fair-the-life-of-catherine-howard-fifth-wife-of-king-henry-viii","title":"Young and Damned and Fair: The Life of Catherine Howard  Fifth Wife of King Henry VIII","description":"\u003cp\u003eWritten with an exciting combination of narrative flair and historical authority  this interpretation of the tragic life of Catherine Howard  fifth wife of Henry VIII  breaks new ground in our understanding of the very young woman who became queen at a time of unprecedented social and political tension and whose terrible errors in judgment quickly led her to the executioners block.  On the morning of July 28  1540  as King Henrys VIIIs former confidante Thomas Cromwell was being led to his execution  a teenager named Catherine Howard began her reign as queen of a country simmering with rebellion and terrifying uncertainty. Sixteen months later  the kings fifth wife would follow her cousin Anne Boleyn to the scaffold  having been convicted of adultery and high treason.  The broad outlines of Catherines career might be familiar  but her story up until now has been incomplete. Unlike previous accounts of her life  which portray her as a nave victim of an ambitious family  this compelling and authoritative biography will shed new light on Catherine Howards rise and downfall by reexamining her motives and showing her in her context  a milieu that goes beyond her family and the influential men of the court to include the aristocrats and  most critically  the servants who surrounded her and who  in the end  conspired against her. By illuminating Catherines entwined upstairs\/downstairs worlds as well as societal tensions beyond the palace walls  the author offers a fascinating portrayal of court life in the sixteenth century and a fresh analysis of the forces beyond Catherines control that led to her executionfrom diplomatic pressure and international politics to the long-festering resentments against the queens household at court.  Including a forgotten text of Catherines confession in her own words  color illustrations  family tree  map  and extensive notes  Young and Damned and Fair changes our understanding of one of historys most famous women while telling the compelling and very human story of complex individuals attempting to survive in a dangerous age.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44946295980085,"sku":"ByrdShop_1501108638","price":31.73,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9781501108631_146036bd-b0b7-40b3-8773-ebfbdafe8b1a.jpg?v=1770162772","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/young-and-damned-and-fair-the-life-of-catherine-howard-fifth-wife-of-king-henry-viii","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}