by Sarah-Beth Watkins

Mary Boleyn placed her hand on her stomach. It was time to shut herself away from the world and enter her darkened chambers. Richly embroidered tapestries lined the room, shutting out the light and keeping in the warmth from the banked-up fire. Mary was going to give birth to her first child; born of lust and passion, a child whose father was not the man she had married, a child whose father was secretly the King. A child she named Katherine.

Katherine would grow up never to be acknowledged as King Henry VIII‘s daughter. Henry had every reason not to acknowledge her. He had his daughters, one already born when Katherine came into the world, and he needed no more. His denial of his affair with Katherine’s mother, Mary, would be something that would always position Katherine as a bastard. Yet Katherine joined the Tudor court as maid of honour to Queen Anne of Cleves and she went on to serve Catherine Howard as well as becoming one of Elizabeth I’s closest confidantes - cousins for definite, more likely half-sisters. Katherine lived through the reigns of Henry VIII, Edward VI, Mary I and on into Elizabeth I’s. Never far from court, she lived in a world where she would never be a princess but a lady she was born to be.

Given the task of handling a chunk of England's past within the limitations of a single book, Watkins' effort is a commendable overview of the Tudor family feud. The author keeps the pace brisk, especially in the narrative's second half, without sacrificing the emotional overlay of the story. Rich Moreland, 3hattergrindhouse

Sarah-Beth Watkins is a freelance writer with over 20 years' experience writing for magazines and websites on a variety of topics including writing, parenting, crafts, literature and women's development. Over the past ten years, she has also tutored a number of writing courses within community settings and as a distance and online learning tutor. She lives in County Wexford, Ireland.

 

Lady Katherine Knollys: The Unacknowledged Daughter of King Henry VIII

Sarah-Beth Watkins

Katherine Knollys was Mary Boleyn's first child, born in 1524 when Mary was having an affair with King Henry VIII.
Katherine spent her life unacknowledged as the king's daughter, yet she was given prime appointments at court as maid of honour to both Anne of Cleves and Katherine Howard. She married Francis Knollys when she was 16 and went on to become mother to many successful men and women at court including Lettice Knollys who created a scandal when she married Sir Robert Dudley, the queen's favourite.
This fascinating book studies Katherine's life and times, including her intriguing relationship with Elizabeth I.

 

 

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• eBook £6.99 || $9.99
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• Jan 30, 2015. 978-1-78279-584-1.
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• Paperback £9.99 || $16.95
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• Jan 30, 2015. 978-1-78279-585-8.
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