She and her allies went through almost every possible state – a household in formation, a household at court, a household on tour, and a household in crisis. In its sixteen month existence between her marriage to Henry VIII in July 1540 and her arrest in November 1541, Catherine Howard's household showcased the Tudor monarchy in microcosm: how royal favour was won, granted, exercised, displayed, celebrated and betrayed. 'This fascinating and ultimately heartbreaking account of Henry VIII's doomed fifth wife brings to life the cruel, gossip-fuelled, back-stabbing world of the court in which Catherine Howard rose and fell.Based on fascinating new material, a riveting account of Catherine Howard's tragic marriage to one of history's most powerful and endlessly fascinating rulers – Henry VIII. In Russell's meticulously researched narrative Catherine Howard and her household are brought to life as never before.

'A magnificent account of the rise and fall of Henry VIII's tragic fifth queen - compelling, thought-provoking and above all real. This is authoritative Tudor history written with a novelist's lightness of touch.

At the heart of it all is the fragile, tragic figure of Catherine Howard, whose awful fate is almost unbearable to watch as it unfolds. The result is a book that leads us deep into the nightmarish final years of Henry VIII's reign, wrenching open the intrigues of a poisonous court in a realm seething with discontent. 'Russell marries slick storytelling with a great wealth of learning about sixteenth-century personalities and politics. ''Young and Damned and Fair' is everything a historical biography should be' Kathryn Warner, author of 'Edward II: The Unconventional King' I love it when historians take the women who have been neglected by history seriously and study their lives rather than accepting stereotypes' Philippa Gregory Gareth Russell has done some beautiful new research to indicate that Catherine was not as foolish as some historians have suggested, and that her death was managed and manipulated by her offended husband, purely for his own revenge. 'A timely and powerful re-examination of Henry's fifth queen. 'A stunning reappraisal of the tragic life of Henry VIII'S fifth wife' The Times

Young and damned and fair