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 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. 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. Through this remarkable story Gareth Russell depicts a compelling yet awful world, and explains in thrilling detail how Howard's short life ended with the incarceration of half her family, many of her servants and the executions of her alleged lover, her secretary, her favourite lady in waiting, and the queen herself. 'Young and Damned and Fair' sheds new light on Howard's most intimate context - the aristocrats and servants who surrounded at every hour and, in the end, conspired against her.Far more than a traditional biography, this book offers a fascinating portrayal of the court's life, gossip and plots in the sixteenth century.