Catherine Howard/Hampton Court & CJ Hollenbach by Pam Seres

Hi and welcome to this weeks update.

As mentioned last week , I have the pleasure of posting Pams latest article dealing with Henry VIII, his wives and interviews with some of Americas top Romance models.

So as we say, sit back and enjoy the read.


After getting an annulment from Anne of Cleves, King Henry VIII married his fifth wife, Catherine Howard. Where Anne of Cleves seemed dull, inexperienced, and ugly to Henry, Catherine Howard was certainly not! Just 19 days after his annulment from Anne of Cleves, the ageing and overweight King Henry married the high-spirited, sexually precocious, and very young Catherine Howard.


Henry was ecstatic with his new Queen. He showered her with many lands, jewels, and clothes. But, Henry's good mood was once again alternated with his ill-temper and depression. He soon found out after an inquiry that in 1541, Catherine renewed her relationship with Thomas Culpepper and appointed her former lover, Francis Dereham, as her secretary.

Henry was devastated and his pride had been shattered. He had Culpepper and Dereham executed on December 10, 1541. Catherine Howard was only 19 when Henry married her. She was easily used by the Duke of Norfolk and other family members to further their ambitions. It is said today that her voice can be heard shrieking in the Haunted Gallery at Hampton Court.


She begged Henry to at least listen to her side of the story and pleas. He wanted to hear none of it. In February 1542, Catherine was taken from Hampton Court to the Tower of London to be beheaded just like King Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn, had been.
Chapel Royal at Hampton Court

Catherine was brought in a sealed barge through Traitor's Gate to the Tower of London. We can only imagine what her thoughts were and maybe understand why she still haunts Hampton Court today!

I have asked CJ Hollenbach, romance's best loved cover model next to Fabio, for his thoughts on the of castles, King Henry VIII, and being that Dark Castle Lord on many romance covers! This is what CJ had to say:

I think a lot of the same people who are interested in castles are the same people who read romance novels. So many of the novels are set in them. It's all a part of the fantasy come to life. If the castle was real, maybe the hero's and heroines were real too. It brings realism to the fantasy that makes it all the more interesting.

I visited a few castles when I was in Europe. Even in the summer they seemed very cold and drafty. I couldn't imagine what they would be like in the winter. No wonder people only lived to be in their 30's back in the day.

Henry the VIII didn't like the idea of alimony, it seems he would prefer to be a widower than divorced.

Anyone who would have six wives should have their head examined. I have friends who have been married several times. I think if you've been married more than twice and it ends in divorce, you're not good at it and you should get a hobby.

I have found being on the covers of romance novel covers, that some people who meet you, expect you to be like the hero you portray. That can be difficult at times. I have met a few authors who have based their central male characters on me so it's easier. I try not to disappoint the fans.

Pam



I would also like to take this opportunity to advise that Pamela and I have started a new joint venture called Castle Fantasies. What is it all about I hear you all ask...?

Well Pamela, through her connections with the romance industry, has been able to obtain the services of four of America's top Romance models - Bill Freda, Sly Bowden, Bobby K and Jason Santiago. What does this mean to all their fans out there?

Well...! As of today, you are able to purchase T-shirts, stickers and the like of your favourite Romance model. We will be adding more models as time goes by and projects for the future will include amongst other things, Romance novels and an exclusive line of jewellery.

All this will be under our new website The Castle Dark Lords - Where Dreams and Fantasies begin.

Until then you can browse our newest site Castle Fantasies for the latest in The Dark Castle Lords range as well as items on European Castles and Henry VIII.

Please have a browse and let me know what you think as you comments and suggestions will be appreciated.

So until next week

Best wishes and have a great day


Stuart
www.guide-to-castles-of-europe.com

Two new pages added

Hello and welcome to a long over due update.

I must first apologies, but as mentioned in an early post, my military career has been cut short due to a back injury. I have finished work and am on leave until my relase date in September. I have spent the last two months submitting paperwork, attending resettlement courses etc for my impending release and subsequet move bckto my native Australia and am still waiting for a date for my disk fusion and replacement. Boy...! What fun to look forward to.

I am please to say that all the clearances I require for my families visas have arrived and I can now get back down to concentrating on my website and other new projects that I have been involved with.

So with out any furthre ado on to this weeks news.

As the heading suggests, I have added two new pages to my site. The first is about the Hungarian King, Matthias Corvinus, who ruled between 1458 and 1490. The other page is about Gripsholm Castle which is situated on the shores of Lake Malaren, Sweden.

As well as the above, Pamela Seres has written another article for your enjoyment and it will be posted hee shortly. So look out for that in the coming days.

Well that is about it for this time around.

So have a great week and I look forward to your company again next week

Stuart
www.guide-to-castles-of-europe.com

Anne of Cleves/Richmond Palace & Peter DeCicco by Pam Seres

Hi everyone,

Apologies for not having any posts or updates over the last several weeks. Things have been quite busy with me trying to sort out the required paperwork for an emigration visa for my wife in relation to our impending move back to Australia later in the Year.

Talk about slow time when you want somemthing out of your local police force, evern worse when you are trying to get the required info from overseas countries....!

Any way back to business.

Pam has kindly sent me her latest article and interview for your reading pleasure. I must apologize to Pam for the lateness in putting her article on my bloc. SORRY

So sit back and enjoy

After Henry VIII's third wife, Jane Seymour, died after giving birth to Prince Edward, Henry began seeking another wife. In Tudor Times royal marriages had another function, besides getting heirs, political alliances. Thomas Cromwell, the king's chief minister was excited at the possibility of an alliance with the up-and-coming Protestant state in Germany.

Since Henry broke from Rome, England had been isolated from France and Spain. If they combined alliances France and Spain could be a major threat to England. King Henry VIII examined a portrait of Anne of Cleves done by Holbein. He was satisfied that she was attractive so he agreed to marry her.

But, when Anne arrived in England on New Year's Day 1540, Henry did not find her attractive at all. Henry knew that he had to go along with the marriage but was very unhappy about it. On January 6, 1540, Anne of Cleves became Henry VIII's fourth wife. In the six months that Henry and Anne of Cleves were married it was said that Henry could not bring himself to consummate the marriage. Henry blamed Thomas Cromwell for the fiasco of his marriage. The King had Thomas arrested on June 10 1540 and Thomas Cromwell was executed on July 28 1540.

Anne of Cleves was said to be staying at Richmond Palace when she heard the news of her divorce from Henry. Unlike Henry's first wife, Catherine of Aragon, Anne of Cleves didn't dispute the proceedings becoming the King's sister. Henry gave Anne a very generous settlement of manors and estates, which included Hever Castle and Richmond Palace.


Richmond Palace was built on the site of the old royal residence of Sheen in Surrey along the banks of the Thames. A fire broke out at Christmas on December 21, 1498. It destroyed the old building. King Henry VIII decided to build a new palace in Sheen's place. When the new palace was ready for the royal family's use, the name of "Richmond" was given to the Palace because of the earldom Henry held when he won at Bosworth Field.

Anne of Cleves not only learned of her divorce from Henry VIII at Richmond Palace she continued to spend a lot of her time there after her divorce.

Richmond Palace is rich in Tudor history, both Henry VII and his granddaughter, Elizabeth I, died there.

Today many romance novels feature castles as the back drop for their stories. Castles bring us our dark and tormented heroes with mystery. I have interviewed Peter DeCicco, a Mr. Romance winner and cover model, to get his take on history and what he thinks about the covers he is on.

Why do you think that castles are an interest to many?

Castles are mysterious; I was just in one in Denmark

And what if anything intrigues you about them?

That they were part of history and that many are said to have ghosts in them.

What do you know about King Henry VIII & His Six Wives?

That he was a very busy man.

Would you ever contemplate Six Wives?

No. One would be as far as I could handle.

What, so far if anything, have you learned about being the Dark Castle Lord, by being on a romance cover and working with the industry?

I am not sure if I learned anything, but I had a tremendous amount of fun and met incredible people.



For more information on Peter and his work, visit his web site at: www.peterdecicco.com

Pamela Seres