You would have turned One-hundred and eleven today.  But instead you died when you were only twenty-nine years old. 

We're two of a kind, you and me.  Two opposite sides of the same coin...

current mood: contemplative

Holy flippin' mother of fuck on a stick.

You remember how in last entry I said I was about half way done? well, guess what. The computer I saved it on DELETED my research paper. That's right.  So, today, I have been in the library since 1 pm, taking food and bathroom breaks, typing up this paper.  I finally have just finished the rough draft of my research paper for History and Historians, HIS 4150.  It is 15 pages long.  I tried posting it under a cut, but it ended up being too long, so if you really REALLY want to read it, drop a line and I'll send a copy.  It's called "The False Queens of Hungary: A Historiographical view on the reliability of historians concerning the Queens of the Arpad dynasty"  Yeah, I like sounding like a pompous windbag, it's what I'm good at.  ok, that's all, I'll have a real update once my eyeballs stop burning.

current mood: exhausted

I have some steam I need to blow off (don't ask why) so I'll simply post this simple message.

THIS IS NOT KATHERINE HOWARD!

I have encountered countless resource after resource that says this portrait represents Katherine Howard, 5th wife of Henry VIII (1525?-1542).  This is simply not true for more reasons than people generally care to know.

1) The sitter is too old.  According to Alison Weir, Katherine would have been 15 when Henry married her, and 17 when she died.  This is substantiated by the fact that she isn't mentioned in her grandfather's will, drawn up in 1524. 

2) She is in MOURNING!  Katherine Howard had no reason to mourn, if she was having her portrait taken.  Her father died in 1539, a full year before she caught Henry's eye, but he had never cared for her in the first place, and as soon as her mother died, Katherine was sent to live with her step-grandmother the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk.  The only other occassion Katherine would have had to mourn is either the death of Cromwell, or the death of Margaret Pole, Countess Salisbury, but being as they were both executed as traitors of the state, ANY mourning worn would have been treasonous in itself. 

3) The Jewelry.  A necklace of pearls alternating with aiglettes is not mentioned ANYWHERE in her jewel records, although it is certainly possible that it could have belonged to her before Henry gave her additional jewels.  The brooch hanging at the opening of her neck, however, is certain proof that the identity is not Katherine.  On the right side (her left), there are two people intertwined, and the left (her right) is a panther.  The panther is the badge of the Seymours (St. Maurs), the family of Henry's third wife, Jane.  Katherine was a very frivolous girl, and would have certainly worn much more jewelry than the sitter present.

4) The sleeves.  The mutton-leg style of sleeves was introduced to England by Anne of Cleves, Henry's 4th wife.  Katherine, using the tactics employed by Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour, would have done all in her power to try and show herself to be the complete opposite of her predecessor, and would NOT have emulated her choice in fashion.  The embroidery on the undershirt is clearly Spanish, and the gold embroidery on the sleeves is Arabic in design.  Katherine, like her cousin Anne Boleyn, shoed a marked preference for French fashions throughout her reign.  True, the sitter wears a French hood, but the style, including the chinstrap, is mostly a relic of the 1530's. 

Considering these various phenomena, the sitter in the portrait above now seems to be Elizabeth Seymour, sister of Queen Jane.  The mourning would have been worn after the death of her first husband, before her marriage with Gregory, Lord Cromwell.  Jane is known to have favored the gable hoods and Spanish styles that Catherine of Aragon displayed, and her sister would have likewise copied Queen Jane's taste (the only exception being the French hood).  The panther on the brooch seems to complete the puzzle, in addition to the fact that the sitter bears similarities to Jane with her rather large Seymour nose and receding chin. 

It is my belief that the portrait of the lady below is probably Katherine Howard.  Her name is not on the miniature because her identity would have been known to the bearer.  Her hazel eyes, chestnut hair, and diminuative stature are in keeping with all contemporary descriptions of her.  The fashion is largely and notably French.  And finally, the brooch of emerald, ruby and pearl that she wears is one worn by her successor, Katherine Parr.  This, my friends, is the portrait of a young girl who fell in love when she was fifteen, and executed for it when she was seventeen.

Thank you.  And have a pleasant tomorrow.

GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!

MIELKE HATE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

MIELKE BLOODY FUCKING HATE!!!!!!!!

MIELKE WANT TO STAB REPEATEDLY, FLUSH DOWN TOILET, PUSH OFF A CLIFF, SET ON FIRE, BURN IN CARBOLIC ACID, MAIM, TORTURE AND KILL KILL KILL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

HATE HATE HATE HATE HATE!!!!!!!!

more on this after I've calmed down.

current mood: pissed off