Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
The Duke of Norfolk | |
---|---|
Lord High Treasurer | |
In office 4 December 1522 – 12 December 1546 | |
Monarch | Henry VIII |
Preceded by | Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk |
Succeeded by | Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset |
Personal details | |
Born | c. 1473 |
Died | 25 August 1554 (aged 80–81) Kenninghall, Norfolk |
Resting place | Church of St Michael the Archangel, Framlingham, Suffolk |
Spouse(s) | Anne of York (m. 1494 or 1495; died 1511) Elizabeth Stafford (m. 1513) |
Children | Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey Katherine Stanley, Countess of Derby[1] Mary FitzRoy, Duchess of Richmond and Somerset Thomas Howard, 1st Viscount Howard of Bindon |
Mother | Elizabeth Tilney |
Father | Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk |
Religion | Roman Catholicism |
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk (10 March 1473 – 25 August 1554) was a powerful English nobleman and politician during the Tudor period. He was the uncle of two of King Henry VIII's wives: Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. Both of his nieces were executed, and Thomas Howard was deeply involved in the political schemes surrounding these royal marriages.
In 1546, he fell out of favor with King Henry VIII, lost his title of Duke, and was imprisoned in the Tower of London. He narrowly escaped execution when Henry VIII died in January 1547.
Howard was freed when Queen Mary I, a Roman Catholic, became queen. He helped her secure the throne, but his family’s Catholic ties created tensions with the Protestant royal line, especially when Elizabeth I, Mary’s half-sister, became queen.