Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham
Encyclopedia
Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham (1536 – 14 December 1624), known as Howard of Effingham, was an English
statesman and Lord High Admiral under Elizabeth I
and James I
. He was commander of the English forces during the battles against the Spanish Armada
and was chiefly responsible for the victory that saved England from invasion by the Spanish Empire
.
(c. 1510 – 1573) and Margaret Gamage (d. 18 May 1581), daughter of Sir Thomas Gamage. He was a grandson of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk
. He was also the cousin of Anne Boleyn
(Anne's mother was half-sister to Charles' father), and held several prominent posts during the reign of Anne's daughter, Elizabeth I.
It is believed that Charles Howard was taught French and a bit of Latin at the house of his uncle, the 3rd Duke of Norfolk
. Here was also educated in penmanship, chivalric exercises, and some legal traditions. He served as a Page to his cousin Thomas who later became the 4th Duke of Norfolk. He also fished and hunted fervently throughout his life.
Howard served at sea under his father's command as a youth.
In 1552, he was sent to France to become well-educated in the French language, but was soon brought back to England at the request of his father because of questionable or unexpected treatment.
He served as Ambassador to France in 1559. In December of 1562, he became the keeper of the Queen's house and park at Oatlands
. Despite his relation to the Queen, it is said that it took some time before he was able to gain any benefits from his situation. Howard was also a member of the House of Commons, yet he was not as distinguished as many others have been. He represented Surrey
in Parliament
in 1563 and again in 1572.
In 1564 he became a member of Gray's Inn
, and received his Master of Arts at Cambridge in 1571. This was not because he had any legal ambitions, but because it was the normal thing for men of his status to do.
He served as General of the Horse in 1569 and suppressed a Catholic rebellion in northern England. He commanded a squadron of ships escorting the Queen of Spain
on a state visit in 1570.
Howard was knighted in 1572 and became Lord Howard of Effingham following his father's death in 1573. From 1576-1603 he was patron of a playing company
, Nottingham's Men, later called the Admiral's Men
.
After Howard's cousin the Duke of Norfolk was executed, he was elected to the Order of the Garter
to take the place his cousin had previously occupied. He was elected on 3 April 1575, and became a member of the order on May 8 at Windsor.
in 1585. The French ambassador wrote to Sir Francis Walsingham
, saying Elizabeth's appointment of Howard was "a choice worthy of her virtue and prudence and very necessary for the Admiralty. I pray you tell her that the King [of France] has written to me by an express to thank her for having elected so good an admiral, from whom he hopes great things for the peace of his subjects".
. He was named as a commissioner that would try Mary, Queen of Scots but is not subsequently mentioned as one of those who sat on the trial. William Davison later alleged that Howard spoke to Elizabeth on 1 February 1587 "of the great danger she continually lived in" as there were rumours of new plots against her life and spoke of the stories that Mary had escaped from prison. Elizabeth was "moved by his lordship to have some more regard to the surety of herself and the state than she seemed to take" and finally made up her mind, telling Howard to send for Davison and Mary's death warrant. Howard then met Davison and informed him that Elizabeth was now "fully resolved" and ordered him to bring forth the warrant to be signed, "that it might be forthwith despatched and deferred no longer". Elizabeth would later blame Davison for breaking orders that no one must be told of what had happened. The Privy Council met the next day and decided to take responsibility for the execution of Mary.
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In early December 1587 orders were drawn up for Howard to take the fleet to sea. On 21 December Howard's commission was signed, requiring Howard "according as there shall be occasion, and wherever and whenever he shall deem it fitting, to invade, enter, spoil and make himself master of the kingdoms, dominions, lands, islands, and all other places whatever belonging to the said Spaniards". He was furthermore given full authority over the navy and army at sea. Between 15 December and 1 April 1588 he sat on the Privy Council only four times and attended court briefly every five or six days to meet with Walsingham. Writing on 27 January 1588, Howard believed the peace negotiations with Spain were a trap and expressed his dismay in a letter to Walsingham:
The next day he wrote again to Walsingham that if there was going to be a "surcease of arms" then "it shall be but folly and to no purpose for me to lie here" as if he was in arms whilst Elizabeth was negotiating peace it would make him "a jest to many, and they have reason". Peace negotiations continued until the Armada was sailing for England.
On 1 February Howard wrote to Walsingham: "It doth appear no less by your letter but that we may assure ourselves that Scotland is the mark which they shoot at to offend us, and therefore most necessary to provide for that...for my own part, had rather be drawn in pieces with wild horses than that they should pass through Scotland and I lie here". On 14 February Howard again wrote to Walsingham that Elizabeth would be "no good housewife for herself" if she refused to grant James VI a pension for his support for England rather than Spain. Howard wrote on 21 February: "I have been aboard every ship that goeth out with me, and in every place where any may creep, and I do thank God that they be in the estate they be in; and there is never a one of them that knows what a leak means...there is none that goeth out now but I durst go to the Rio de la Plata
in her". On 29 February he wrote to Burghley:
By 28 May Howard was at Plymouth. On that day he wrote to Burghley: "My good Lord, there is here the gallantest company of captains, soldiers, and mariners that I think ever was seen in England". Two days later the Spanish Armada sailed from Lisbon but was forced back into port by bad winds. On 14 June Howard wrote to Walsingham that the "surest way to meet with the Spanish fleet is upon their own [coast], or in any harbour of their own, and there to defeat them...I wish with all my heart that King Anthony
were with us, that he might set foot in his own country, and find the King occupied there, which we might easily do". The next day he wrote again to Walsingham:
On 19 June Howard wrote that: "You see it is very likely to come to pass, my opinion that I always had of the French King; as also of the treacherous treaty of peace, which was never to any other end but that the King of Spain might have time, and not be troubled in gathering his forces together...persuade her Majesty that she lose no more time in taking care enough of herself, and to make herself, every way that is possible, as strong as she can; for there is no question but the King of Spain hath engaged his honour to the uttermost in this, for the overthrow of her Majesty and this realm...if he be put back from this year, her Majesty may have a good and honourable peace. If not, yet she shall be sure he shall not be able to trouble her Majesty in many years after".
Howard wrote to Elizabeth on 23 June: "For the love of Jesus Christ, Madam, awake thoroughly, and see the villainous treasons round about you, against your Majesty and your realm, and draw your forces round about you, like a might prince, to defend you". On the same day he said to Burghley: "We must not lose one hour of time...Let her Majesty trust no more to Judas' kisses; for let her assure herself there is no trust to French King nor Duke of Parma. Let her defend herself like a noble and mighty prince, and trust to her sword and not to their word, and then she need not fear, for her good God will defend her".
On 19 July Howard received the news that the Armada had been seen off Lizard Point, Cornwall
. Two days after he wrote to Walsingham:
On 29 July Howard wrote to Walsingham: "Their force is wonderful great and strong; and yet we pluck their feathers by little and little. I pray to God that the forces on the land be strong enough to answer so present a force".
On 7 August he updated Walsingham:
The next day he wrote to Walsingham to say he was in Margate and that "although we have put the Spanish fleet past the Frith, and I think past the Isles, yet God knoweth whether they go either to the Nase of Norway or into Denmark or to the Isles of Orkney to refresh themselves, and so to return; for I think they dare not return with this dishonour and shame to their King, and overthrow their Pope's credit. Sir, sure bind, sure find. A kingdom is a great wager...Some made little account of the Spanish force by sea; but I do warrant you, all the world never saw such a force as theirs was; and some Spaniards that we have taken, that were in the fight at Lepanto
, do say that the worst of our fights that we have had with them did exceed far the fight they had there". On 9 August Howard wrote that he believed the Armada would return because "they dare not go back with this dishonour and shame; for we have marvellously plucked them".
The day after he wrote to Burghley: "Sickness and mortality begins wonderfully to grow amongst us; and it is a most pitiful sight to see...how the men, having no place to receive them into here, die in the streets. I am driven myself, of force, to come a-land, to see them bestowed in some lodging; and the best I can get is barns and such outhouses; and the relief is small that I can provide for them here. It would grieve any man's heart to see them that have served so valiantly to die so miserably". Howard wrote to Lord Winchester on 15 August: "Whereas the Ryall of Weymouth hath served in her Majesty's service of late against the Spaniards, in defence of religion, our prince and country, for the space of one month, wherein she and her company have performed their duties very well, and that now, in reward of their good service, they look for payment and satisfaction". Furthermore Howard requested that Winchester "and the rest of the justices of your shire, to cause an estimate to be first taken of the powder, shot, victuals and other charges of pay, and such like; and afterwards to cause the sum to be levied by equal contributions, as shall seem good to your Lordship and the rest, out of your shire of Dorset; and therewith to reward and satisfy the good service of the said ship and company".
In late August Howard wrote to Elizabeth, the Privy Council and Walsingham of the terrible sickness that had spread throughout the fleet. On 29 August he informed Walsingham: "There is not any of them that hath one day's victuals, and many [of them] have sent many sick men ashore here, and not one penny to relieve them...It were too pitiful to have men starve after such a service. I know her Majesty would not, for any good. Therefore I had rather open the Queen's Majesty's purse something to relieve them, than they should be in that extremity; for we are to look to have more of these services; and if men should not be cared for better than to let them starve and die miserably, we should very hardly get man to serve. Sir, I desire [but] that there may be but double allowance of but as much as I [give] out of my own purse, and yet I am not the ablest man in [the realm]; but, before God, I had rather have never penny in the world than they should lack". In December Howard wrote to Burghley: "...there hath grown a surcharge unto her Majesty of 623l. 10s. 11d. in this late service, by reason of certain extraordinary kinds of victuals, as wine, cider, sugar, oil, and certain fish, provided and distributed amongst the ships at Plymouth by my order, and Sir Francis Drake's, which was done as well to relieve such men withal as by reason of sickness or being hurt in fight".
Howard commissioned the Italian writer Petruccio Ubaldini
to write a chronicle on the defeat of the Armada. He also commissioned a Flemish artist, Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom
, to make a series of tapestries on the Armada, based on Augustine Ryther's engravings. These tapestries were for many years at Howard's London home and he sold them to James I to help pay for debts. In 1650 they were displayed in the House of Lords where they remained until destroyed by fire in October 1834. However they can still be seen in John Pine's 1739 publication of The Tapestry Hangings of the House of Lords.
jointly led an attack
against the Spanish base at Cadiz
on June 20.
The new king, James I, appointed Howard to the English delegation that negotiated the peace treaty with Spain.
Howard served on the commission of union between England and Scotland and served as commissioner at the Gunpowder Plot
trial in 1605.
; the Howard of Effingham barony passed to descendants of his brother, the Earl of Effingham
being the modern heir.
dedicated his 1578 book Inventions or Devices. Very Necessary for all Generalles and Captaines, as wel by Sea as by Land to Howard and Robert Norman
dedicated to Howard his 1584 translations of two Dutch guides to North Sea coastlines. Richard Hakluyt
's 1598 edition of The Principall Navigations, Voiages, and Discoveries of the English Nation was also dedicated to Howard.
During a debate on the American Revolutionary War
in the House of Lords on 18 November 1777, Henry Howard, 12th Earl of Suffolk
(a descendent of Howard) defended the war against the American colonists. Lord Chatham
in response made his famous appeal:
Effingham has often been identified with the character Marinell from Edmund Spenser
's The Faerie Queene
. He is one of the principal characters in the opera Roberto Devereux
by Gaetano Donizetti
, though referred to inaccurately as the "Duke of Nottingham."
There is now a mixed comprehensive school, Howard of Effingham School
, named after him. He was portrayed by John Shrapnel
in the film Elizabeth: The Golden Age.
and Ann Morgan. They had five children:
He was married secondly to Margaret Stuart, daughter of James Stuart, 2nd Earl of Moray and Elizabeth Stuart, 2nd Countess of Moray
. She was more than 50 years younger than he was. They had two children:
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
statesman and Lord High Admiral under Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I of England
Elizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
and James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
. He was commander of the English forces during the battles against the Spanish Armada
Spanish Armada
This article refers to the Battle of Gravelines, for the modern navy of Spain, see Spanish NavyThe Spanish Armada was the Spanish fleet that sailed against England under the command of the Duke of Medina Sidonia in 1588, with the intention of overthrowing Elizabeth I of England to stop English...
and was chiefly responsible for the victory that saved England from invasion by the Spanish Empire
Spanish Empire
The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies administered directly by Spain in Europe, in America, Africa, Asia and Oceania. It originated during the Age of Exploration and was therefore one of the first global empires. At the time of Habsburgs, Spain reached the peak of its world power....
.
Early life: 1536 – 1558
Few details of Charles Howard's early life are known. He was born in 1536, and was the cousin of Queen Elizabeth. He was son of William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of EffinghamWilliam Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham
William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham , was the eldest son of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk by his second wife, Agnes Tilney...
(c. 1510 – 1573) and Margaret Gamage (d. 18 May 1581), daughter of Sir Thomas Gamage. He was a grandson of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal , styled Earl of Surrey from 1483 to 1514, was the only son of John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk by his first wife, Katherine Moleyns...
. He was also the cousin of Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn
Anne Boleyn ;c.1501/1507 – 19 May 1536) was Queen of England from 1533 to 1536 as the second wife of Henry VIII of England and Marquess of Pembroke in her own right. Henry's marriage to Anne, and her subsequent execution, made her a key figure in the political and religious upheaval that was the...
(Anne's mother was half-sister to Charles' father), and held several prominent posts during the reign of Anne's daughter, Elizabeth I.
It is believed that Charles Howard was taught French and a bit of Latin at the house of his uncle, the 3rd Duke of Norfolk
Duke of Norfolk
The Duke of Norfolk is the premier duke in the peerage of England, and also, as Earl of Arundel, the premier earl. The Duke of Norfolk is, moreover, the Earl Marshal and hereditary Marshal of England. The seat of the Duke of Norfolk is Arundel Castle in Sussex, although the title refers to the...
. Here was also educated in penmanship, chivalric exercises, and some legal traditions. He served as a Page to his cousin Thomas who later became the 4th Duke of Norfolk. He also fished and hunted fervently throughout his life.
Howard served at sea under his father's command as a youth.
In 1552, he was sent to France to become well-educated in the French language, but was soon brought back to England at the request of his father because of questionable or unexpected treatment.
Early political career: 1558 – 1585
Howard went to the peace negotiations between England and France which led to the Treaty of Câteau-Cambrésis of 1559. He personally informed Elizabeth of its ratification.He served as Ambassador to France in 1559. In December of 1562, he became the keeper of the Queen's house and park at Oatlands
Oatlands
Oatlands is a village and small district near Weybridge in Surrey which has acquired its name from the Royal Tudor and Stuart Oatlands Palace, the site of which is now a luxury hotel...
. Despite his relation to the Queen, it is said that it took some time before he was able to gain any benefits from his situation. Howard was also a member of the House of Commons, yet he was not as distinguished as many others have been. He represented Surrey
Surrey (UK Parliament constituency)
Surrey was a constituency of the House of Commons of the Parliament of England then of the Parliament of Great Britain from 1707 to 1800 and of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801 to 1832. It was represented by two Members of Parliament until 1832....
in Parliament
Parliament of England
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England. In 1066, William of Normandy introduced a feudal system, by which he sought the advice of a council of tenants-in-chief and ecclesiastics before making laws...
in 1563 and again in 1572.
In 1564 he became a member of Gray's Inn
Gray's Inn
The Honourable Society of Gray's Inn, commonly known as Gray's Inn, is one of the four Inns of Court in London. To be called to the Bar and practise as a barrister in England and Wales, an individual must belong to one of these Inns...
, and received his Master of Arts at Cambridge in 1571. This was not because he had any legal ambitions, but because it was the normal thing for men of his status to do.
He served as General of the Horse in 1569 and suppressed a Catholic rebellion in northern England. He commanded a squadron of ships escorting the Queen of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
on a state visit in 1570.
Howard was knighted in 1572 and became Lord Howard of Effingham following his father's death in 1573. From 1576-1603 he was patron of a playing company
Playing company
In Renaissance London, playing company was the usual term for a company of actors. These companies were organized around a group of ten or so shareholders , who performed in the plays but were also responsible for management. The sharers employed "hired men" — that is, the minor actors and...
, Nottingham's Men, later called the Admiral's Men
Admiral's Men
The Admiral's Men was a playing company or troupe of actors in the Elizabethan and Stuart eras...
.
After Howard's cousin the Duke of Norfolk was executed, he was elected to the Order of the Garter
Order of the Garter
The Most Noble Order of the Garter, founded in 1348, is the highest order of chivalry, or knighthood, existing in England. The order is dedicated to the image and arms of St...
to take the place his cousin had previously occupied. He was elected on 3 April 1575, and became a member of the order on May 8 at Windsor.
Lord High Admiral: 1585 – 1619
Howard was named Lord High AdmiralAdmiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
in 1585. The French ambassador wrote to Sir Francis Walsingham
Francis Walsingham
Sir Francis Walsingham was Principal Secretary to Elizabeth I of England from 1573 until 1590, and is popularly remembered as her "spymaster". Walsingham is frequently cited as one of the earliest practitioners of modern intelligence methods both for espionage and for domestic security...
, saying Elizabeth's appointment of Howard was "a choice worthy of her virtue and prudence and very necessary for the Admiralty. I pray you tell her that the King [of France] has written to me by an express to thank her for having elected so good an admiral, from whom he hopes great things for the peace of his subjects".
Trial and execution of Mary, Queen of Scots: 1587
Howard regularly attended the Privy Council during the Babington PlotBabington Plot
The Babington Plot was a Catholic plot in 1586 to assassinate Queen Elizabeth, a Protestant, and put Mary, Queen of Scots, a Catholic, on the English throne. It led to the execution of Mary. The long-term goal was an invasion by the Spanish forces of King Philip II and the Catholic league in...
. He was named as a commissioner that would try Mary, Queen of Scots but is not subsequently mentioned as one of those who sat on the trial. William Davison later alleged that Howard spoke to Elizabeth on 1 February 1587 "of the great danger she continually lived in" as there were rumours of new plots against her life and spoke of the stories that Mary had escaped from prison. Elizabeth was "moved by his lordship to have some more regard to the surety of herself and the state than she seemed to take" and finally made up her mind, telling Howard to send for Davison and Mary's death warrant. Howard then met Davison and informed him that Elizabeth was now "fully resolved" and ordered him to bring forth the warrant to be signed, "that it might be forthwith despatched and deferred no longer". Elizabeth would later blame Davison for breaking orders that no one must be told of what had happened. The Privy Council met the next day and decided to take responsibility for the execution of Mary.
Spanish Armada: 1588
I have made of the French King, the Scottish King, and the King of Spain, a Trinity that I mean never to trust to be saved by; and I would others were, in that, of my opinion. Sir, there was never, since England was England, such a stratagem and mask made to deceive England withal as this is of the treaty of peace. I pray God we have not cause to remember one thing that was made of the Scots by the Englishmen; that we do not curse for this a long grey beard with a white head, witless, that will make all the world think us heartless. You know whom I mean.
The next day he wrote again to Walsingham that if there was going to be a "surcease of arms" then "it shall be but folly and to no purpose for me to lie here" as if he was in arms whilst Elizabeth was negotiating peace it would make him "a jest to many, and they have reason". Peace negotiations continued until the Armada was sailing for England.
On 1 February Howard wrote to Walsingham: "It doth appear no less by your letter but that we may assure ourselves that Scotland is the mark which they shoot at to offend us, and therefore most necessary to provide for that...for my own part, had rather be drawn in pieces with wild horses than that they should pass through Scotland and I lie here". On 14 February Howard again wrote to Walsingham that Elizabeth would be "no good housewife for herself" if she refused to grant James VI a pension for his support for England rather than Spain. Howard wrote on 21 February: "I have been aboard every ship that goeth out with me, and in every place where any may creep, and I do thank God that they be in the estate they be in; and there is never a one of them that knows what a leak means...there is none that goeth out now but I durst go to the Rio de la Plata
Río de la Plata
The Río de la Plata —sometimes rendered River Plate in British English and the Commonwealth, and occasionally rendered [La] Plata River in other English-speaking countries—is the river and estuary formed by the confluence of the Uruguay River and the Paraná River on the border between Argentina and...
in her". On 29 February he wrote to Burghley:
I doubt not but to make her Majesty a good account of anything that shall be done by the Spanish forces, and I will make him wish his galleys at home again. If the Commissioners bring peace it is the happiest thing that can be; but if they come without it, look for great matters to ensue presently upon it; for the charge is so great that the King is at, both in Spain and here, in the Low Countries, that is cannot continue long, if he had five times the treasure he hath...I protest before God, and as my soul shall answer for it, that I think there were never in any place in the world worthier ships than these are, for so many. And as few as we are, if the King of Spain's forces be not hundreds, we will make good sport with them.
By 28 May Howard was at Plymouth. On that day he wrote to Burghley: "My good Lord, there is here the gallantest company of captains, soldiers, and mariners that I think ever was seen in England". Two days later the Spanish Armada sailed from Lisbon but was forced back into port by bad winds. On 14 June Howard wrote to Walsingham that the "surest way to meet with the Spanish fleet is upon their own [coast], or in any harbour of their own, and there to defeat them...I wish with all my heart that King Anthony
António, Prior of Crato
António, Prior of Crato , was a grandson of King Manuel I of Portugal, claimant of the Portuguese throne during the 1580 dynastic crisis, who was King of Portugal as António I of Portugal during 33 days in the continent in 1580, and, after the crowning of Philip II of Spain as King of Portugal,...
were with us, that he might set foot in his own country, and find the King occupied there, which we might easily do". The next day he wrote again to Walsingham:
We would go on the coast of Spain; and therefore our ground was first, to look to that principal; and if we found they did but linger on their own coast, or that they were put into the Isles of Bayona or the Groyne, then we thought in all men's judgments that be of experience here, it had been most fit to have sought some good way, and the surest we could devise, by the good protection of God, to have defeated them...And if her Majesty do think that she is able to detract time with the King of Spain, she is greatly deceived; which may breed her great peril. For this abusing [of] the treaty of peace doth plainly show how the King of Spain will have all things perfect, [as] his plot is laid, before he will proceed to execute...Whether this [may] not breed most great danger and dishonour, I leave it to her Majesty's wisdom; but if it should fall out so, I would I had never been born...And if [we] were to-morrow next on the coast of Spain, I would not land in any place to offend any; but they should well perceive that we came not to spoil, but to seek out the great force to fight with them; and so should they have known by message...But I must and will obey.
On 19 June Howard wrote that: "You see it is very likely to come to pass, my opinion that I always had of the French King; as also of the treacherous treaty of peace, which was never to any other end but that the King of Spain might have time, and not be troubled in gathering his forces together...persuade her Majesty that she lose no more time in taking care enough of herself, and to make herself, every way that is possible, as strong as she can; for there is no question but the King of Spain hath engaged his honour to the uttermost in this, for the overthrow of her Majesty and this realm...if he be put back from this year, her Majesty may have a good and honourable peace. If not, yet she shall be sure he shall not be able to trouble her Majesty in many years after".
Howard wrote to Elizabeth on 23 June: "For the love of Jesus Christ, Madam, awake thoroughly, and see the villainous treasons round about you, against your Majesty and your realm, and draw your forces round about you, like a might prince, to defend you". On the same day he said to Burghley: "We must not lose one hour of time...Let her Majesty trust no more to Judas' kisses; for let her assure herself there is no trust to French King nor Duke of Parma. Let her defend herself like a noble and mighty prince, and trust to her sword and not to their word, and then she need not fear, for her good God will defend her".
On 19 July Howard received the news that the Armada had been seen off Lizard Point, Cornwall
Lizard Point, Cornwall
Lizard Point in Cornwall is at the southern tip of the Lizard Peninsula. It is situated half-a-mile south of Lizard village in the civil parish of Landewednack and approximately 11 miles southeast of Helston....
. Two days after he wrote to Walsingham:
...whereupon, although the wind was very scant, we first warped out of harbour that night, and upon Saturday turned out very hardly, the wind being at South-West; and about three of the clock in the afternoon, descried the Spanish fleet, and did what we could to work for the wind, which [by this] morning we had recovered, descrying their f[leet to] consist of 120 sail, whereof there are 4 g[alleasses] and many ships of great burden. At nine of the [clock] we gave them fight, which continued until one. [In this] fight we made some of them to bear room to stop their leaks; notwithstanding we durst not adventure to put in among them, their fleet being so strong. But there shall be nothing either neglected or unhazarded, that may work their overthrow. Sir, the captains in her Majesty's ships have behaved themselves most bravely and like men.
On 7 August he updated Walsingham:
In our last fight with the enemy before Gravelines, the 29th July, we sank three of their ships and made four to go room with the shore so leak as they were not able to live at sea. After that fight, notwithstanding that our powder and shot was well near all spent, we set on a brag countenance and have them chase, as though we had wanted nothing, until we had cleared our own coast and some part of Scotland of them. And then...we made for the Frith, and sent certain pinnaces to dog the fleet until they should be past the Isles of Scotland, which I verily believe they are left at their sterns ere this...I must thank you for your favourable using of my brother Hoby. He telleth me how forwards you were to further all things for our wants. I would some were of your mind. If we had had that which had been sent, England and her Majesty had had the most honour that ever any nation had. But God be thanked; it is well.
The next day he wrote to Walsingham to say he was in Margate and that "although we have put the Spanish fleet past the Frith, and I think past the Isles, yet God knoweth whether they go either to the Nase of Norway or into Denmark or to the Isles of Orkney to refresh themselves, and so to return; for I think they dare not return with this dishonour and shame to their King, and overthrow their Pope's credit. Sir, sure bind, sure find. A kingdom is a great wager...Some made little account of the Spanish force by sea; but I do warrant you, all the world never saw such a force as theirs was; and some Spaniards that we have taken, that were in the fight at Lepanto
Battle of Lepanto
The Battle of Lepanto normally refers to the 1571 Holy League victory over the Ottoman fleet. There were also three earlier battles fought in the vicinity of Lepanto:*Battle of Naupactus in 429 BC, an Athenian victory during the Peleoponnesian War...
, do say that the worst of our fights that we have had with them did exceed far the fight they had there". On 9 August Howard wrote that he believed the Armada would return because "they dare not go back with this dishonour and shame; for we have marvellously plucked them".
The day after he wrote to Burghley: "Sickness and mortality begins wonderfully to grow amongst us; and it is a most pitiful sight to see...how the men, having no place to receive them into here, die in the streets. I am driven myself, of force, to come a-land, to see them bestowed in some lodging; and the best I can get is barns and such outhouses; and the relief is small that I can provide for them here. It would grieve any man's heart to see them that have served so valiantly to die so miserably". Howard wrote to Lord Winchester on 15 August: "Whereas the Ryall of Weymouth hath served in her Majesty's service of late against the Spaniards, in defence of religion, our prince and country, for the space of one month, wherein she and her company have performed their duties very well, and that now, in reward of their good service, they look for payment and satisfaction". Furthermore Howard requested that Winchester "and the rest of the justices of your shire, to cause an estimate to be first taken of the powder, shot, victuals and other charges of pay, and such like; and afterwards to cause the sum to be levied by equal contributions, as shall seem good to your Lordship and the rest, out of your shire of Dorset; and therewith to reward and satisfy the good service of the said ship and company".
In late August Howard wrote to Elizabeth, the Privy Council and Walsingham of the terrible sickness that had spread throughout the fleet. On 29 August he informed Walsingham: "There is not any of them that hath one day's victuals, and many [of them] have sent many sick men ashore here, and not one penny to relieve them...It were too pitiful to have men starve after such a service. I know her Majesty would not, for any good. Therefore I had rather open the Queen's Majesty's purse something to relieve them, than they should be in that extremity; for we are to look to have more of these services; and if men should not be cared for better than to let them starve and die miserably, we should very hardly get man to serve. Sir, I desire [but] that there may be but double allowance of but as much as I [give] out of my own purse, and yet I am not the ablest man in [the realm]; but, before God, I had rather have never penny in the world than they should lack". In December Howard wrote to Burghley: "...there hath grown a surcharge unto her Majesty of 623l. 10s. 11d. in this late service, by reason of certain extraordinary kinds of victuals, as wine, cider, sugar, oil, and certain fish, provided and distributed amongst the ships at Plymouth by my order, and Sir Francis Drake's, which was done as well to relieve such men withal as by reason of sickness or being hurt in fight".
Howard commissioned the Italian writer Petruccio Ubaldini
Petruccio Ubaldini
Petruccio Ubaldini was an Italian calligraphist and illuminator on vellum, who was working in England in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, and seems to have enjoyed the favor of the Court...
to write a chronicle on the defeat of the Armada. He also commissioned a Flemish artist, Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom
Hendrick Cornelisz Vroom
Hendrik Cornelisz Vroom was a Dutch Golden Age painter credited with being the founder of Dutch marine art or seascape painting. Beginning with the "birds-eye" viewpoint of earlier Netherlandish marine art, his later works show a view from lower down, and more realistic depiction of the seas...
, to make a series of tapestries on the Armada, based on Augustine Ryther's engravings. These tapestries were for many years at Howard's London home and he sold them to James I to help pay for debts. In 1650 they were displayed in the House of Lords where they remained until destroyed by fire in October 1834. However they can still be seen in John Pine's 1739 publication of The Tapestry Hangings of the House of Lords.
Cadiz expedition: 1596
Howard was created Earl of Nottingham in 1596 and was appointed Lord Lieutenant General of England. In 1596, when another Spanish invasion was feared, Howard was again appointed to defend England. Howard and the Earl of EssexRobert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex
Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, KG was an English nobleman and a favourite of Elizabeth I. Politically ambitious, and a committed general, he was placed under house arrest following a poor campaign in Ireland during the Nine Years' War in 1599...
jointly led an attack
Capture of Cadiz
The Capture of Cádiz in 1596 was an event during the Anglo-Spanish War, when English and Dutch troops under Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex and a large Anglo-Dutch fleet under Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham, with support from the Dutch United Provinces, raided the Spanish city of...
against the Spanish base at Cadiz
Cádiz
Cadiz is a city and port in southwestern Spain. It is the capital of the homonymous province, one of eight which make up the autonomous community of Andalusia....
on June 20.
Trial and execution of the Earl of Essex: 1601
When Essex rebelled in 1601, Howard took command of the soldiers massed to defend London and defeated him in the field. Howard served as a commissioner at Essex's trial and examined him at least once.Death of Elizabeth: 1603
The death of Howard's wife affected Elizabeth; she remained in "a deep melancholy, with conceit of her own death", complaining "of many infirmities suddenly to have overtaken her". Howard was at Elizabeth's deathbed and pressed her on the succession, receiving Elizabeth's reply that it should be "our cousin of Scotland". Elizabeth died on 24 March.Reign of James I
Howard served on the commission of union between England and Scotland and served as commissioner at the Gunpowder Plot
Gunpowder Plot
The Gunpowder Plot of 1605, in earlier centuries often called the Gunpowder Treason Plot or the Jesuit Treason, was a failed assassination attempt against King James I of England and VI of Scotland by a group of provincial English Catholics led by Robert Catesby.The plan was to blow up the House of...
trial in 1605.
Later life: 1619 – 1624
Howard died in 1624 at the age of 88. None of his three sons left heirs, and shortly after the last died the Nottingham earldom was recreated for a close relative of the Earl of WinchilseaEarl of Winchilsea
Earl of Winchilsea and Earl of Nottingham are two titles in the Peerage of England held by the Finch family that have been united under a single holder since 1729. The Finch family is believed to be descended from Henry FitzHerbert, Lord Chamberlain to King Henry I . The name change came in the...
; the Howard of Effingham barony passed to descendants of his brother, the Earl of Effingham
Earl of Effingham
Earl of Effingham, in the County of Surrey, is a title in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. It was created in 1837 for Kenneth Alexander Howard, 11th Baron Howard of Effingham. This branch of the Howard family descends from the noted naval commander and politician Lord William Howard, eldest son...
being the modern heir.
Legacy
William BourneWilliam Bourne (mathematician)
William Bourne was an English mathematician, innkeeper and former Royal Navy gunner who invented the first navigable submarine and wrote important navigational manuals...
dedicated his 1578 book Inventions or Devices. Very Necessary for all Generalles and Captaines, as wel by Sea as by Land to Howard and Robert Norman
Robert Norman
Robert Norman was a 16th century-English mariner, compass builder, and hydrographer who discovered magnetic inclination, the deviation of the Earth's magnetic field from the vertical.- Work :...
dedicated to Howard his 1584 translations of two Dutch guides to North Sea coastlines. Richard Hakluyt
Richard Hakluyt
Richard Hakluyt was an English writer. He is principally remembered for his efforts in promoting and supporting the settlement of North America by the English through his works, notably Divers Voyages Touching the Discoverie of America and The Principal Navigations, Voiages, Traffiques and...
's 1598 edition of The Principall Navigations, Voiages, and Discoveries of the English Nation was also dedicated to Howard.
During a debate on the American Revolutionary War
American Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
in the House of Lords on 18 November 1777, Henry Howard, 12th Earl of Suffolk
Henry Howard, 12th Earl of Suffolk
Henry Howard, 12th Earl of Suffolk, 5th Earl of Berkshire, KG, PC was a British politician, styled Viscount Andover from 1756 to 1757....
(a descendent of Howard) defended the war against the American colonists. Lord Chatham
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham
William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham PC was a British Whig statesman who led Britain during the Seven Years' War...
in response made his famous appeal:
From the tapestry that adorns these walls, the immortal ancestor of this noble Lord frowns with indignation at THE DISGRACE OF HIS COUNTRY! In vain he led your victorious fleets against the boasted Armada of Spain; in vain he defended and established the honour, the liberties, the religion, the Protestant religion of his country, against the arbitrary cruelties of Popery and the Inquisition.
Effingham has often been identified with the character Marinell from Edmund Spenser
Edmund Spenser
Edmund Spenser was an English poet best known for The Faerie Queene, an epic poem and fantastical allegory celebrating the Tudor dynasty and Elizabeth I. He is recognised as one of the premier craftsmen of Modern English verse in its infancy, and one of the greatest poets in the English...
's The Faerie Queene
The Faerie Queene
The Faerie Queene is an incomplete English epic poem by Edmund Spenser. The first half was published in 1590, and a second installment was published in 1596. The Faerie Queene is notable for its form: it was the first work written in Spenserian stanza and is one of the longest poems in the English...
. He is one of the principal characters in the opera Roberto Devereux
Roberto Devereux
Roberto Devereux is a tragedia lirica, or tragic opera, by Gaetano Donizetti...
by Gaetano Donizetti
Gaetano Donizetti
Domenico Gaetano Maria Donizetti was an Italian composer from Bergamo, Lombardy. His best-known works are the operas L'elisir d'amore , Lucia di Lammermoor , and Don Pasquale , all in Italian, and the French operas La favorite and La fille du régiment...
, though referred to inaccurately as the "Duke of Nottingham."
There is now a mixed comprehensive school, Howard of Effingham School
Howard of Effingham School
The Howard of Effingham School is a comprehensive school for boys and girls aged 11–18, with a science specialism.-Admissions:It is located in Effingham, near Leatherhead in Surrey, England. There are around 1500 students on roll...
, named after him. He was portrayed by John Shrapnel
John Shrapnel
John Shrapnel is an English actor.Shrapnel was born in Birmingham, Warwickshire, the son of Mary Lillian Myfanwy and journalist/author Norman Shrapnel....
in the film Elizabeth: The Golden Age.
Children
He was married first to Catherine Carey, daughter of Henry Carey, 1st Baron HunsdonHenry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon
Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon, of Hunsdon was an English nobleman.He was the son of Mary Boleyn, the sister of Anne Boleyn and also the mistress to King Henry VIII of England...
and Ann Morgan. They had five children:
- Frances Howard (buried July 11, 1628). She was married first to Henry FitzGerald, 12th Earl of KildareHenry FitzGerald, 12th Earl of Kildare-Background:Kildare was the son of Gerald FitzGerald, 11th Earl of Kildare and Mabel Browne.-Military career:Nicknamed Henry "na Tuagh", or Henry "of the Battleaxes", he fought against the Spanish invaders in Ireland in 1588...
. She was secondly married to Henry Brooke, 11th Baron CobhamHenry Brooke, 11th Baron CobhamHenry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham was an English peer who was implicated in the Main Plot against the rule of James I of England.- Life :...
. - William Howard, 3rd Baron Howard of EffinghamWilliam Howard, 3rd Baron Howard of EffinghamWilliam Howard, 3rd Baron Howard of Effingham was an English nobleman, the eldest son of Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham and Katherine Carey, Lady of the chamber to Queen Elizabeth who died 25 Feb 1603 at Arundel House, Strand, Middlesex, ENG.As Sir...
(December 27, 1577 - November 28, 1615). Summoned to the Lords as 3rd Baron Howard of Effingham. He was married on February 7, 1596/1597 to Anne St John. - Charles Howard, 2nd Earl of NottinghamCharles Howard, 2nd Earl of NottinghamCharles Howard, 2nd Earl of Nottingham was the son of Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham. His mother was the former Katherine Carey. From 1596 to 1624 he was styled Lord Howard of Effingham....
(September 17, 1579 - October 3, 1642). He was married first on May 19, 1597 to Charity White (d. December 18, 1618), daughter to Robert White. Secondly on April 22, 1620 to Mary Cokayne, daughter of Sir William Cokayne who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1619 and Mary Morris. - Margaret Howard, married in 1587 Sir Richard Leveson, no issue.
- Elizabeth Howard (buried March 31, 1646). Maid of honour to Elizabeth I of EnglandElizabeth I of EnglandElizabeth I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death. Sometimes called The Virgin Queen, Gloriana, or Good Queen Bess, Elizabeth was the fifth and last monarch of the Tudor dynasty...
. She was married first to Sir Robert Southwell. One of their daughters, Elizabeth, was a lover and eventually a third wife of Robert Dudley (explorer). Another daughter, Frances, married Edward RodneyEdward RodneySir Edward Rodney was an English politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1621 and 1642.Rodney was the son of Sir John Rodney of Rodney Stoke Somerset, and his wife Jane Seymour, daughter of Sir Henry Seymour and niece of Queen Jane Seymour. He was educated at...
. Elizabeth Howard was secondly married to John Stewart, 1st Earl of Carrick.
He was married secondly to Margaret Stuart, daughter of James Stuart, 2nd Earl of Moray and Elizabeth Stuart, 2nd Countess of Moray
Elizabeth Stuart, 2nd Countess of Moray
Elizabeth Stuart, 2nd Countess of Moray suo jure , was the daughter of James Stewart, 1st Earl of Moray and Agnes Keith.On 23 January 1581, she married James Stewart, son of the first Lord Doune, and they had five children:...
. She was more than 50 years younger than he was. They had two children:
- Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of NottinghamCharles Howard, 3rd Earl of NottinghamCharles Howard, 3rd Earl of Nottingham was the son of Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham by his second wife, the former Margaret Stuart....
(1610–1681) - Anne Howard (born c. 1612). She was married on December 29, 1627 to Alexander Stewart, Baron Garlies, son of Alexander Stewart, 1st Earl of Galloway and Grizel Gordon.