Lord Thomas Howard
Encyclopedia
Lord Thomas Howard courtier, was a younger son of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk
by his second marriage to Agnes Tilney
. He is chiefly known for his affair with Lady Margaret Douglas
(1515–1578), the daughter of Henry VIII's sister, Margaret Tudor
, for which he was imprisoned in the Tower
, where he died on 31 October 1537. The affair is immortalized in verses by his nephew, the poet Earl of Surrey
.
married King Henry VIII
as his second wife, and helped to bear the canopy at the christening of Anne's daughter, Princess Elizabeth
. In the years which followed he was often at court, and it was there that he met Lady Margaret Douglas
(1515–1578), the daughter of Henry VIII's sister, Margaret Tudor
, and her second husband, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus
(c.1489–1557). By the end of 1535 Lord Howard and Lady Margaret Douglas had fallen in love and become secretly engaged.
and Princess Elizabeth
. Both Lord Howard and Lady Margaret were committed to the Tower
, and on 18 July 1536 an Act of Attainder
accusing Lord Howard of attempting to 'interrupt ympedyte and lett the seid Succession of the Crowne' was passed in both houses of Parliament. The Act sentenced Howard to death, and forbade the marriage of any member of the King's family without his permission. The death sentence was not carried out, and Howard languished in the Tower despite the fact that Lady Margaret had broken off their relationship. While in the Tower Lady Margaret fell ill with a fever, and the King allowed her to be moved to Syon Abbey
under the supervision of the abbess. She was released from imprisonment on 29 October 1537. Lord Howard remained in the Tower, where he caught a fatal illness and died on 31 October 1537. There is an unsubstantiated tradition that he was poisoned. His body was given to his mother, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, with the stipulation that it be buried ‘without pomp’. Lord Howard was interred at Thetford Abbey
.
Lord Howard's nephew, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
, referred to Lord Howard's death in a poem to a lady who refused to dance with him:—
In 1540 Lady Margaret Douglas was disgraced in a similar affair with Thomas Howard's half-nephew Sir Charles Howard
, the son of Lord Thomas' elder stepbrother Lord Edmund Howard
, and a brother of Henry VIII's fifth Queen, Katherine Howard.
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...
by his second marriage to Agnes Tilney
Agnes Howard, Duchess of Norfolk
Agnes Howard was the second wife of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk. Two of King Henry VIII's Queens were her step-granddaughters, Anne Boleyn, and Katherine Howard...
. He is chiefly known for his affair with Lady Margaret Douglas
Margaret Douglas
Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox was the daughter of Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, and Margaret Tudor, Queen Dowager of Scotland...
(1515–1578), the daughter of Henry VIII's sister, Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor was the elder of the two surviving daughters of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and the elder sister of Henry VIII. In 1503, she married James IV, King of Scots. James died in 1513, and their son became King James V. She married secondly Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of...
, for which he was imprisoned in the Tower
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
, where he died on 31 October 1537. The affair is immortalized in verses by his nephew, the poet Earl of Surrey
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
Henry Howard, KG, , known as The Earl of Surrey although he never was a peer, was an English aristocrat, and one of the founders of English Renaissance poetry.-Life:...
.
Early life
Lord Thomas was at court in 1533 when his niece, Anne BoleynAnne 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...
married King Henry VIII
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII was King of England from 21 April 1509 until his death. He was Lord, and later King, of Ireland, as well as continuing the nominal claim by the English monarchs to the Kingdom of France...
as his second wife, and helped to bear the canopy at the christening of Anne's daughter, Princess Elizabeth
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...
. In the years which followed he was often at court, and it was there that he met Lady Margaret Douglas
Margaret Douglas
Margaret Douglas, Countess of Lennox was the daughter of Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus, and Margaret Tudor, Queen Dowager of Scotland...
(1515–1578), the daughter of Henry VIII's sister, Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor
Margaret Tudor was the elder of the two surviving daughters of Henry VII of England and Elizabeth of York, and the elder sister of Henry VIII. In 1503, she married James IV, King of Scots. James died in 1513, and their son became King James V. She married secondly Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of...
, and her second husband, Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus
Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus was a Scottish nobleman active during the reigns of James V and Mary, Queen of Scots...
(c.1489–1557). By the end of 1535 Lord Howard and Lady Margaret Douglas had fallen in love and become secretly engaged.
Imprisonment and death
Lord Howard's niece, Queen Anne Boleyn, fell from power in May 1536. This undoubtedly contributed to the King's fury when in early July 1536 he learned of the engagement of Lord Howard and Lady Margaret since Lady Margaret was at the time next in the line of succession as a result of the King's bastardization of his daughters Princess MaryMary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
and Princess Elizabeth
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...
. Both Lord Howard and Lady Margaret were committed to the Tower
Tower of London
Her Majesty's Royal Palace and Fortress, more commonly known as the Tower of London, is a historic castle on the north bank of the River Thames in central London, England. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the City of London by the open space...
, and on 18 July 1536 an Act of Attainder
Bill of attainder
A bill of attainder is an act of a legislature declaring a person or group of persons guilty of some crime and punishing them without benefit of a judicial trial.-English law:...
accusing Lord Howard of attempting to 'interrupt ympedyte and lett the seid Succession of the Crowne' was passed in both houses of Parliament. The Act sentenced Howard to death, and forbade the marriage of any member of the King's family without his permission. The death sentence was not carried out, and Howard languished in the Tower despite the fact that Lady Margaret had broken off their relationship. While in the Tower Lady Margaret fell ill with a fever, and the King allowed her to be moved to Syon Abbey
Syon Abbey
Syon Monastery , was a monastery of the Bridgettine Order founded in 1415 which stood until its demolition in the 16th c. on the left bank of the River Thames within the parish of Isleworth, in the county of Middlesex on or near the site of the present Georgian mansion of Syon House...
under the supervision of the abbess. She was released from imprisonment on 29 October 1537. Lord Howard remained in the Tower, where he caught a fatal illness and died on 31 October 1537. There is an unsubstantiated tradition that he was poisoned. His body was given to his mother, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, with the stipulation that it be buried ‘without pomp’. Lord Howard was interred at Thetford Abbey
Thetford Priory
Thetford Priory is a Cluniac Priory located at Thetford, Norfolk, England.One of the most important East Anglian monasteries, it was founded in 1103 by Roger Bigod, 1st Earl of Norfolk and dedicated to Our Lady....
.
Lord Howard's nephew, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey
Henry Howard, KG, , known as The Earl of Surrey although he never was a peer, was an English aristocrat, and one of the founders of English Renaissance poetry.-Life:...
, referred to Lord Howard's death in a poem to a lady who refused to dance with him:—
- If you be fair and fresh, am I not of your hue?
- And for my vaunt I dare well say, my blood is not untrue;
- For you yourself doth know, it is not long ago
- Sith that for love one of the race did end his life in woe,
- In Tower both strong and high, for his assured truth,
- Whereas in tears he spent his breath, alas, the more the ruth!
- This gentle beast so died, whom nothing could remove,
- But willingly to seek his death for loss of his true love.
In 1540 Lady Margaret Douglas was disgraced in a similar affair with Thomas Howard's half-nephew Sir Charles Howard
Charles Howard (courtier)
Charles Howard was a gentleman at the court of Henry VIII of England. He was the second son of Lord Edmund Howard and the elder brother of Sir George Howard. As a scion of the mighty Howard family, his uncle, Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk was able to find him a position at court. Charles'...
, the son of Lord Thomas' elder stepbrother Lord Edmund Howard
Lord Edmund Howard
Lord Edmund Howard was the third son of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk and first wife Elizabeth Tilney. His sister, Elizabeth, was the mother of Henry VIII's second Queen, Anne Boleyn, and he was the father of the King's fifth Queen, Katherine Howard.-Biography:Howard was born about 1478...
, and a brother of Henry VIII's fifth Queen, Katherine Howard.