Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk (
1473 -
1554), was called
Earl of Surrey before his succession to his
father's dukedom in 154. His eldest son was the poet
Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. Norfolk first married Anne, daughter of King
Edward IV of England. Following her death in
1512, he married a daughter of the Duke of Buckingham. Appointed Lord High Admiral in
1513, Howard was one of the most powerful nobles in the kingdom, especially after his niece,
Anne Boleyn, became queen. Putting his own security before family loyalties, he presided over her trial in
1536, but the experience did not teach him a lesson, and another of his nieces,
Catherine Howard, went the same way in
1542. This was the point at which he fell out of favor with King
Henry VIII. Following the accession of Henry's son,
Edward VI of England, Howard was imprisoned on suspicion of
treason, but released by
Mary I, the Howards being an important
Catholic family.
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