The first recorded ancestor in the Howard line was Sir William Howard who came from East Winch in West Norfolk and was a Lawyer. King Edward I elevated him to Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas. He died in 1308                     His son Sir John Howard married Lady Joan, a relative of the royal family, who brought wealth, vast tracts of land, and manors houses to the marriage, making Sir John the greatest landowner in West Norfolk.                     The second Sir John Howard was appointed Admiral of the North Seas - the first Howard Admiral.                     His grandson, the third Sir John Howard, died in the middle east on a Crusade when he was in his 70's.                     In about 1420, Sir Robert Howard married Lady Margaret Mowbray, the eldest daughter of Thomas Mowbray, 1st duke of Norfolk (he appears in Act 1 of Shakespeare's Richard II). The duke of Norfolk was the greatest man in the kingdom after the King and royal family. But Thomas Mowbray had no male heir, so upon his death the Mowbray inheritance passed, through Lady Margaret, to the Howards.                                           John Howard was born in about 1421 and succeeded to the Howard estates at age 18. He was a soldier and spent most of his life in active duty.           He supported the House of York during the War of the Roses and fought bravely at the Battle of Towton, a major Yorkist victory, that resulted in Edward IV being crowned King.           John Howard's influence grew at court and he became a friend of Richard, Duke of Gloucester, the future King Richard III.           In 1483 King Edward died at age 41 leaving the crown to the eldest of his 2 sons, both only young children. Richard, Duke of Gloucester became Lord Protector for his nephew. The young King Edward V and his brother disappeared into the Tower of London and were never seen outside its walls again. Richard of Gloucester was crowned King Richard III. (there is one story that says John Howard may have had a hand in the murder of the 2 boys)           The Mowbray Duke of Norfolk had died leaving his estates to his only heir, a little girl. She died shortly afterward and the huge Mowbray estates were split up.           One of King Richard's first acts was to raise his friend Lord John Howard to the vacant titles of Duke of Norfolk and Earl Marshall (although currently the Earl Marshall is chiefly concerned with royal ceremonies, back then it was a military rank, The Earl Marshall commanded the soldiers of the King's Household). The new Duke of Norfolk's son and heir was created Earl of Surrey.           In August 1485 Henry Tudor landed in Wales, gathered an army and began to assert his claim to the throne. His claim wasn't all that great, but then King Richard obtained the crown under suspicious circumstances. The battle lines were drawn. The Lancasterian supporters backed Henry Tudor. The Duke of Norfolk lead the support for the king.           At the battle of Bosworth the Duke of Norfolk, then over 60, lead the king's troops and fought valiantly but was killed. Seeing his father fall, the Earl of Surrey charged, was quickly surrounded and taken prisoner. King Richard III also was killed and Henry Tudor became King Henry VII.           The Howard estates were confiscated by act of Parliament and the Earl of Surrey was imprisoned and in danger of being executed as a traitor.                                             Thomas Howard, stripped of his lands and titles, remained in prison for 3 years.           King Henry VII needed a good general to fight the Scots. Thomas, who had been trained as a soldier all his life and was a good general, was released from prison and his title Earl of Surrey was restored. But his lands and the dukedom were not.           As the king's lieutenant of the north, Surrey suppressed the English rebels and advanced against the King of Scots seizing several castles along the border. The King of Scots refused to fight Surrey and disbanded his army.           As part of the peace settlement King Henry VII's daughter Margaret married James, King of Scotland. Surrey escorted Margaret to Edinburgh and gave the bride away on behalf of King Henry VII.           Early in his reign the new King Henry VIII crossed the Channel to France in an attempt to revive the English claim to the French throne. Fortunately he left the Earl of Surrey in England. The French campaign was a disaster.           While King Henry VIII was in France, King James of Scotland invaded England with an army 30,000. Surrey rushed to the defense with an army of about 20,000.           The battle of Flodden was a disaster for King James and the Scots. Over 10,000 of his men were killed, including many Scottish peers. King James died only a few feet from Surrey.           Although King Henry VIII was most likely jealous of Surrey's success and his own failure, he restored the titles of Duke of Norfolk and Earl Marshall to him. Surrey was the toast of England. And the Scottish border was secure for many years.           Norfolk was no courtier and didn't play much of a role in the affairs of state after that. Cardinal Wolsey held the power then and saw to it that men like Norfolk didn't gain too much influence with the king.           In 1517 Norfolk put down a revolt by the London apprentices. Afterward he persuaded Henry not to treat them harshly.           When King Henry returned to France for The Field of the Cloth of Gold he left Norfolk at home in charge of the country.           In 1522 Norfolk was sent as ambassador to the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V who honored him by making his eldest son Admiral of the Imperial Dominions.           He died in 1524 in the great castle of Framlingham which had once been the seat of the Mowbray dukes of Norfolk and before that had been home to the Bigods, Earls for Norfolk during the Norman era. He was about 80.                               The 2nd duke married twice and had 15 children, most of them boys. He was responsible for many of branches of the Howard family tree. Among others, both Queen Anne Boleyn and Queen Katherine Howard were his granddaughters.           Lord Edward Howard was a younger brother to Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk (who we will meet in a minute).           Edward was the first of the Howards to win fame as a great admiral. He began his naval career when he was very young. He was in his teens when he took part in his first naval battle.           Both he and his older brother Thomas served under their father against the Scots.           His first naval victory was against a Scottish captain, Andrew Barton. Barton was soundly defeated and most likely taken prisoner. However, the victory was well enough known to be celebrated in a song of the day one line of which is: "Lord Howard he took sword in hand And off he smote Sir Andrew's head."           Lord Howard chased French ships up and down the English channel. He would also land on the French coast and set fire to a town or attach a castle.           In 1512 he launched an attach on the French harbor of Brest. The attach was a disaster. Some of his ships, with all hands on board, was lost. One of the dead was his brother-in-law and friend Sir Thomas Knyvett. Lord Howard wanted revenge.           In 1513 he was appointed Lord Admiral of England and he renewed his attack on Brest. Unfortunately the French fleet was in harbor and were strongly defended by cannon on shore. Lord Howard was badly wounded and jumped overboard to avoid capture and drowned. He was 35                                         Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey succeeded to the title Duke of Norfolk at the age of 50 upon his father's death in 1524.           He began his career as a page at the court of King Henry VII.           He served under his father in Scotland and fought with his younger brother Edward against the Scottish captain Andrew Barton.           He led expeditions to Spain and fought at Flodden.           He was King Henry VIII's viceroy in Ireland for 2 years where he successfully managed to enforce English rule.           He followed his brother as Lord Admiral and led a fleet against France. Later he took command of the English army in Normandy.           In 1523 he was recalled to command the English troops against the Scots. He successfully drove out the anti-English Scots and strengthened English influence in Scotland.           By the time he became Duke he was not only the most powerful noble in England, he was the most experienced soldier and politician.           We would not find the Duke's character attractive. He was ruthless, skilled at lying, and had an undying devotion to his own self interest.           He was not as skilled a politician as Wolsey or Cromwell, but he learned the essential lesson early: the only thing that mattered was winning and keeping the favor of the King.           To secure that great goal, which he pursued single-mindedly his entire life, he supported his enemy Wolsey to secure the King's divorce from Katherine of Aragon and personally coached his niece, Anne Boleyn, in how to handle her difficult lover.           With his niece as Queen of England, Norfolk expected to fill Wolsey's vacant place as chief advisor to the king but was superseded by Thomas Cromwell, a commoner. Also, Anne had stopped listening to his advice.           Furious with both Anne and Cromwell, Norfolk plotted to use the king's fading interest in Anne against them both. Anne was tried for treason and executed. Her uncle presided at her trial and witnessed her death. It took him a bit longer to get Cromwell.           Thomas Howard was married twice. His first marriage was to a princess who died young. His second was wretched. He and his wife didn't get along at all and fought for years before they finely separated in 1534.           Norfolk took the daughter of a steward, Bess Holland, as his mistress. His wife sent him letters oozing with rage. For revenge, he confined her in his new manor house in Norfolk, Kenninghall. He even took away her clothes and jewels so she couldn't escape.            The duchess bombarded Cromwell with letters bemoaning her situation. In one she accused her husband of "crafty ways" and "that harlot (Bess Holland) which has put me in all this trouble." She also accused Norfolk of physical abuse.           Eventually she retired to Hertfordshire on an allowance from her husband she always said was too small. Bess Holland became "first lady" of Kenninghall.           Henry VIII began attacking the power of the Catholic Church in England when the Pope refused to grant his divorce from Katherine of Aragon. Cromwell and Protestant influences encouraged him to continue by confiscating Church property for the Crown.           The dissolution of the Monasteries and the rise of Protestantism caused anger among many ordinary citizens. A rebellion broke out in the north (called the Pilgrimage of Grace) and Norfolk was dispatched to handle the situation. The Rebels wanted the seizing of Church property to stop and they wanted to end the interference in their lives of men like Cromwell. After many meetings the King and Norfolk agreed to some of their demands and Rebels disbanded.           It wasn't long before more riots broke out in isolated places. The King used this as an excuse to break his word and Norfolk began a bloody reign of terror in Yorkshire.           Norfolk was a Catholic as most of his descendants have been. He had no liking for the new religion but his central belief was always ambition. He hadn't forgotten Cromwell. He thought up a plan that, if it worked, would be the end of Cromwell and make the Howard family supreme at court.           Henry VIII's 4th marriage to Anne of Cleves had been arranged by Thomas Cromwell to ally England with the Protestant League of German States. But Henry took an instant dislike to his new bride and the marriage ended in divorce. Cromwell's error in arranging the marriage began his slide from favor. As Cromwell's star faded Norfolk's rose.           With Cromwell out of the way it was time for the Catholic party to make a bid for power. Norfolk presented his young niece, daughter of his brother Edmund Howard, to the king.           Catherine Howard was young and pretty. She had been brought up in the country by Norfolk's mother, the Dowager Duchess and was not involved with any court scandals and intrigues. And she was willing to follow Norfolk's advice.           The king was enchanted and soon married Catherine. On the day of their wedding Cromwell was beheaded on Tower Hill.           Catherine was not the innocent girl the king and Norfolk believed. She had a sexual affair while she was living with the Dowager Duchess. And she had an extramarital affair with Francis Dereham after she was crowned Queen.           King Henry was devastated. He left Hampton Court and never saw Catherine again. While she was being confined in Syon House, Norfolk joined the Protestant Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas Cranmer in gathering evidence against her presenting the Privy Council with a trunk full of papers which involved his mother in Catherine's guilty secrets. Catherine was beheaded for treason.           Norfolk decided it would be wise to retire from court for a time and returned to Kenninghall. From there he wrote a fawning letter to the king:     "The most abominable deeds done by two of my nieces hath brought me into the greatest perplexity that ever poor wretch was in..." "...prostrate at your royal feet, most humbly I beseech Your Majesty [to tell me] how Your Highness doth weigh your favors towards me; assuring Your Highness that unless I may know Your Majesty to continue my good and gracious lord... I shall never desire to live in this world longer."           Norfolk was arrested along with his eldest son the Earl of Surrey. The charges were based largely on servants' gossip but the King was increasingly fearful of treason as he grew older. The Earl of Surrey was executed. But the old Duke's luck held. An Act of Attainder was passed against him by Parliament finding him guilty of treason. He would have been executed the following day, but King Henry VIII died during the night and Norfolk was saved.           He spent 6 years in the Tower during the reign of Protestant Edward VI but when Queen Mary (a Catholic) came to the throne he was released and the Act of Attainder was reversed. All his properties and titles were restored.           He died the next year at Kenninghall. He was 80 years old.                               Henry Howard was 7 years old when his father became Duke and he became Earl of Surrey.           He was a courtier and a soldier like his father but he is chiefly remembered as a poet.           Surrey had inherited the Howard boldness and pride but none of his father's caution.           He took part in the suppression of the rebels of the Pilgrimage of Grace. But while his father stayed to pacify the north Surrey returned to court.           Surrey was a Catholic and resented the rise of the Protestant Seymours when Jane Seymour became Henry VIII's 3rd wife. The hot-blooded Surrey soon quarreled with Edward Seymour (the future Duke of Somerset and Lord Protector of England) and struck him. The penalty for violence at court was cutting off the right arm. Surrey was saved by Cromwell but he spent several months as a prisoner at Windsor Castle.           His imprisonment gave him time to write poetry. It was at Windsor that some of his best known love poems were composed including the famous sonnet "Fair Geraldine".           After his release he went to the country where he was less likely to get in trouble. But on hearing a marriage was being arranged between his sister and Sir Thomas Seymour he raced back to court in a furry. He was damned if a Howard would marry ..."those saucy fellows that had crept into Court under their sister's petticoats." The Duke of Norfolk didn't like the idea either and it was dropped.           At a tournament held to celebrate the king's marriage to Anne of Cleves the Earl of Surrey triumphed over all other participants. In their youth, ordinary men govern their tempers for fear of the consequences when words lead to blows or worse. Later in life they learn the other advantages of a temperate disposition. Surrey never feared, and never learned.           Surrey was sent on an expedition to France, but in 1542 he was involved in another quarrel in England. John Leigh, a distant relative, had insulted the Duke of Norfolk, or so Surrey thought. Surrey challenged Leigh to a duel but was arrested and sent to Fleet Prison before it could be held. The Duke of Norfolk intervened and persuaded his son, with difficulty, to write a letter of apology to the Privy Council. By the time Surrey was released John Leigh had fled London.           Surrey joined his father's campaign in Scotland but left shortly after his arrival. He and a group of soldiers returning to London with him stayed at a boarding house. One night the group got drunk and strolled the streets smashing windows of known Protestants and beating up their assistants. It is said they were firing rocks from their crossbows.           The next day Surrey was sorry for what had happened but it was too late. The Lord Mayor of London made a formal complaint to the Privy Council and Surrey was sent back to Fleet Prison.           He spent his time in prison writing a biting satire on the city of London "London! Hast thou accused me Of breach of laws? The root of strife! Within whose breast did boil to see, So fervent hot, thy dissolute life..."           He was soon released and joined the army in France. Emperor Charles V wrote to King Henry VIII about Surrey "he as borne good witness in the army as to whose son he is...showing withal so Nobel a heart and such skill [in warlike arts] that he has no need to learn anything more."           During an attack on a French town Surrey was badly wounded and left for dead. He was saved by his squire, Thomas Clere, who was wounded during the rescue and later died of his wounds.           In 1545 Surrey was again in France, this time as Commander-in-chief but was superseded by his old enemy Edward Seymour, now Earl of Hertford.           Henry VIII was reaching the end of his life and it was obvious that his underage son couldn't govern the kingdom. A regent or "Protector" would have to be appointed. Hereford, as uncle to the young prince, was favored for the post.           Surrey was livid. His father as Duke of Norfolk, the premier duke, should have the post. He went on the say what he would do, and to who, when the Howards became the first family in England.           The king was increasingly frightened of treasonous plots as he neared death and increasingly cruel in punishing them, real or imagined. It didn't take much for the Seymours to convince the King that Norfolk and Surrey were planning to usurp the crown.           Like many trials of the time the charges were trumped up and the evidence flimsy at best. The most serious charge was that Surrey had incorporated the arms of Edward the Confessor into his own. His accusers said that proved he was aiming at the crown.           The charges were ridiculous. The Howards had a right to the arms of Edward the Confessor and Surrey's ancestors had worn them without being charged with treason.           Surrey and Norfolk were arrested. Surrey conducted his own defense at his trial but the result was a foregone conclusion. He was found guilty and sentenced to be hanged, drawn, and quartered.           As was the usual custom of the time for nobles convicted of treason, the sentence was modified to simple beheading. He was executed January 21, 1547 on Tower Hill.                                 When the 3rd Duke died in 1554, he was succeeded by his 18 year old grandson, Thomas Howard, eldest son of the executed Earl of Surrey.           By temperament the 4th Duke was spirited and ambitious, however he lacked the craftiness of his grandfather and the force of character of his father.           He remained in quiet obscurity until the reign of Elizabeth I in 1558. By that time the young Duke was already a widower.           He had married Lady Mary Fitzalan, daughter of the Earl of Arundel but she died after less than a year of marriage. It is through this marriage that the ancient earldom of Arundel eventually passed to the Howards. That is the reason the seat of the present Duke is Arundel Castle.           Queen Elizabeth preferred her young male courtiers to remain unmarried, however Norfolk did marry again and nevertheless remained a royal favorite. He was the Queen's cousin as well as a courtier (her mother, Anne Boleyn was a granddaughter of the 2nd Duke of Norfolk).           Thomas spent a lot of time at court and cut a dashing figure, but he didn't do much.           He was extremely jealous of the Queen's chief favorite, Sir Robert Dudley (later Earl of Leicester). In 1565 he quarreled with Sir Robert and struck him in the presence of the Queen. Elizabeth made them put aside their quarrel. However Norfolk had made a mistake in turning the clever and powerful Sir Robert into an enemy.           Again a widower, the ambitious Duke of Norfolk began to execute a plan to marry Mary Queen of Scots.           He kept his plan secret from Queen Elizabeth, who would never have allowed the marriage. But keeping it a secret made it look very suspicious when the facts became known.           A few things to remember concerning the possible marriage between Norfolk and Mary Queen of Scots: Elizabeth was not married and had no children Mary Queen of Scots was next in line for the English throne Norfolk was a direct descendant of English Kings Elizabeth's ministers suspected he was a Catholic and therefore thought of him as a potential traitor           By the time they first met the Duke had had 3 wives and Mary had had 3 husbands. Queen Mary wrote him affectionate letters. One began:"My own dear lord" and ended "Yours faithfully unto death." Ambition might have been the initial motivation for Norfolk, but Mary was a romantic. (Do you suppose that something developed between them?)           In 1568 Mary fled from Scotland to England. Mary's presence in England was, at the very least, an embarrassment to Queen Elizabeth and her government. Mary, a Catholic, was a rallying point for anyone dissatisfied with the present Protestant Queen. Queen Elizabeth had Mary placed in semi-captivity.           Norfolk's desire to marry the exiled Scottish Queen was still unknown to Queen Elizabeth. But a number of English nobles encouraged his plan. Among them was Robert Dudley, Earl of Leicester.           When Elizabeth was informed, she was less than pleased. She hinted broadly to Norfolk that she most certainly did not approve. As an English noble Norfolk could not marry without his Queen's permission.           Norfolk appears to have seen the potential danger and taken his Queen's hint. He responded that his estates in England were worth nearly as much as the entire kingdom of Scotland and he was content to rise no higher in the world than Duke of Norfolk. But he did not break his contact with Queen Mary.           In 1569 a rebellion broke out in the north of England with the intent of releasing Mary. Norfolk denied that he had anything to do with it, but he was confined to the Tower for a short time anyway.           Two years later the Ridolfi Plot was discovered. This time there was no doubt that Norfolk was involved. A letter was produced in which he promised to sent money to the rebels.           Norfolk was returned to the Tower charged with treason.           At his trial, Norfolk admitted he had planned to marry the Queen of Scots without Elizabeth's permission and he had continued to do so after he had promised to give up the idea. He denied he had plotted rebellion or encouraged the enemies of the Queen. He was sentenced to death.           Elizabeth could not bring herself to sign the death warrant for her cousin for quite some time(she had the same difficulty 16 years later about approving Mary Queen of Scots execution).           Finally her ministers prevailed. Norfolk was executed on June 2, 1572 and Act of Attainder removed the title Duke of Norfolk from his successors.           There were no more Dukes of Norfolk for nearly 100 years.                               The full names and titles of the present duke are: Major-General Miles Francs Stapleton Fitzalan-Howard, Companion of the Bath, Commander of the Order of the British Empire, Military Cross, Deputy Lieutenant of West Sussex, 17th Duke of Norfolk, 12th Baron Beaumont, Baron Mattravers, Baron Fitzalan, Clun, and Oswaldestre, 4th Baron Howard of Glossop, Earl Marshall, and Chief Butler of England.           He served in the British Army for 30 years. During World War II he was in France, North Africa, Sicily, Italy, and North West Europe.           He is a Roman Catholic and represented the Queen at the funeral of Pope Paul IV and the installation and funeral of Pope John Paul I. He also represented the Queen at the installation of Pope John Paul II.           The Duke married Anne Mary Teresa Constable Maxwell in 1949. They have 2 sons and 3 daughters. Their eldest son, Edward William, Earl of Arundel, is the heir to the Dukedom of Norfolk.                     Achievement of Arms of the Duke of Norfolk
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	Grant, Neil; The Howards of Norfolk; Franklin Watts; London; 1979