On this day in history, 25th August 1554, Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, magnate, soldier and uncle of Queens Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, died of natural causes at his home of Kenninghall in Norfolk. He was laid to rest in St Michael’s Church, Framlingham, Suffolk.
Thomas Howard was the eldest son of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, and of Elizabeth Tilney. Howard’s father and grandfather had fought on Richard III’s side at the Battle of Bosworth but Howard was able to work his way back into royal favour by fighting for the Crown against both the Cornish rebels and the Scots in 1497. He was made a Knight of the Garter in 1510, was created Earl of Surrey in 1514 and succeeded his father as Duke of Norfolk in 1524. In September 1514 he was prominent in leading the English army in defeating the Scots at the Battle of Flodden.
I wonder how much of our history would have been changed by the death at the Battle of Flooded Field of this rather Eeyorish looking man?
You could call Old Tom the lucky Duke. After all he went through some ups and downs, but as a leading noble and counsellor and experienced, ruthless soldier, he was almost indispensable. He had a lucky escape after the Howard disaster, when his neice was executed and everyone else rounded up and put in the Tower for several months, he made a comeback due to more military action, but he almost fell foul of Henry’s backlash in January 1547, when his son Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey was executed. He was very lucky to escape death as King Henry died hours before his own execution was scheduled. He seemed to have been forgotten about until released from the Tower by Mary, before dying at home a year later, having seen action dealing with trouble makers. Yes, the lucky Duke is a fitting memorial.
Ah-ha, I’ll remember that, Banditqueen. Old Tom, the Third & Lucky Duke!
Anyone else have an Applemac which thinks you consistently misspell words and helpfully changes them….. though I can get that a field would be ‘flooded’ rather than ‘flooded’.
Yep, done it again!! F l o d d e n. Two clever by half, these computers!!
No, but my Kindle keeps switching itself off and then gets stuck after I have just finished my comment, loses the comment and I have to start again. Amazon, if you are listening, I WILL buy a new one when it falls apart, so stop messing us up. AppleMac ditto.