Sir George Howard (courtier)
Encyclopedia
Sir George Howard was an English courtier, politician, author and diplomat. He was a younger brother of King Henry VIII's
fifth Queen, Katherine Howard. Howard held offices at court under four monarchs, namely Henry VIII, Edward VI
, Mary I
, and Elizabeth I
, most notably Master of the Armoury
, and undertook several diplomatic missions. Howard also wrote a masque which was produced at court during the reign of Edward VI. which describes the Earl of Leicester's
entertainment of Queen Elizabeth at Kenilworth Castle
in July 1575.
(c.1478 – 19 March 1539), the third son of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk
by his first wife, Elizabeth Tilney. Lord Edmund Howard was reputed a spendthrift who wasted the lands he obtained through his first marriage to Joyce Culpeper, the daughter and coheir of Sir Richard Culpeper of Oxen Hoath, Kent
, and 'fled abroad to avoid his creditors', leaving his children by her to be brought up by relatives. It thus seems likely that Sir George, like his sister Katherine, later Queen Katherine Howard, spent part of his early life in the household of his stepmother, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk
.
Howard's father died on 19 March 1539, 'overwhelmed by debts'. However Howard's financial situation was alleviated in 1540 when his sister, Katherine, married King Henry VIII as his fifth wife. The King granted Howard a pension of 100 marks, several manors, and, together with his brother Charles
, a licence to import Gascon
wine. On 13 February 1542, however, Howard's sister Katherine was executed for treason, and Howard turned to soldiering, serving as a captain at Boulogne in 1546, and as a standard-bearer
at the Battle of Pinkie in 1547, for which latter service his 'forward courage' was noted and he was knighted by Somerset
on 28 September 1547. Howard campaigned again in Scotland in 1548, and was sent on a diplomatic mission to King Henry II of France
in May 1551.
Howard sat as the member for Devizes
during the first Parliament of King Edward VI
. His masque
, The Triumph of Cupid, Venus and Mars, was produced at court during the Christmas season of 1552-1553 by George Ferrers
.
After the young King's death on 6 July 1553, Howard at first joined Northumberland's
forces, but is said to have quarreled with Northumberland's son, and speedily taken 50 horse to join the forces supporting Queen Mary
. On her accession the Queen at first treated Howard with suspicion, but in January 1554 granted him an annuity of £200. Howard further demonstrated his allegiance by serving with his uncle, Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
, in putting down Wyatt's rebellion
in that year. When Norfolk died on 25 August 1554, Howard was chief mourner.
Howard was appointed carver to Queen Mary's husband, Philip II of Spain
, but was unable to take up the position when the King arrived in England in 1554 with his own entourage of Spanish servants. He was sent on a diplomatic mission to the Emperor
in the same year, and later sat as a member of Parliament for Rochester
in Kent. In 1558 he sat as member for Winchelsea
.
Howard's cousin Elizabeth
acceded to the throne in November 1558. Howard was with the court at Kenilworth Castle
when the Queen's favourite, the Earl of Leicester
, entertained the Queen there in lavish splendour in July 1575. In the Langham Letter
, which describes the Kenilworth entertainment in lively detail, the author refers to Howard as someone with whom he is on friendly terms: 'In afternoons and a nights, sumtime am I with the right woorshipfull Syr George Howard, az good a Gentlman as ony lyves: And sumtime at my good Lady Sydneyz
chamber, a Noblwooman, that I am az mooch boound untoo, az ony poor man may be untoo so gracioous a Lady'. He is one of the few courtiers mentioned by name in the Letter.
The Queen appointed him a Gentleman Usher of the Privy Chamber by 1579. In his latter years Howard lived in Kent, where he served as a Justice of the Peace
and was certified by Archbishop Matthew Parker
as 'favourable to sound religion'.
Howard died in 1580.
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...
fifth Queen, Katherine Howard. Howard held offices at court under four monarchs, namely Henry VIII, Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
, Mary I
Mary 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 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...
, most notably Master of the Armoury
Armory (military)
An armory or armoury is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, issued to authorized users, or any combination of those...
, and undertook several diplomatic missions. Howard also wrote a masque which was produced at court during the reign of Edward VI. which describes the Earl of Leicester's
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, KG was an English nobleman and the favourite and close friend of Elizabeth I from her first year on the throne until his death...
entertainment of Queen Elizabeth at Kenilworth Castle
Kenilworth Castle
Kenilworth Castle is located in the town of the same name in Warwickshire, England. Constructed from Norman through to Tudor times, the castle has been described by architectural historian Anthony Emery as "the finest surviving example of a semi-royal palace of the later middle ages, significant...
in July 1575.
Life
Howard was the third son of Lord Edmund HowardLord 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...
(c.1478 – 19 March 1539), the third son 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...
by his first wife, Elizabeth Tilney. Lord Edmund Howard was reputed a spendthrift who wasted the lands he obtained through his first marriage to Joyce Culpeper, the daughter and coheir of Sir Richard Culpeper of Oxen Hoath, Kent
Kent
Kent is a county in southeast England, and is one of the home counties. It borders East Sussex, Surrey and Greater London and has a defined boundary with Essex in the middle of the Thames Estuary. The ceremonial county boundaries of Kent include the shire county of Kent and the unitary borough of...
, and 'fled abroad to avoid his creditors', leaving his children by her to be brought up by relatives. It thus seems likely that Sir George, like his sister Katherine, later Queen Katherine Howard, spent part of his early life in the household of his stepmother, the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk
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...
.
Howard's father died on 19 March 1539, 'overwhelmed by debts'. However Howard's financial situation was alleviated in 1540 when his sister, Katherine, married King Henry VIII as his fifth wife. The King granted Howard a pension of 100 marks, several manors, and, together with his brother Charles
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'...
, a licence to import Gascon
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
wine. On 13 February 1542, however, Howard's sister Katherine was executed for treason, and Howard turned to soldiering, serving as a captain at Boulogne in 1546, and as a standard-bearer
Standard-bearer
A standard-bearer is a person who bears an emblem called an ensign or standard, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used as a formal, visual symbol of a state, prince, military unit, etc.This can either be an occasional duty, often seen as an honour , or a...
at the Battle of Pinkie in 1547, for which latter service his 'forward courage' was noted and he was knighted by Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset
Edward Seymour, 1st Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Hertford, 1st Viscount Beauchamp of Hache, KG, Earl Marshal was Lord Protector of England in the period between the death of Henry VIII in 1547 and his own indictment in 1549....
on 28 September 1547. Howard campaigned again in Scotland in 1548, and was sent on a diplomatic mission to King Henry II of France
Henry II of France
Henry II was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559.-Early years:Henry was born in the royal Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, near Paris, the son of Francis I and Claude, Duchess of Brittany .His father was captured at the Battle of Pavia in 1525 by his sworn enemy,...
in May 1551.
Howard sat as the member for Devizes
Devizes (UK Parliament constituency)
Devizes is a parliamentary constituency in Wiltshire, England, which is now represented in the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, and before 1707 in the House of Commons of England....
during the first Parliament of King Edward VI
Edward VI of England
Edward VI was the King of England and Ireland from 28 January 1547 until his death. He was crowned on 20 February at the age of nine. The son of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour, Edward was the third monarch of the Tudor dynasty and England's first monarch who was raised as a Protestant...
. His masque
Masque
The masque was a form of festive courtly entertainment which flourished in 16th and early 17th century Europe, though it was developed earlier in Italy, in forms including the intermedio...
, The Triumph of Cupid, Venus and Mars, was produced at court during the Christmas season of 1552-1553 by George Ferrers
George Ferrers
George Ferrers was a courtier and writer. In an incident which arose in 1542 while he was a Member of Parliament for Plymouth in the Parliament of England, he played a key role in the development of parliamentary privilege.-Life:...
.
After the young King's death on 6 July 1553, Howard at first joined Northumberland's
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland
John Dudley, 1st Duke of Northumberland, KG was an English general, admiral, and politician, who led the government of the young King Edward VI from 1550 until 1553, and unsuccessfully tried to install Lady Jane Grey on the English throne after the King's death...
forces, but is said to have quarreled with Northumberland's son, and speedily taken 50 horse to join the forces supporting Queen Mary
Mary 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...
. On her accession the Queen at first treated Howard with suspicion, but in January 1554 granted him an annuity of £200. Howard further demonstrated his allegiance by serving with his uncle, Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, KG, Earl Marshal was a prominent Tudor politician. He was uncle to Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, two of the wives of King Henry VIII, and played a major role in the machinations behind these marriages...
, in putting down Wyatt's rebellion
Wyatt's rebellion
Wyatt's Rebellion was a popular uprising in England in 1554, named after Thomas Wyatt the younger, one of its leaders. The rebellion arose out of concern over Queen Mary I's determination to marry Philip II of Spain, which was an unpopular policy with the English...
in that year. When Norfolk died on 25 August 1554, Howard was chief mourner.
Howard was appointed carver to Queen Mary's husband, Philip II of Spain
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
, but was unable to take up the position when the King arrived in England in 1554 with his own entourage of Spanish servants. He was sent on a diplomatic mission to the Emperor
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
in the same year, and later sat as a member of Parliament for Rochester
Rochester (UK Parliament constituency)
Rochester was a parliamentary constituency in Kent. It returned two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons of England from 1295 to 1707, then to the House of Commons of Great Britain from 1708 to 1800, and finally to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom from 1801...
in Kent. In 1558 he sat as member for Winchelsea
Winchelsea (UK Parliament constituency)
Winchelsea was a parliamentary constituency in Sussex, which elected two Members of Parliament to the House of Commons from 1366 until 1832, when it was abolished by the Great Reform Act.-Boundaries:...
.
Howard's cousin 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...
acceded to the throne in November 1558. Howard was with the court at Kenilworth Castle
Kenilworth Castle
Kenilworth Castle is located in the town of the same name in Warwickshire, England. Constructed from Norman through to Tudor times, the castle has been described by architectural historian Anthony Emery as "the finest surviving example of a semi-royal palace of the later middle ages, significant...
when the Queen's favourite, the Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester
Robert Dudley, 1st Earl of Leicester, KG was an English nobleman and the favourite and close friend of Elizabeth I from her first year on the throne until his death...
, entertained the Queen there in lavish splendour in July 1575. In the Langham Letter
Langham letter
The Langham letter, published by 1580, is a significant source for the entertainments of the Elizabethan period in England. Dated from Worcester on 20 August 1575, and titled A letter: whearin, part of the entertainment vntoo the Queenz Maiesty, at Killingwoorth Castl, in Warwik Sheer in this...
, which describes the Kenilworth entertainment in lively detail, the author refers to Howard as someone with whom he is on friendly terms: 'In afternoons and a nights, sumtime am I with the right woorshipfull Syr George Howard, az good a Gentlman as ony lyves: And sumtime at my good Lady Sydneyz
Mary Dudley, Lady Sidney
Mary Sidney , Lady Sidney was an English lady-in-waiting at the court of Elizabeth I, and the mother of the courtier and poet Sir Philip Sidney...
chamber, a Noblwooman, that I am az mooch boound untoo, az ony poor man may be untoo so gracioous a Lady'. He is one of the few courtiers mentioned by name in the Letter.
The Queen appointed him a Gentleman Usher of the Privy Chamber by 1579. In his latter years Howard lived in Kent, where he served as a Justice of the Peace
Justice of the Peace
A justice of the peace is a puisne judicial officer elected or appointed by means of a commission to keep the peace. Depending on the jurisdiction, they might dispense summary justice or merely deal with local administrative applications in common law jurisdictions...
and was certified by Archbishop Matthew Parker
Matthew Parker
Matthew Parker was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1559 until his death in 1575. He was also an influential theologian and arguably the co-founder of Anglican theological thought....
as 'favourable to sound religion'.
Howard died in 1580.
External links
- Mention of George Ferrers' production of Sir George Howard's The Triumph of Cupid