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Historical Profile of Henry Howard

	History of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey 1517 - 1547 (30 years old) *'The Poet Earl'*

History

of

Henry Howard,

Earl of Surrey

1517 - 1547 (30 years old)

'The Poet Earl'

INTERESTING FACTS: In his youth he found favour with King Henry VIII and formed a deep friendship with Henry Fitzroy, the Duke of Richmond, being approximately just 2 years younger than the illegitimate son. His sister Mary Howard would marry Henry Fitzroy but became his widow when he died at aged 17 a couple of months after Anne Boleyn's execution. His classical education at the hands of scholars and his study of Virgil later gave him a poetical talent two hundred years ahead of his time. He is to this day referred to as `The Poet Earl'. His ties with Sir Thomas Wyatt, who was fifteen years his elder and of opposite politics, seem to have been rather literary than personal. He appears to have entered into closer relations with his son, the younger Wyatt In company with whom, he amused himself by breaking the windows of the citizens of London on 2 Feb 1543. For this he was accused by the Privy Council, a second charge being that he had eaten meat in Lent. In prison probably he wrote the satire on the city of London, in which he explains his escapade by a desire to rouse Londoners to a sense of their wickedness. He inherited his father Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk's military genius in a tactical sense and distinguished himself at Boulogne and Landrecy. His pride of ancestry and his foolhardiness in the dangerous days at the close of Henry VIII's reign left him open to the intrigues of those who plotted for the court supremacy which would come after the King's death. In 1546 his father petitioned for a second time for his sister, Mary Fitzroy, Duchess of Richmond (pic at right) to be married to Thomas Seymour. The King gave his approval for the match but Henry objected strongly, as did his sister the Duchess herself, and the marriage did not take place. Surrey then suggested that the Duchess should seduce the aged King, her father-in-law, and become his mistress, to "wield as much influence on him as Madam d'Etampes doth about the French King". The Duchess, outraged, said she would "cut her own throat" rather than "consent to such villainy". She and her brother fell out, and she later laid testimony against Surrey that helped lead to his trial and execution for treason. He was tried for treason on fabricated charges at Guildhall on l3th January 1547 and executed on the 2lst.	Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey in his younger years, by Hans Holbein Mary Howard, Henry's older sister who became wife to Henry Fitzroy, Duke of Richmond, the King's illegitimate son by Elizabeth Blount. - drawing by Hans Holbein
Henry's wife, Frances de Vere by Hans Holbein Frances de Vere and Henry Howard were betrothed when they were both 15. She does not appear to a large extent in the history of the time, perhaps being overshadowed by the circumstances revolving round the great family into which she had married. After Surrey was executed she was `relieved' of the upbringing of her children, their care being entrusted to the Duchess of Richmond. During the reign of Edward VI Frances married Thomas Steyning of Woodbridge and they lived at Earl Soham Lodge, in the neighbouring village to Framlingham. She gave birth to a daughter, Mary, and died at Earl Soham in 1577 but was buried at Framlingham.	Subjects of his Poetry Surrey's name has been long connected with the 'Fair Geraldine', to whom his love poems were supposed to be addressed. 'Geraldine' was the daughter of the Earl of Kildare, Lady Elizabeth Fitzgerald, who was brought up at the English court in company with the Princess Elizabeth Tudor. She was ten years old when in 1537 Surrey addressed to her the sonnet 'From Tuskane came my ladies worthy tace', and nothing more than a passing admiration of the child and an imaginative anticipation of her beauty can be attributed to Surrey. A 'Song'... to a lady that refused to dance with him, is addressed to Anne Stanhope, Lady Hertford, wife of his bitter enemy (Edward Seymour); and the two poems are addressed to his wife, to whom, at any rate in his later years, he seems to have been sincerely attached. His poems, which were the occupation of the leisure moments of his short and crowded life, were first printed in *'Songs and Sonettes written by the ryght honorable Lorde Henry Howard late Earle of Surrey', and other (apud Richardum Tottel, f 557). A second edition followed in Jul 1557, and others in 1559, 1565, 1567, 5574, 1585 and 1587. Although Surreys name, probably because of his rank, stands first on the title-page, Thomas Wyatt was the earlier in point of time of Henrys courtly makers. Surrey, indeed, expressly acknowledges Wyatt as his master in poetry. As their poems appeared in one volume, long after the death of both, their names will always be closely associated. Wyatt possessed strong individuality, which found expression in rugged, forceful verse. Surrey* contributions are distinguished by their impetuous eloquence and sweetness. * See Henry Howard's Poetry page
Following his execution in 1547, the Earl of Surrey's remains were buried at All Hallows church in Tower Street , London . Before his own death in 1613 Henry Earl of Northampton , Surrey 's youngest son, made provision for his father's body to be removed to Framlingham and the present memorial erected in 1614. The effigies at the foot of the tomb represent, at Surrey 's feet, Thomas who became 4th Duke of Norfolk and at his side Northampton . At their parents' head are the daughters, Jane, wearing a coronet, who became Countess of Westmoreland; in the centre Katherine, who married Henry Lord Berkeley; and Margaret, who married Henry Lord Scrope of Bolton .	LITERATURE: Henry VIII's Last Victim: The Life and Times of Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey by Jessie Childs Henry Howard, the Poet Earl of Surrey: A Life by W.A. Sessions and David Starkey Neale, Elizabeth. Wyatt, Surrey and Early Tudor Poetry London ; New York: Addison Wesley Longman, 1998. Jentoft, Clyde W. Sir Thomas Wyatt and Henry Howard of Surrey,A Reference Guide, Boston: G. K. Hall, c1980.

MsSquirrly	Latest page update: made by MsSquirrly , Oct 25 2009, 1:44 PM EDT (about this update About This Update Edited by MsSquirrly 4 images deleted view changes - complete history)
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