Howard Family

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Template:Royal house The House of Howard (or the House of FitzAlan Howard) is a noble house founded by John Howard who was created Duke of Norfolk by Plantagenet monarch Richard III of England. The Howards have been part of the nobility since the 15th century and are to this day Premier Dukes of the Realm in the peerage of England, acting as Earl Marshal of England. After the English Reformation many Howards remained steadfast in their Catholic faith as the most high profile recusant family; two members, Philip Howard, 20th Earl of Arundel and William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford are regarded as martyrs: a saint and a blessed respectively.

The senior line of the house, as well as holding the Dukedom of Norfolk, are also Earl of Arundel, Earl of Surrey and Earl of Norfolk, as well as holding six baronies. The Arundel title was inherited in 1580, when the Howards became the genealogical successors to the paternally extinct FitzAlans, ancient kin to the Stuarts, dating back to when the family first arrived in Great Britain from Brittany. There have also been several notable cadet branches; those existing to this day include the Howards of Effingham, Howards of Carlisle, Howards of Suffolk and Howards of Penrith. The former three are earldoms and the latter a barony.

Throughout much of English and later British history, the Howards have played an important role. Claiming descent from folklore figure Hereward the Wake who resisted the Norman conquest, John Howard fought to the death at the Battle of Bosworth Field in defence of the Yorkist cause. They regained favour with the new Tudor dynasty after leading a defence of England from Scottish invasion at the Battle of Flodden Field and Catherine Howard subsequently became the fifth wife of Henry VIII. While Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk played a significant role in securing the throne for Mary I, later a statesman from the family; Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham served as Lord Admiral of the English fleet which defeated the invading Spanish Armada.

Origins

Background

The Howards claim as their ancestor Hereward the Wake who was of local Mercian background and resisted the Norman conquest of England from his base at the Isle of Ely; he has since become a mainstay of English folklore. It is claimed that he was the son of Leofric, Earl of Mercia and Lady Godiva. Ultimately this ancestry traces back to a point of origin in Leicester.

While legendary pedigrees trace the family to the 10th century, indisputable descent begins with Sir William Howard (died 1308), a judge who was in the House of Commons in the Model Parliament of 1295.

History

[[File:AnneBoleyn55.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII]] His great-great-great-grandson, Sir Robert Howard, married Lady Margaret Mowbray, elder daughter of Thomas Mowbray, 1st Duke of Norfolk. The line of Dukes died out in 1476 and the heiress of the last Duke, Anne Mowbray, died a girl of nine in 1481; after declaring her widower Richard, Duke of York illegitimate, Richard III of England created the son of Sir Robert and Lady Margaret, John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk of a new creation on June 28, 1483, the 200th anniversary of the Barony of Mowbray to which he was also senior co-heir. John had previously been summoned to Parliament as Lord Howard by Edward IV. He was also created hereditary Earl Marshal. The Howard family are known as one of the foremost recusant families due to their continued adherence to Roman Catholicism throughout the English Reformation and its aftermath. This meant that they often could not take their seats in the House of Lords. They are still known as the most prominent English Catholic family. [[File:Catherinehoward3.jpg|thumb|150px|right|Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII]] Both the Dukedom and Earl Marshalship have been the subject of repeated attainders and restorations in the 15th to 17th centuries. Before Charles II restored the titles for good, the Howards had inherited the ancient title of Earl of Arundel through an heiress, and formed additional branches that have continued to this day. Also from the Howard family were Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, wives of Henry VIII.

A branch of the Howard family has been seated at Castle Howard, one of England's most magnificent country homes, for over 300 years.

In order of genealogical seniority:

• the Barons Howard of Penrith descend from a younger son of the 6th Duke;

• the Earls of Suffolk and Berkshire descend from the 2nd son of the 4th Duke;

• the Earls of Carlisle descend from the third son of the 4th Duke;

• the Earls of Effingham descend from the fourth son of the 2nd Duke, who was Lord High Admiral and whose son was commander in chief against the Spanish Armada. (Curiously, this line was excluded from eligibility to inherit on the restoration of the Dukedom).

Titled families descending through females are too numerous to mention.

Bibliography

• Dugdale, Baronage of England (London, 1675–76);
• Collins, Peerage of England (fifth edition, London, 1779);
• Howard, Memorials of the Howard Family (privately printed, 1834);
• Lodge, Portraits of Illustrious Personages (London, 1835); The Howard Papers, with a Biographical Pedigree and Criticism by Canston (London, 1862);
• Yeatman, The Early Genealogical History of the House of Arundel (London, 1882);
• Doyle, Official Baronage of England (London, 1886);
• Brenan and Statham, The House of Howard (London, 1907).

External links

• http://www.tudorplace.com.ar/HOWARD1.htm