 thumb|243px|arms of sir thomas howard, 2nd earl of surrey, kg, at the time of his installation as a knight of the most noble order of the garter thomas howard, 3rd duke of norfolk, kg, pc, earl marshal (1473 â 25 august 1554) (earl of surrey from 1514, passed down from father on his elevation to dukedom of norfolk) was a prominent tudor politician. he was an uncle of two of the wives of henry viii: anne boleyn and catherine howard, and played a major role in the machinations behind these marriages. after falling from favour in 1546, he was stripped of the dukedom and imprisoned in the tower, avoiding execution when the king died. he was released on the accession of queen mary i. he aided mary in securing her throne, setting the stage for alienation between his catholic family and the protestant royal line that would be continued by queen elizabeth i. ==early life== thomas howard, 3rd duke of norfolk, was the eldest son of thomas howard, 2nd duke of norfolk (1443â1524), and his second wife, elizabeth (d. 1497), the daughter of frederick tilney and widow of sir humphrey bourchier. he was descended in the female line from thomas of brotherton, 1st earl of norfolk, the sixth son of king edward i.. both his father, then styled earl of surrey and his grandfather, john howard, 1st duke of norfolk, fought for king richard iii at the battle of bosworth, in which the latter was killed. the family's titles were forfeited after the victory of king henry vii
1473_births 1554_deaths 15th-century_English_people 16th-century_English_people 16th-century_English_politicians Barons_Mowbray Barons_Segrave Burials_in_Suffolk Dukes_of_Norfolk Earls_Marshal Earls_of_Surrey Howard_family_(English_aristocracy) Knights_of_the_Garter Lord_High_Admirals_of_England Lord_High_Stewards Lord_High_Treasurers_of_England Male_Shakespearean_characters People_of_the_Tudor_period Pre-1876_life_peers Prisoners_in_the_Tower_of_London