Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk

Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk (10 March 1473 – 25 August 1554) was a powerful English nobleman and politician during the Tudor period. He was the uncle of two of King Henry VIII's wives: Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard. Both of his nieces were executed, and Thomas Howard was deeply involved in the political schemes surrounding these royal marriages.

In 1546, he fell out of favor with King Henry VIII, lost his title of Duke, and was imprisoned in the Tower of London. He narrowly escaped execution when Henry VIII died in January 1547.

Howard was freed when Queen Mary I, a Roman Catholic, became queen. He helped her secure the throne, but his family’s Catholic ties created tensions with the Protestant royal line, especially when Elizabeth I, Mary’s half-sister, became queen.
Category:1473 births
Category:1554 deaths
Category:Members of the House of Commons of England
Category:People from Norfolk