Howard, Thomas, 3rd Duke of Norfolk 1473-1554
English nobleman and politician

The son of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk, he married (1495) Anne (d.1512), daughter of Edward IV and sister-in-law of Henry VII. His second marriage (1513) was to Elizabeth (d.1558), daughter of Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, who was executed by Henry VIII (1521). He held several high offices, including Lord High Admiral (1513), and Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (1520). As Lord Steward he presided over the trial for adultery of the queen, his niece Anne Boleyn (1536). He also put down the Pilgrimage of Grace (1536) and opposed Thomas Cromwell. He lost influence at court when another niece, Catherine Howard, Henry VIII's fifth wife, was also beheaded for adultery (1542). He was saved from death for treason by Henry VIII's own death (1547), but throughout the reign of Edward VI he was kept in prison; his eldest son, Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey, was executed by Henry VIII (1547). He was released by Mary I in 1553.