The Man Behind the Tudors: Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk

by Kirsten Claiden-Yardley

Overview

Understand how Thomas' life shaped the recovery and success of the Howard family through his military prowess and navigation of the political landscape of Tudor England.

Thomas Howard, 2nd duke of Norfolk, lived a remarkable life spanning eighty years and the reigns of six kings. Amongst his descendants are his granddaughters, Anne Boleyn and Catherine Howard, and his great-granddaughter, Elizabeth I. The foundations of this dramatic and influential dynasty rest on Thomas’ shoulders, and it was his career that placed the Howard family in a prominent position in English society and at the Tudor royal court.

Thomas was born into a fairly ordinary gentry family, albeit distantly related to the Mowbray dukes of Norfolk. During the course of the fifteenth century, he and his father would rise through the political and social ranks as a result of their loyal service to Edward IV and Richard III. In a tragic turn of events, all their hard work was undone at the Battle of Bosworth and his father was killed fighting for King Richard. Imprisoned for treason and stripped of his lands and titles, Thomas had to start from the beginning to gain the trust of a new king. He spent the next thirty-five years devoting his administrative, military and diplomatic skills to the Tudors whilst rebuilding his family fortunes and ensuring that his numerous children were well-placed to prosper.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781526745545
Publisher:	Pen & Sword Books Limited
Publication date:	04/01/2021
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	567,546
File size:	24 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Kirsten Claiden-Yardley studied Modern History as an undergraduate at Merton College, Oxford, before completing a part-time Masters course in English Local History at Kellogg College, Oxford. She later returning to Merton College to complete a PhD on noble identity and commemoration in the Tudor period, as part of the collaborative project titled "Representing Re-Formation". In between times, she has worked in publishing and as Assistant Church Buildings Officer for the Diocese of Oxford. She was also engaged as a production researcher on the television adaptation of Wolf Hall and as a historical adviser on a number of fiction and non-fiction publications. She is the cofounder of a heritage consultancy partnership specializing in ecclesiastical projects, and mother to a lively two-year-old.

Table of Contents

Notes vi

Key People ix

Key Battles xii

Chapter 1 Ancestry and childhood, 1420-67 1

Chapter 2 Early royal service, 1467-83 13

Chapter 3 Edward V and Richard III, 1483-85 30

Chapter 4 Battle of Bosworth, 1485 40

Chapter 5 Rehabilitation and the North, 1485-1501 50

Chapter 6 Royal councillor and diplomat, 1501-09 62

Chapter 7 The Road to Flodden, 1509-13 70

Chapter 8 Battle of Flodden, 1513 93

Chapter 9 Final years at the Royal Court, 1513-23 104

Chapter 10 High and Mighty Prince in Norfolk 121

Chapter 11 Death and Burial, 1524 134

Epilogue Memory and Legacy 142

Bibliography 148

Index 152