Edward Howard (admiral)

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Sir Edward Howard, (1476/1477-25 April 1513), Knight of the Garter, son of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk and Elizabeth Tilney, younger brother to Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk. Edward was the first of the Howards to win fame as a great admiral, beginning his naval career very young (participating in his first naval battle in his teens).

Contents

1 Life

1.1 Under Henry VII
1.2 Henry VIII
1.3 Naval career

2 Marriages and issue
3 Sources

Life

Under Henry VII

For their part in the fighting against James IV of Scotland, Edward and his brother Thomas were knighted by their father at Ayton Castle in September 1502, and in 1503 Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk and the entire Howard family escorted Margaret Tudor to her marriage in Scotland.

In 1506 the brothers Edward, Thomas and several other men were pardoned for an illegal entry upon a manor belonging to the estate of the late John Grey, 2nd Viscount Lisle.

At the death of Henry VII of England on 21 April 1509, Edward carried the king's banner in the funeral procession, riding a horse trapped with the royal arms.

Henry VIII

In the tournament held to celebrate the coronation of Henry VIII of England, Edward and his brothers Thomas and Edmund, as well as Sir Thomas Knyvett (brother-in-law of the Howards) rode as challengers against Henry's answerers.

Made king's bannerer on 16 May 1509 with a fee of £40, Edward became a close royal companion. The other Howard sons were less favored, although hardly excluded from Henry's circle.

Naval career

Andrew Barton, a favorite sea captain of James IV of Scotland, sailing with letters of marque against Portugal, captured several English ships on the pretext that they were carrying Portuguese goods. Henry was willing to view Barton as a pirate and, going over James' head, charged the Howards with his capture. Barton was soundly defeated and his two ships, Lion and Jenny Perwin, (probably along with himself) captured in Edward's first naval victory in August 1511. The victory was well enough known to be celebrated in a song of the day one line of which is:

"Lord Howard he took sword in hand And off he smote Sir Andrew's head"

Edward chased French ships up and down the English Channel, also landing on the French coast and set fire to or attack the odd town or castle. On 12 August 1512 he launched a disastrous attack on the French harbour of Brest (See this link), in which some of his ships, with all hands on board, were lost, and one of the dead was (on his brother-in-law and friend Sir Thomas Knyvett.

In vengeance, and having subsequently been appointed Lord Admiral of England in 1513, he renewed the attack on Brest. Unfortunately the French fleet was in harbour and were strongly defended by shore-based cannon. On 25 April 1513 he was badly wounded and jumped overboard to avoid capture and drowned. He was 35. The English fleet, which had been ravaging the French coast and holding the French navy at bay in Brest, was demoralized by Howard's death and abandoned the blockade, straggling home in shock to Plymouth.

Marriages and issue

He married twice and had 17 children, most of them boys.

1: Elizabeth Stapleton (After 1494)
*
2: Alice Lovell (Born Morley) Jan 1506
*

He was responsible for many of branches of the Howard family tree and uncle to two Queens consorts of Henry VIII. To Anne Boleyn via his sister Lady Elizabeth Boleyn, née Lady Elizabeth Howard, and to Catherine Howard, via his brother Lord Edmund Howard).

Sources

[Biography]

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