Thomas Howard

The Life of Elizabeth Stafford, Duchess of Norfolk

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Who was the wife of the 3rd Duke of Norfolk and what do we know about her? Elizabeth Stafford was the daughter of the ill-fated Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham and Eleanor Percy, eldest daughter of Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland. She was born in 1497, so one can assume that she was named for the queen consort, Elizabeth of York. Before we go too deep into the life of Elizabeth, let’s understand her family a bit better. Elizabeth’s father, the 3rd Du [More]

Mary Howard: Too Wise for a Woman

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In this article I will be discussing one of my favorite women at Tudor court - the fearless Mary Howard, Duchess of Richmond and Somerset. Mary had the bravery that wasn't often shown by a woman during this time period. She wasn't afraid to stand up for what she thought was right. It was her father who was quoted as saying that Mary was, "too wise for a woman" - one of the reasons I love her so much. This post was originally a podcast that was transcribed into an [More]

Tudor Thomases (Part One)

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In 16th century England, or Tudor court to be exact, there are both male and female names that we hear over and over. We've been fortunate enough to have a guest writer contribute to our page with Tudor Marys and Katherines. Next to those two there should also be Elizabeths, Anne's and Margarets as well. But today we are looking at the male version of those names. While the name Henry was very popular there was a fan request to look at all the Tudor Thomases. While I [More]

Tudors Dynasty Podcast – Episode Two: The King and His Early Victories

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Hello! I have launched my second podcast! Creating these podcasts takes many hours of research and writing, not to mention the time it takes to record and edit the audio - with all that being said, I love producing these for you...I never thought I would say that. In order to continue making these podcasts and producing more than two per month I need you, my fans, to participate by becoming members. If you enjoy the articles I write for you on my website and share o [More]

Margaret Audley, Duchess of Norfolk

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Margaret Audley was the eldest of two daughters born to Thomas Audley, Baron Audley of Walden and Elizabeth Grey and was born in 1540. Her younger sister, which I do not have a name, died around 1546 at Hendon in Middlesex. After the death of her sister, Margaret became the sole heir of her father's possessions. Baron Audley of Walden died in 1544 and the King (Henry VIII) granted the wardship of his daughter Margaret, including her lands, to Sir Anthony Denny who was a [More]

Elizabeth Grey, Lady Audley

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In our article about Margaret Wotton, Marchioness of Dorset we learned about one of the apparent reasons she had for protecting her son's inheritance - her daughters. Margaret Wotton, Marchioness of Dorset and her husband, Thomas Grey, Marquess of Dorset not only had a son, Henry, with whom Margaret later had disputes over his inheritance, but also a few daughters that she would have to arrange marriages for. Because of this enormous, unexpected financial burden, Lady [More]

The Howards and Seymours

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From everything that has been written about him, Thomas Howard, Duke of Norfolk was a powerful, yet ambitious man. The possibility of bringing his family close to the crown after the execution of his niece, Anne Boleyn, and death of his son-in-law, Henry Fitzroy in 1536, seemed to be the driving force behind arranging a marriage with his now widowed daughter, Mary Howard, dowager Duchess of Richmond and Somerset to Sir Thomas Seymour. Having his niece as queen consort from [More]

Mary Howard: Bold Disobedience

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Mary Howard was born in 1519, to Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk and his wife Lady Elizabeth Stafford. Elizabeth Stafford was the daughter of the Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham. Mary's father, the Duke of Norfolk was a very powerful man in England -- at the time of her birth he was a very high-ranking noble, just behind the King. Sometime in 1529, it was suggested that Henry Fitzroy should wed Mary Howard. The marriage would strengthen the Howard name and br [More]