John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk
John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk, also known as Jack of Norfolk,, was an English nobleman, soldier, politician, and the first Howard Duke of Norfolk. He was a close friend and loyal supporter of King Richard III, with whom he was slain at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.
John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk
Sketch of stained glass depictions of John Howard first Duke of Norfolk, and Catherine Moleyns his first Wife.
Effigy of Lady Anne Gorges, Gorges tomb, Wraxall Church
The Howard family is an English noble family founded by John Howard, who was created Duke of Norfolk by King Richard III of England in 1483. However, John was also the eldest grandson of the 1st Duke of the first creation. The Howards have been part of the peerage since the 15th century and remain both the Premier Dukes and Earls of the Realm in the Peerage of England, acting as Earl Marshal of England. After the English Reformation, many Howards remained steadfast in their Catholic faith as the most high-profile recusant family; two members, Philip Howard, 13th Earl of Arundel, and William Howard, 1st Viscount Stafford, are regarded as martyrs: a saint and a blessed respectively.
Arundel Castle, home of the Fitzalans and later the Howards
Anne Boleyn, second wife of Henry VIII
Catherine Howard, fifth wife of Henry VIII