Thomas Howard, 4th Duke of Norfolk (10 March 1536 – 2 June 1572) was Earl Marshal of England from 1554 to 1572, succeeding Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk and preceding George Talbot, 6th Earl of Shrewsbury.
Biography[]
Thomas Howard was born on 10 March 1536, the son of the poet Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey. Because of his father's execution during his grandfather's lifetime, Howard inherited the Dukedom of Norfolk from his grandfather, Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, upon his death in 1554. As the second cousin of Queen Elizabeth I of England, he was trusted with public office, and he commanded the English army in Scotland from February to July 1560, supporting the Lords of the Congregation against Mary of Guise. In 1569, he was imprisoned for scheming to marry Mary, Queen of Scots, and he later plotted with Philip II of Spain to put Mary on the English throne and restore Catholicism in England. He was executed for treason in 1572.