The career of John Howard Duke of Norfolk 1420-1485

Abstract

John Howard, c. 1423 - 1485, baron Howard and first duke of Norfolk, was one of the most important men of the Yorkist period and this is an attempt to place his career within the political, economic and social framework of his time. He was a consistently loyal supporter of the Yorkists from the late 1450s until his death at Bosworth and an indefatigable royal servant, active in the military field, as an agent of the crown at home in East Anglia, as a councillor at Westminster and as an ambassador who became England's leading envoy to France. In return for this service he received grants of both offices and lands, culminating in the dukedom of Norfolk (to whose lands he was co-heir through his mother), given him by Richard III as a bid for his support following the usurpation; a bargain Howard accepted and honoured. Coming from substantial Suffolk gentry, he remained essentially a local man rather than a courtier, unlike most of his influential contemporaries who were all either related to, or close personal friends of, the king. Howard?s own affinity, as far as may be judged, were either relations by blood or marriage or local Suffolk men. He was an extremely capable business man, with many contacts among the merchant class and besides building up his estates, much augmented by the crown, he became one of the largest shipowners in the country and consequently a very rich man. Several volumes of his financial memoranda survive for the years 1461 - 1471 and 1481 - 1483, and illustrate almost every aspect of his full life as one of the most diligent and versatile royal servants of the period.