Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham

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Charles Howard
Earl of Nottingham Baron Howard of Effingham
Charles Howard c. 1620. Detail of a portrait by Daniel Mytens the Elder.
Spouse	Catherine Carey Margaret Stuart
Issue
Lady Frances Howard William Howard, 3rd Baron Howard of Effingham Charles Howard, 2nd Earl of Nottingham Lady Margaret Howard Lady Elizabeth Howard Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Nottingham Lady Anne Howard
Noble family	House of Howard-Effingham
Father	William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham
Mother	Margaret Gamage
Born	1536
Died	14 December 1624

Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham (1536 – 14 December 1624), known as Howard of Effingham, was an English statesman and admiral.

He was son of William Howard, 1st Baron Howard of Effingham (c. 1510 – 1573) and Margaret Gamage, daughter of Sir Thomas Gamage. He was a grandson of Thomas Howard, 2nd Duke of Norfolk.

In June 1563 he married Catherine Carey, the oldest daughter of Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon, later Lord Chamberlain. He succeeded his father as 2nd Baron Howard of Effingham in 1573 and was created Earl of Nottingham on October 22, 1596.

Contents 1 Early Life 2 Career 3 Relationship with the Queen 4 Role as Lord Admiral 5 Children 6 Notes 7 References

[edit] Early Life

Few details of Charles Howard's early life are known. He was born in 1536, and was the cousin of Queen Elizabeth. It is believed that Charles Howard was taught French and a bit of Latin at his uncle’s house, who was the 3rd Howard of Norfolk. Here was also educated in penmanship, chivalric exercises, and some legal traditions. He served as a Page to his cousin Thomas who later became the 4th Duke of Norfolk. He also fished and hunted fervently throughout his life.^[1]

In 1552, he was sent to France to become well-educated in the French language, but was soon brought back to England at the request of his father because of questionable or unexpected treatment.^[2]

In December of 1562, he became the keeper of the Queen’s house and park at Oatlands. Despite his relation to the Queen, it is said that it took some time before he was able to gain any benefits from his situation.^[3]

Howard was also a member of the House of Commons, yet he was not as distinguished as many others have been. In 1564 he became a member of Gray’s Inn, and received his Master of Arts at Cambridge in 1571. This was not because he had any legal ambitions, but because it was the normal thing for men of his status to do.^[4]

After Howard’s cousin the duke of Norfolk was executed, he was elected to the Order of the Garter to take the place his cousin had previously occupied. He was elected on April 3, 1575, and became a member of the order on May 8th at Windsor.^[5]

[edit] Career

Charles Howard served at sea under his father's command as a youth. He was the cousin of Anne Boleyn (Anne's mother was half-sister to Charles' father), and held several prominent posts during the reign of Anne's daughter, Elizabeth I. He served as Ambassador to France in 1559. He represented Surrey in Parliament in 1562. He served as General of the Horse in 1569 and suppressed a Catholic rebellion in northern England. He commanded a squadron of ships escorting the Queen of Spain on a state visit in 1570. He was named as Commissioner at the trial of Mary Queen of Scots in 1586 and subsequently recommended her execution.^{[citation needed]}

Howard was knighted in 1572 and became Lord Howard of Effingham following his father's death in 1573. From 1576-1603 he was patron of a playing company, Nottingham's Men, later called the Admiral's Men.

Effingham was named Lord High Admiral in 1585. In 1587, he was named as commander-in-chief of the English fleet against the Spanish Armada although he did not directly take charge of the fighting. Effingham ordered an indirect strategy of harassing the Spanish fleet rather than attacking them directly. While controversial, the strategy succeeded. In 1596, when another Spanish invasion was feared, Effingham was again appointed to defend England. Effingham and the Earl of Essex jointly led an attack against the Spanish base at Cadiz on June 20.

Effingham was created Earl of Nottingham in 1596 and was appointed Lord Lieutenant General of England. When Essex rebelled in 1601, Effingham defeated him in the field and served as commissioner at his subsequent trial.

Effingham was at Elizabeth's deathbed in 1603 and later enjoyed the confidence of her successor, James I. In fact it was at Effingham's house that James was proclaimed Elizabeth's successor. Under James, he served on the commission of union between England and Scotland and served as commissioner at the Gunpowder Plot trial in 1605.

Effingham died in 1624 at the age of 88. None of his three sons left heirs, and shortly after the last died the Nottingham earldom was recreated for a close relative of the Earl of Winchilsea; the Howard of Effingham barony passed to descendants of his brother, the Earl of Effingham being the modern heir.

There is now a mixed comprehensive school named after him.^{[citation needed]} He was portrayed by John Shrapnelin the film Elizabeth: The Golden Age.

[edit] Relationship with the Queen

Because of his high birth and connections (Queen Elizabeth was his first cousin once removed), Charles Howard had a very close relationship with the Queen. With her support, Howard was appointed to the chief command by sea or land, or “lord lieutenant-general of all England.” This office was initially for the Earl of Leicester, but Elizabeth had to give it to Howard when Leicester died. Howard “held it with almost regal authority for the space of six weeks, being sometimes with the fleet in the Downs, and sometimes on shore with the force. “^[6] Also, Charles Howard was a commissioner for the trial of Mary Queen of Scots, and it is believed it was due to his “urgent representations’” that Elizabeth finally signed Mary’s death warrant.^[7]

Howard frequently entertained the Queen at his house. From Friday, November 17th 1587 until Tuesday, he entertained her at his house in Chelsea where Pageants were performed in her honor. ^[8] The relationship between the Queen and Charles Howard was a strong and amicable one, but they did get in various squabbles. On December 13th or 14th 1602, he entertained her at Arundel House. The feasting was not extraordinary; neither were the gifts he promised. Queen Elizabeth was upset when he only gave her one suit of apparel, something she found inadequate as she assumed he would have “bestowed his rich hangings of all the Armada in 1588.” ^[9]

Many of Howard’s army became sick from eating only stale beef and beer, so he requested that the Queen pay for lodging “in barns and outhouses.” Queen Elizabeth refused to pay for the proposal. Even though his wages were not large, Howard said “I will myself make satisfaction as well as I may so that her Majesty shall not be charged withdrawal.” ^[10] The Queen also became angry when Howard applied for money to pay the sailors their wages. She asserted that the men had paid themselves by plunder, and that she had received no benefit from the expedition. ^[11]

Even though Howard was occasionally the target of her wrath, Queen Elizabeth always held Howard in very high esteem. When the Armada was destroyed, Howard had no employment at sea. The Queen helped organize a charity for him in 1590 “by the good liking of the lord admiral and of the principal officers of the Navy.” ^[12] Also, on her deathbed, it was to Howard she named James VI, king of Scots, her successor, and it was at his house that they took measures for the Queen’s burial. ^[13]

In addition to their lifetime relationship, Howard’s wife Catherine, the first Countess of Nottingham, was a favorite with the queen. When Catherine died at a young age in February, the Queen “fell into a deep melancholy and herself died March 20th.” ^[14]

[edit] Role as Lord Admiral

Charles Howard’s involvement as Lord Admiral of the English fleet was crucial to the eventual defeat of the Spanish Armada. Although it has been said that he was given the position less on his merit as a naval commander and more due to his family’s history of serving the Tudors as Lord Admiral, or his loyalty as a Protestant, Howard was eager to prove himself to the English people as a competent leader. He was in the position for less than 3 years when tensions were reaching a boiling point between the English and the Spanish. ^[15][16]

Although he defeated the Spanish Armada, Charles Howard was not viewed as the best leader. Many believed he was overly cautious and questioned why he had not utterly destroyed the Spanish or even remained in close quarters. Popular opinion was of the stance that Howard’s second in command, Sir Francis Drake, would have been much more efficient; the score would have been settled and he would have refused the stand-off approach. Some even went as far as naming Drake as the victor and speaking as if he were the winner^[17].

Although the opinions of many are trivial, Howard still seemed only capable of arousing mixed reviews from those whose did as well. As a Christmas gift Queen Elizabeth bestowed a magnificent and elaborate sarcenet upon him, which was much grander than what could be expected from her usual scale^[18]. However, he lost his position of leadership to Sir Francis Drake for the following summer’s campaign. A scheme of safety had now been ousted for the adventurous ways of young and able wayfarers.

It is true that, during his time, Howard was not given as much credit for winning the war against the Spaniards as Drake was. However, in more recent times, more historians have recognized that Howard deserved much more praise for his service; “It was Howard’s battle and he won it.”^[19] The Lord Admiral is now often commended, while the method of caution is now considered to have been the only reasonable approach. Alternative tactics are now believed to have been potentially too risky, and some view Howard's restraint as evidence of his great leadership skills.^{[citation needed]}

Howard’s expertise as Admiral granted the English some truly incredible victories against the massive Spanish Armada. Mattingly tells of the first encounter of the English fleet and the Spanish Armada at Plymouth, in which the Armada had organized itself with brilliant precision into a large, intimidating crescent formation around the English ships. While the details are not precisely clear, it is understood that Howard and his council of war’s decisions and strategies that day were responsible for not only surviving the battle but sinking a large number of Spanish ships and driving the Armada away ^[20].

Howard was also known for the compassion he showed the soldiers that were under his command. Although he is occasionally remembered as having a cantankerous, unfriendly attitude, it is undeniable that he truly sympathized for the soldiers who became wounded under his command. In a letter to Walsingham, Howard details how he hopes to compensate the injured soldiers who have been housed in undesirable conditions without pay: “There is not any of the [English ships] that hath one day’s victuals, and many [of them] have sent many sick men ashore here, and not one penny to relieve them…It were too pitiful to have men starve after such a service. I know her Majesty would not, for any good. Therefore I had rather open the Queen’s Majesty’s purse…before God, I had rather have never penny in the world than they should lack” ^[21].

[edit] Children

He was married first to Catherine Carey, daughter of Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon and Ann Morgan. They had five children:

• Frances Howard (buried July 11, 1628). She was married first to Henry FitzGerald, 12th Earl of Kildare. She was secondly married to Henry Brooke, 11th Baron Cobham.
• William Howard, Lord Howard (December 27, 1577 - November 28, 1615). He was married on February 7, 1596/1597 to Anne St John.
• Charles Howard, 2nd Earl of Nottingham (September 17, 1579 - October 3, 1642). He was married first on May 19, 1597 to Charity White (d. December 18, 1618), daughter to Robert White. Secondly on April 22, 1620 to Mary Cokayne, daughter of Sir William Cokayne who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1619 and Mary Morris.
• Margaret Howard. She was married to Sir Richard Levenson.
• Elizabeth Howard (buried March 31, 1646). Maid of honour to Elizabeth I of England. She was married first to Sir Robert Southwell. She was secondly married to John Stewart, 1st Earl of Carrick.

He was married secondly to Margaret Stuart, daughter of James Stuart, 2nd Earl of Moray and Elizabeth Stuart, 2nd Countess of Moray. They had two children:

• Charles Howard, 3rd Earl of Nottingham (1610–1681)
• Anne Howard (born c. 1612). She was married on December 29, 1627 to Alexander Stewart, Baron Garlies, son of Alexander Stewart, 1st Earl of Galloway and Grizel Gordon.

He is one of the principal characters in the opera Roberto Devereux by Gaetano Donzetti, though referred to inaccurately as the "Duke of Nottingham."

[edit] Notes

[edit] References

• Kenny, Robert W. Elizabeth's Admiral: The Political Career of Charles Howard, Earl of Nottingham 1536-1624 Baltimore, The Johns Hopkins Press, 1970. Print.
• Laughton, J.K. State Papers Relating to the Defeat of the Spanish Armada. Volume 2. London: Navy Records Society, 1588. Print.
• Mattingly, Garrett. The Armada. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1959. Print.
• Peck, Linda Levy. (editor) The Mental World of the Jacobean Court, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1991 [ISBN 0 521 37567 3] (p. 204). Print.
• Powell, K. G. English Historical Facts, 1485-1603. Totowa, N.J.: Rowman & Littlefied, 1977. Print.
• Smith, George. "Charles Howard." The Dictionary of National Biography. Volume 10. Ed. Sir Leslie Stephen and Sir Sidney Lee. Oxford: Oxford UP, 1973. Print.
• W., Kenny, Robert. Elizabeth's Admiral: The Political Career of Charles Howard, Earl of Nottingham, 1536-1624. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins, 1970. Print.
• Woodroofe, Thomas. The Enterprise of England. London: Faber and Faber, 1958. Print.

Honorary titles
Preceded by The Earl of Lincoln	Custos Rotulorum of Surrey 1585–1618	Succeeded by Sir Edward Howard
Preceded by Unknown	Lord Lieutenant of Surrey jointly with The Earl of Nottingham 1621–1624 1585–1624	Succeeded by The Earl of Nottingham The Earl of Holderness
Political offices
Preceded by The Earl of Lincoln	Lord High Admiral 1585–1619	Succeeded by The Duke of Buckingham
Preceded by The Marquess of Winchester	Lord Steward 1603–1618	Succeeded by The Duke of Lennox
Legal offices
Preceded by The Lord Hunsdon	Justice in Eyre south of the Trent 1597–1624	Succeeded by The Duke of Buckingham
Peerage of England
New creation	Earl of Nottingham 1596–1624	Succeeded by Charles Howard
Preceded by William Howard	Baron Howard of Effingham 1573–1624