Henry Howard, earl of Northampton

Henry Howard, earl of Northampton (born February 25, 1540, Shottesham, Norfolk, England—died June 15, 1614, London) was a Roman Catholic intriguer during the reigns of Elizabeth I and James I of England, known for his unscrupulousness and treachery.

He was the second son of the poet Henry Howard, earl of Surrey, and the younger brother of Thomas Howard, 4th duke of Norfolk. After discovery of his brother’s plot to wed Mary, Queen of Scots, and of his own correspondence with her, he was arrested more than once on suspicion of harbouring treasonable designs.

At the close of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, he joined with Robert Cecil in courting the heir to the throne in Scotland, the main object of his long letters of advice being to poison King James VI’s mind against Sir Walter Raleigh and other rivals, whom he at the same time hoped to ensnare into compromising relations and correspondence with Spain. These methods, which could not influence Elizabeth, were completely successful with James, and on the latter’s accession Howard received a multitude of favours. In 1603 he was made a privy councillor, and in 1604 he was made lord warden of the Cinque Ports and earl of Northampton and Baron Howard of Marnhull in Dorset.

He was one of the judges at the trials of Raleigh and Lord Cobham in 1603, of Guy Fawkes in 1605, and of Garnet in 1606, in each case pressing for a conviction. The climax of his career was reached when he assisted his grandniece, Frances Howard, Lady Essex, in obtaining her divorce from her husband in order to marry the favourite Robert Carr, earl of Somerset, whose mistress she already was and whose alliance Northampton was eager to secure for himself. He obtained the divorce by the decree of a special commission, and, when Sir Thomas Overbury’s influence seemed likely to prevent Somerset from completing the marriage project, he caused Overbury to be imprisoned in the Tower of London. Shortly afterward Overbury died from the effects of poison administered according to the wishes of Lady Essex, and the close intimacy which existed between Lady Essex and Northampton leaves his name tarnished with suspicion. He advised against the summoning of Parliament in 1614 and then fomented disputes to compel James to dissolve it. He died unmarried, a Roman Catholic, in 1614, at which time his title became extinct.