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Introduction to Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey

• Henry Howard ($1517-1547$) was a prominent Tudor aristocrat whose influential poetry was published posthumously in Tottel's "Miscellany" ($1557$).

Contribution to English Literature

• He imported the Petrarchan sonnet and developed the English (Shakespearean) sonnet structure, consisting of three quatrains followed by a couplet.
• He was the first to introduce blank verse to English literature through his translation of Virgil's "Aeneid".

Life and Political Context

• As a soldier and courtier, he was heavily influenced by the Continental Renaissance in art and literature.
• His family, the Catholic Howards, faced intense political rivalry from the Seymour family, leading to Surrey's imprisonment during the Pilgrimage of Grace ($1537-1539$).

Downfall and Execution

• Surrey was accused of treason for allegedly using royal insignia on his coat of arms during a struggle over the regency of Edward VI.
• He was beheaded on $10$ January $1547$, becoming the final person executed during the reign of Henry VIII.