Henry Howard, Earl of Surrey (1517?-1547), Poet

Sitter associated with 24 portraits
Surrey was a courtier, soldier and poet at the court of Henry VIII. He was at one time suggested as a husband for Princess Mary (later Mary I). He introduced blank verse into England, and was responsible, along with Sir Thomas Wyatt, for bringing the sonnet form to this country from Italy. His personal vanity, ambition and powerful family connections led Henry VIII to regard him as a threat, and he was executed on a false charge of treason.