Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham

Charles Howard, 1st Earl of Nottingham (1536-1624), English statesman and naval commander. He succeeded his father, William Howard as Baron Howard of Effington in 1573 and was made knight of the Garter in 1574. In 1585 he became lord high admiral and in 1588 commanded the English fleet in the defeat of the Spanish Armada. With Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, he commanded the English naval expedition that in 1596 sank the Spanish fleet and sacked the city of Cádiz. Howard was created Earl of Nottingham in 1597. In 1601 he took a leading part in suppressing the rebellion of Essex against Queen Elizabeth I. He served on many royal commissions, including those for the trial of Mary, Queen of Scots, in 1586, for the trial of Essex in 1601, for the union of England and Scotland in 1604, and for the trial of the conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot in 1606.