Philip Howard, 20th Earl of Arundel 1557 – 1595

Biography

One of England’s most storied titles came with an impossible burden: Philip Howard inherited the earldom of Arundel during Elizabeth I’s reign, when being Catholic meant risking everything. Born into nobility in 1557, Howard watched his father navigate treacherous religious politics, then faced his own reckoning when his faith became an act of defiance. His unwavering commitment to Catholicism in a fiercely Protestant court transformed him from aristocrat into martyr—a distinction that would outlive his thirty-eight years by centuries.

Howard’s spiritual conviction cost him dearly. Imprisoned for his beliefs, he endured the Tower of London’s notorious grip, where he succumbed to dysentery in October 1595. Yet his death became his apotheosis. The Church of St Peter ad Vincula became his final resting place, and his steadfast devotion in an era of relentless persecution eventually earned him canonization as a Catholic saint. Howard’s legacy transcended his brief life: he embodied the moral courage of an age, proving that some convictions were worth dying for.