Thomas Boleyn, 1st Earl of Wiltshire

Born around 1477, Thomas Boleyn built his career as a diplomat and politician under Henry VIII, skilled enough to earn a Knight of the Garter in 1523. As his daughter Anne caught the king's eye, the honors accelerated: Viscount Rochford in 1525, then Earl of Wiltshire and Earl of Ormond in 1529, all while she maneuvered toward the throne. He became maternal grandfather to the future Elizabeth I when Anne bore her in 1533. But Anne's execution three years later severed his access and standing. He withdrew to Hever Castle in Kent and died there on 12 March 1539, outliving the daughter whose fate had made and unmade him.