Sir Henry Percy | |
|---|---|
 Statue of Harry Hotspur inAlnwick, Northumberland, unveiled in 2010 | |
| Born | (1364-05-20)20 May 1364 Northumberland, England |
| Died | 21 July 1403(1403-07-21) (aged 39) Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England |
| Buried | York Minster |
| Noble family | Percy |
| Spouse | Lady Elizabeth Mortimer |
| Issue | |
| Father | Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland |
| Mother | Margaret Neville |
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Sir Henry PercyKG (20 May 1364 – 21 July 1403), nicknamedHotspur orHarry Hotspur, was an Englishknight who fought in several campaigns against theScots in thenorthern border and against theFrench during theHundred Years' War. The nickname "Hotspur" was given to him by the Scots as a tribute to his speed in advance and readiness to attack. The heir to a leading noble family in northern England, Hotspur was one of the earliest and prime movers behind the deposition of KingRichard II in favour ofHenry Bolingbroke in 1399. He later fell out with the new regime and rebelled, and was slain at theBattle of Shrewsbury in 1403 at the height of his fame.
Henry Percy was born 20 May 1364 at eitherAlnwick Castle orWarkworth Castle inNorthumberland, the eldest son ofHenry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, and Margaret Neville, daughter ofRalph de Neville, 2nd Lord Neville of Raby, and Alice de Audley.[1] He wasknighted byKing Edward III in April 1377, together with the future kingsRichard II andHenry IV.[2] In 1380, he was in Ireland with theEarl of March,[3] and in 1383, he travelled inPrussia.[4] He was appointedWarden of the East March either on 30 July 1384 or in May 1385,[4] and in 1385 accompanied Richard II on an expedition into Scotland.[1] "As a tribute to his speed in advance and readiness to attack" on the Scottish borders, the Scots bestowed on him the name 'Haatspore'.[2] In April 1386, he was sent to France to reinforce the garrison atCalais and led raids intoPicardy. Between August and October 1387, he was in command of a naval force in an attempt to relieve the siege ofBrest.[4] In appreciation of these military endeavours, at the age of 24 he was made aKnight of the Garter in 1388.[4] Reappointed as Warden of the East March, he commanded the English forces againstJames Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas, at theBattle of Otterburn on 10 August 1388, where he was captured, but soon ransomed for 7000 marks.[2]
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During the next few years Percy's reputation continued to grow. Although not 30, he was sent on a diplomatic mission toCyprus in June 1393 and appointedLieutenant of the Duchy of Aquitaine (1394–98) on behalf ofJohn of Gaunt,Duke of Aquitaine.[2] He returned to England in January 1395, taking part in Richard II's expedition to Ireland, and was back in Aquitaine the following autumn. In the summer of 1396, he was again in Calais.[3]
Percy's military and diplomatic service brought him substantial marks of royal favour in the form of grants and appointments,[4] but despite this, the Percy family decided to support Henry Bolingbroke, the future Henry IV, in his rebellion against Richard II. On Henry's return from exile in June 1399, Percy and his father joined his forces atDoncaster and marched south with them. After King Richard's deposition, Percy and his father were "lavishly rewarded" with lands and offices.[3]
Under the new king, Percy had extensive civil and military responsibility in both the East March towards Wales, where he was appointedHigh Sheriff of Flintshire in 1399, and in the north toward Scotland. In north Wales, he was under increasing pressure as a result of the rebellion ofOwain Glyndŵr. In March 1402, Henry IV appointed Percy royal lieutenant in north Wales, and on 14 September 1402, Percy, his father, and theEarl of Dunbar and March defeated a Scottish force at theBattle of Homildon Hill. Among others, they made a prisoner ofArchibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas.[1]
In spite of the favour that Henry IV showed the Percys in many respects, they became increasingly discontented with him. Among their grievances were:
Spurred by these grievances, the Percys rebelled in the summer of 1403 and took up arms against the king. According to J. M. W. Bean, it is clear that the Percys were in collusion with Glyndŵr. On his return to England shortly after the victory at Homildon Hill, Henry Percy issued proclamations inCheshire accusing the king of 'tyrannical government'.[3]
Joined by his uncle,Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester, Percy marched to Shrewsbury, where he intended to do battle against a force there under the command of thePrince of Wales. The army of his father, however, was slow to move south, and it was without the assistance of his father that Henry Percy and Worcester arrived at Shrewsbury on 21 July 1403, where they encountered the king with a large army. The ensuingBattle of Shrewsbury was fierce, with heavy casualties on both sides but, when Henry Percy himself was struck down and killed, his own forces fled.[3]
The circumstances of Percy's death differ in accounts. The chroniclerThomas Walsingham stated in hisHistoria Anglicana that "while he led his men in the fight rashly penetrating the enemy host, [Hotspur] was unexpectedly cut down, by whose hand is not known". Another account states that Percy was struck in the face by an arrow when he opened his visor for a better view.[6] This is the view taken byAlnwick Castle, home of Hotspur's descendants and place where a statue of him is exhibited. The legend that he was killed by the Prince of Wales seems to have been given currency byWilliam Shakespeare, writing at the end of the following century. The Earl of Worcester was executed two days later.[7]
King Henry, upon being brought Percy's body after the battle, is said to have wept. The body was taken byThomas Neville, 5th Baron Furnivall, toWhitchurch, Shropshire, for burial. However, when rumours circulated that Percy was still alive, the king "had the corpse exhumed and displayed it, propped upright between two millstones, in the market place at Shrewsbury".[3] That being done, Percy was subjected toposthumous execution. The king dispatched Percy's head toYork, where it wasimpaled on theMicklegate Bar (one of the city's gates). His four-quarters were separately displayed in London,Newcastle upon Tyne, Bristol, andChester before they were finally delivered to his widow. She had the body buried inYork Minster in November of that year.[9] In January 1404, Percy was posthumouslyattainted, declared guilty ofhigh treason, and his titles and lands were declared forfeit to the Crown.[citation needed]
Henry Percy marriedElizabeth Mortimer, the eldest daughter ofEdmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March, and his wife,Philippa, the only child ofLionel, 1st Duke of Clarence, andElizabeth de Burgh, Countess of Ulster.[10] By her he had two children:
| Name | Lifespan | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Henry | 3 February 1393 – 22 May 1455 | 2nd Earl of Northumberland; married Eleanor Neville, by whom he had issue. He was slain at theFirst Battle of St Albans during theWars of the Roses.[11] |
| Elizabeth | c.1395 – 26 October 1436 | Married firstlyJohn Clifford, 7th Baron de Clifford, slain at theSiege of Meaux on 13 March 1422, by whom she had issue, and secondlyRalph Neville, 2nd Earl of Westmorland (d. 3 November 1484), by whom she had a son, Sir John Neville.[12] |
Sometime after 3 June 1406, Elizabeth Mortimer married, as her second husband,Thomas de Camoys, 1st Baron Camoys, by whom she had a son, Sir Roger Camoys.[13] Thomas Camoys distinguished himself as a soldier in command of the rearguard of the English army at theBattle of Agincourt on 25 October 1415.[14]
Henry Percy, 'Hotspur', is one ofShakespeare's best-known characters. InHenry IV, Part 1, Percy is portrayed as the same age as his rival,Prince Hal, by whom he is slain in single combat. In fact, he was 23 years older than Prince Hal, the futureKing Henry V, who was a youth of 16 at the date of the Battle of Shrewsbury.
One of England's football clubs,Tottenham Hotspur, is named after Hotspur, who lived in the region and whose descendants owned land in the neighbourhood of the club's first ground in theTottenham Marshes. He was also well known for having a highly favoured enjoyment of watchingcockfighting, hence the club's badge symbol.[15][16][17]
A 14-foot (4.3 m) statue of Henry Percy was unveiled in Alnwick by the Duke of Northumberland in 2010.[18]
The protagonist of thevideo gameShadows of the Damned is named Garcia Hotspur.
Tom Glynn-Carney portrayed Hotspur inThe King (2019).
Joe Armstrong portrayed Hotspur inThe Hollow Crown (2013).
Sean Connery portrayed Hotspur withRobert Hardy as Prince Hal. The 1960 production was part of a BBC seriesAn Age of Kings, a synthesis of Shakespeare's histories, with the episodes (3 & 4) featuring Hotspur first broadcast in summer 1960.
A British Airways Boeing 737-200, registered as G-BKYH, was given the name "Hotspur" in 1994, until the airline retired the aircraft.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)ISBN 1-4499-6637-3{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)ISBN 1-4499-6639-X{{cite encyclopedia}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) (Subscription,Wikipedia Library access orUK public library membership required.)| International | |
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