Henry 'Hotspur' Percy
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Harry Hotspur | |
|---|---|
| Sir Henry Percy | |
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| Spouse | Lady Elizabeth Mortimer |
| Issue | |
| Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland Lady Elizabeth Percy |
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| Noble family | House of Percy |
| Father | Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland |
| Mother | Margaret Neville |
| Born | 20 May 1364 Spofforth, Yorkshire, England[1] |
| Died | 21 July 1403 (aged 39) Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England |
Sir Henry Percy, also called Harry Hotspur (May 20, 1364/1366 – July 21, 1403) was the eldest son of Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, 4th Lord Percy of Alnwick. His mother was Margaret Neville, daughter of Ralph Neville, 2nd Baron Neville de Raby and Alice de Audley. His nickname is suggestive of his impulsive nature. His date of death is known but not the exact year of birth.
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[edit] Early career
There are rumors that Harry was born at Spofforth Castle, Alnwick Castle in Alnwick, Northumberland, and Warkworth Castle in Warkworth, Nothumberland. [2] and early acquired a great reputation as a warrior, fighting against the Scots and the French. He fought against the Scottish forces of James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas at the midnight Battle of Otterburn in August, 1388 and was captured, but later ransomed. He went to Calais in 1391 and served as Governor of Bordeaux from 1393 to 1395. During this time, he was decisivly beaten in the Battle of Otterburn, and captured.
After his return from Valois Dynasty France, Harry joined with his father and helped depose King Richard II in favour of Henry of Bolingbroke, who later became King Henry IV. He also was the co-commander with his father in the Battle of Humbleton Hill.
[edit] Rebellion and death
Later, with his paternal uncle Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester, he led a rebellion against Henry IV in 1403, forming an alliance with the Welsh rebel, Owain Glyndŵr. Before they could join forces, Hotspur was defeated and killed at the Battle of Shrewsbury when he raised his visor to get some air (as he was wearing plate armour which restricted air circulation) and was immediately hit in the mouth with an arrow and killed instantly.
Henry IV, upon being brought the body after the battle, was said to have wept and ordered the body buried. Hotspur was buried in Whitchurch, Shropshire, but was later exhumed, by order of the same king, when rumours circulated that he was still alive. His body was first displayed in Shrewsbury, impaled on a spear, but was later cut up into four quarters and sent around all of England. His head was stuck on a pole at York's gates.
[edit] Marriage and children
He married Lady Elizabeth Mortimer, daughter of Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March and Philippa. Philippa was daughter of Lionel of Antwerp, 1st Duke of Clarence and Elizabeth de Burgh, 4th Countess of Ulster. Lionel was son of Edward III of England and his consort Philippa of Hainault. Harry and Elizabeth had three children:
- Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland (3 February 1392/1393 – 22 May 1455).
- Lady Elizabeth Percy (d. 26 October 1437). She married John Clifford, 7th Baron de Clifford in 1404. They were great-great-grandparents of Jane Seymour, third Queen consort of Henry VIII of England.
- Matilda Percy. Believed to have died young.
[edit] Hotspur in literature
Harry's squire, John Harding, wrote a history of England which is largely a story of the greatness of the Percy family. This history is one of the sources for Shakespeare's "Henry IV, Part 1", which was sub-titled "With the Battle at Shrewsburie, between the King and Lord Henry Percy, surnamed Henry Hotspur of the North". In the play, he is portrayed as being of the same age as his main rival, Prince Hal (Henry V of England), when in fact Hotspur was considerably older, Prince Henry being a teenager of 16 at the time.
[edit] References
- Alnwick Castle; Home of the Duke of Northumberland.
[edit] Further reading
- Rose, Alexander: Kings in the North - The House of Percy in British History. Phoenix/Orion Books Ltd, 2002, ISBN 1-84212-485-4 (722 pages paperback)
- Nigel Tranter, The Stewart Trilogy, Dunton Green, Sevenoaks, Kent : Coronet Books, 1986. ISBN 0-340-39115-4. Lords of Misrule, 1388-1396. A Folly of Princes, 1396-1402. The Captive Crown, 1402-1411.
