Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Earl of Northumberland
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Portrait by Anthony van Dyck
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| Lord Lieutenant of Sussex Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland |
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| In office 1661–1668 |
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| Lord High Admiral | |
| In office 1638–1642 |
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| Lord Lieutenant of Cumberland Lord Lieutenant of Westmorland |
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| In office 1626–1639 |
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| Member of Parliament for Chichester |
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| In office 1625–1626 |
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| Member of Parliament for Sussex |
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| In office 1624–1625 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 September 1602 Essex House, London |
| Died | 13 October 1668 (aged 66) Petworth House |
| Resting place | Westminster Chapel |
| Nationality | English |
| Spouses | Lady Anne Cecil (?-1637 Lady Elizabeth Howard |
| Children | Anne (died 1654); Elizabeth; Josceline |
| Parents | Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland Lady Devereux |
| Alma mater | St John's College, Cambridge |
| Occupation | Aristocrat and politician |
Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland (born September 29, 1602 – died October 13, 1668) was an important English nobleman and politician. He played a key role during the English Civil War. He supported the Parliamentary side against King Charles I.
The Percy family was very powerful in Northern England for many centuries. They were also one of the richest families. This made them important for the country's stability, but also sometimes dangerous. Algernon's ancestors included famous figures like Henry "Hotspur". His grandfather died in the Tower of London, and his father, Henry Percy, was held there for many years.
Algernon's support was very valuable to Parliament when the civil war began in 1642. He was the Lord High Admiral, which helped Parliament control the Royal Navy. This control was a big reason why Parliament won the war.
People at the time believed he truly wanted a government where the king shared power with Parliament. However, he was also very careful, which sometimes made him seem unsure. He supported peace talks in 1643, then sided with the war party led by Oliver Cromwell. He changed his mind several times. But he refused to support the execution of King Charles I in 1649. After the king's death, he lived quietly on his estates until 1660.
After the king's son, Charles II, returned to power in 1660, Algernon tried to get back into politics. He held some smaller jobs for Charles II. He passed away at Petworth House in October 1668.
Contents
Algernon Percy: Early Life and Family
Algernon Percy was the third son of Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland. He was the oldest son who survived to adulthood. His father was known as the 'Wizard Earl.' Algernon's mother, Dorothy, was the sister of Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex. Her brother was executed in 1601.
In 1605, Algernon's father was accused of being involved in the Gunpowder Plot. He was sent to the Tower of London and stayed there until 1621.
Algernon had several siblings. His sister, Lucy Hay, and his younger brother, Henry Percy, worked for King Charles I's wife, Queen Henrietta Maria.
In 1629, Algernon married Lady Anne Cecil. She was the daughter of William Cecil, 2nd Earl of Salisbury. They had five daughters, but only two lived to be adults. These were Anne (who died in 1654) and Elizabeth (1636–1718). Elizabeth later married Arthur Capell, 1st Earl of Essex. After his first wife died, Algernon married Lady Elizabeth Howard in 1642. They had a son and heir named Josceline (1644-1670).
Algernon Percy's Career and Public Service
Algernon's father, even while imprisoned, tried to guide his son's education. Algernon followed the usual path for young noblemen of his time. From 1615 to 1618, he studied at St John's College, Cambridge. After that, he studied law in London. In 1618, he went on a six-year trip around Europe with his tutor. He visited places like the Dutch Republic, Italy, and France.
When he returned to England in 1624, he was elected as a Member of Parliament for Sussex. Then he represented Chichester. In 1626, he became a member of the House of Lords and was known as "Lord Percy." When his father died in 1632, Algernon became the 10th Earl of Northumberland.
In 1626, he was also appointed as a Lord Lieutenant for several northern counties. These included Cumberland, Westmorland, and Northumberland. In the House of Lords, Percy became a leader of the group that disagreed with King Charles I's favorite advisor, George Villiers, 1st Duke of Buckingham.
In the early 1630s, Algernon Percy tried to gain favor with King Charles I. He was successful in 1635 when he was made a Knight of the Order of the Garter. By 1636–1637, he was important enough to be appointed admiral of the "ship money" fleet. This fleet was funded by a special tax.
Northumberland tried to make improvements to the navy. He often went directly to King Charles I with his ideas, bypassing other officials. He also made sure that all officers in his fleet took an oath of loyalty to the King as head of the church. He removed three Catholic officers who refused this oath.
In 1636, Northumberland's first mission as admiral was to make Dutch fishing ships buy English licenses. If they refused, their fishing nets were cut. His second mission in 1637 was to transport Spanish money to the Netherlands. He was not happy about this, as his political group preferred France over Spain.
Becoming Lord High Admiral
In 1638, two of Northumberland's supporters, Thomas Wentworth and William Laud, helped him become Lord High Admiral of England. This was a very important position that had been empty for ten years. It was understood that the King's son, James, would take over this role when he grew up. However, the Civil War happened before that, and King Charles removed Northumberland from the job in 1642.
Leading Up to the Civil Wars
In 1637, a group in Scotland called the Covenanters opposed the King's attempt to change their church services. King Charles I formed a special group to deal with this. Northumberland's friend, Thomas Wentworth, wanted to go to war with Scotland. However, Northumberland did not want war. He worried that his lands in northern England would be taken over during the fighting.
When Wentworth made Northumberland a general in 1640 during the Bishops' Wars against Scotland, Northumberland claimed to be ill. He did not join the army and believed they would lose. In May 1640, Northumberland was one of only two people who opposed the King's decision to close Parliament. This showed his growing disagreement with the King.
When the Long Parliament met, Northumberland became a strong critic of the King's policies. During the trial of Thomas Wentworth, Northumberland gave evidence. This evidence was damaging to Wentworth, even though he had been Northumberland's supporter.
Northumberland's brother, Henry, was involved in a plan in 1641 to free Wentworth from prison and close Parliament by force. Northumberland encouraged his brother to write a letter exposing this plan. He then allowed this letter to be published, which further damaged the King's side.
The English Civil War: Northumberland's Role
Breaking with the King
When the English Civil War began, Northumberland became the highest-ranking member of the King's government to side with the Parliamentarians.
In November 1641, he openly defied the King. He followed Parliament's orders to prepare ships to send men and weapons to Ireland to stop a rebellion there. However, he did not support all of Parliament's actions. When a royal supporter suggested Parliament take a break, Northumberland led a protest against it. In February 1642, Parliament named him Lord Lieutenant for several more counties. He also voted in favor of the Militia Ordinance, which gave Parliament control over the army.
Northumberland's control of the navy was very important for Parliament's victory. Because of this, King Charles I removed him from the Lord High Admiral position in June 1642. In July, Northumberland joined Parliament's committee of public safety.
Changing Sides and Peace Efforts
Northumberland's support for the war became weaker after Parliament faced difficulties in 1642–1643. He was also disappointed that Parliament chose someone else to be the new Lord High Admiral. He was shocked by the violence of the battles and became a leader of the group that wanted peace by mid-1643.
In April 1643, Northumberland led Parliament's group to negotiate with King Charles I in Oxford. But the King was not willing to give much. When Northumberland returned to London, his peace group was attacked by those who wanted to continue the war. He was even accused of being involved in a plot, though he was never charged. After he failed to convince his cousin to support more peace talks, he went to his estates at Petworth House.
However, Northumberland did not stay away for long. He had been against an alliance between Parliament and Scotland. But after the Solemn League and Covenant was passed in September 1643, he returned to London and supported it. He was appointed to the new Committee of Both Kingdoms, which managed the war effort. Northumberland became known for supporting the Scots on this committee. Many thought this was because Scottish forces were occupying his lands in the north.
He still wanted to negotiate with King Charles I, but he was also starting to agree with the war party. Northumberland was one of only four lords who voted for the Self-denying Ordinance. This law made members of Parliament give up their military commands. He became a strong supporter of the New Model Army, which was Parliament's main fighting force.
In March 1645, Parliament made Northumberland the guardian of the King's two young children, Princess Elizabeth and the Duke of Gloucester. He also became guardian of the Duke of York in July 1646. There was even talk that Northumberland might become king if negotiations with Charles failed. After peace talks failed, Northumberland fully supported the war party.
His Role in the King's Execution
In early 1647, Northumberland sided with those who wanted to find terms acceptable to the King. Later, in the dispute between Parliament and the army, Northumberland sided with the army. In July 1647, he was one of nine noblemen who left Parliament to join the army after riots in London. Meetings between Northumberland and the army were held at his home, Syon House.
Northumberland led one last attempt to negotiate with King Charles I in December 1647, but it failed. He opposed the decision in January 1648 to stop all talks with the King. After the Royalists lost the Second English Civil War in 1648, many in Parliament and the army, including Oliver Cromwell, decided that further talks with Charles I were useless. In December 1648, some Members of Parliament who wanted to continue talks were removed. The remaining Parliament voted to put the King on trial. Northumberland led the House of Lords in opposing the execution of Charles I on January 30, 1649.
Life After the Civil War
After King Charles I was executed, Northumberland stepped away from public life. In May 1649, he was no longer responsible for the King's children and had no official duties. He was briefly placed under house arrest in 1655. This happened after he was accused of encouraging his tenants in the north to join an uprising.
Both Oliver Cromwell and his son Richard Cromwell asked Northumberland to join their parliaments, but he refused.
Return to Politics and Later Life
When King Charles II returned to power in 1660, Northumberland tried to get back into politics. He joined a group that hoped to make Charles II agree to the terms that had been offered to his father. However, this group failed.
When Charles II returned to England in May 1660, Northumberland quickly tried to gain his favor. He did, however, oppose the law to execute those who were responsible for King Charles I's death.
Charles II appointed Northumberland to his Privy Council in May 1660. He was also named Lord Lieutenant of Sussex in August and Lord Lieutenant of Northumberland in September. His return to politics was complete when he served as Lord High Constable of England at Charles II's coronation in April 1661. Northumberland became known for strictly enforcing new laws and for organizing the local militias well.
During this time, Northumberland's closest friend in the King's court was Edward Montagu, 2nd Earl of Manchester. However, Edward Hyde, 1st Earl of Clarendon remained his constant rival. This rivalry ended when Northumberland voted to remove Clarendon from office in 1667.
Northumberland died at Petworth on October 13, 1668. He was buried there in September 1668. His son, Josceline, became the 11th Earl of Northumberland.
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See Also
- Percy family
