Anne Percy, Countess of Northumberland facts for kids

Anne Percy, Countess of Northumberland (born Somerset; 1536 – 17 October 1596) was an important English noblewoman. She helped to start a major uprising against Queen Elizabeth I of England. This event was called the Northern Rebellion. To avoid being punished for her part in the failed rebellion, Anne and her baby daughter had to leave England. They went to live in Flanders, a region in Europe, where Anne spent the rest of her life. She stayed in touch with other English Catholics who were also living in exile. She also got involved in plans to help Catholics. Her husband, Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland, who led the rebellion, was later executed for treason, which means betraying his country. Anne wrote a book called Discours des troubles du Comte du Northumberland while living in Liège and receiving money from King Philip II of Spain. Three of her daughters stayed in England and were raised by their uncle, Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland.

Anne's Family Background

Lady Anne was born in 1536. Her father was Henry Somerset, 2nd Earl of Worcester, and her mother was Elizabeth Browne. Anne had four brothers and three sisters. Her mother had worked for Queen Anne Boleyn. Anne was a very religious person and a strong Roman Catholic.

Marriage and Children

On 22 June 1558, Anne married Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland. He was one of the most powerful noblemen in Northern England. Like Anne, he was also a Catholic. Thomas was the nephew of Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland.

Anne and Thomas had five children together:

• Elizabeth Percy (1559–1643), who married Richard Woodroffe.
• Thomas Percy (born and died in 1560).
• Lucy Percy, who married Sir Edward Stanley. They had children, including Venetia Stanley.
• Joan Percy, who married Lord Henry Seymour.
• Mary Percy, abbess (1570–1642).

The Northern Rebellion

In the autumn of 1569, Anne and Jane Howard, Countess of Westmoreland, helped to plan an uprising. This rebellion was started by Catholic nobles in Northern England who were unhappy with Queen Elizabeth I. It became known as the Northern Rebellion. You can find more details in the main article: Northern Rebellion.

Anne and her husband exchanged letters and gifts with Mary, Queen of Scots. Mary sent Anne a special rosary and a silver necklace. Anne sent Mary a locket and a diamond ring. Mary promised to always wear the ring.

Anne's husband, Thomas, was at first unsure about leading the rebellion. The goal of the rebellion was to remove Queen Elizabeth from power. They wanted to replace her with the imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots. Many Catholics believed Mary was England's rightful queen. Thomas was eventually convinced to join the fight. He and Anne went to Branspeth, the home of Charles Neville, 6th Earl of Westmorland. Charles also agreed to fight against Queen Elizabeth. The rebellion officially began at Branspeth, led by the two earls.

Henry Carey, 1st Baron Hunsdon, who led the Queen's soldiers, reported on Anne's active role. He said that Anne was "stouter than her husband," meaning she was very determined. She rode "up and down with the army" even though she was pregnant.

There was even a plan for Mary, Queen of Scots, to escape from Wingfield Manor. Mary planned to escape after a baby was born, possibly dressed as a midwife or nurse. The Countess of Northumberland, Anne, was considered for the role of the midwife. This was because she and Mary were "something like in personage," meaning they looked similar.

Life in Exile

The Northern Rebellion failed because it was not well planned. After the Queen's troops put down the uprising, Anne and Percy fled to Scotland. They found safety with Hector Graham of Harlaw. In January 1570, Anne stayed at Ferniehirst Castle and Hume Castle. In June 1570, Anne gave birth to her daughter, Mary, in Old Aberdeen.

When Hector Graham betrayed her husband, Anne and her baby escaped to Europe. They arrived in Bruges on 31 August 1570. Anne tried to get help from Pope Pius V and King Philip II of Spain. She hoped to raise money to free her husband. The Pope gave her four thousand crowns, and King Philip sent her six thousand marks. But it was not enough. Anne spent the rest of her life living in exile in Flanders. In 1572, her husband was sold to Queen Elizabeth and publicly executed in York for treason.

While living in Liège, Anne received money from King Philip. She wrote and shared her book, Discours des troubles du Comte du Northumberland. For the next ten years, she traveled around Flanders. She kept in touch with other English Catholics who were also in exile. In 1573, English agents described Anne as a "principal practitioner" in Mechlin. In 1576, she was briefly sent away from the area to please Queen Elizabeth, but she returned soon after. At one point, she tried to arrange a marriage between Don John of Austria and Mary, Queen of Scots.

Anne had left her three oldest daughters in England when she escaped after the rebellion. They were raised at Petworth by her late husband's brother, Henry Percy. He became the 8th Earl of Northumberland. Her youngest daughter, Mary Percy, who went with her to Europe, later became the second abbess of a Benedictine convent in Brussels. Anne herself had founded this convent.

Anne's Death

In September 1591, Charles Paget, an exile in Antwerp, told the Percy family that Anne had died. He asked them to send her daughter Joan to Flanders to collect her belongings. This was actually a trick so Anne could see her daughter again. Anne truly died five years later, on 17 October 1596. She passed away from smallpox at a convent in Namur.