Battle of Bramham Moor facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Battle of Bramham Moor
Part of The Percy Rebellion
Date 19 February 1408 Location Bramham Moor, Yorkshire, England Result Royalist victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of England	House of Percy
Commanders and leaders
Sir Thomas Rokeby	Earl of Northumberland  † Baron Bardolf  †
Strength
Unknown, small	Unknown, small
Casualties and losses
Unknown, light	Almost total

The Battle of Bramham Moor happened on February 19, 1408. It was the last fight in a series of rebellions known as the Percy Rebellion. This rebellion was a struggle between Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, a very powerful and rich nobleman, and King Henry IV of England. The Percy family had actually helped Henry IV become king in 1399, when he took the throne from his cousin, King Richard II.

Why the Rebellion Started

King Henry IV and Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland had a big disagreement after the Battle of Homildon Hill in 1402. In that battle, Northumberland's English army won against an invading Scottish army. They captured many important Scottish nobles.

Back then, captured nobles could pay money, called a ransom, to get their freedom. Northumberland expected to earn a lot of money from these ransoms. However, King Henry IV was having money problems. This was because of the chaotic situation after he took the throne. There were also wars in Wales and Scotland.

King Henry needed money for his government. He also wanted to show his power over Northumberland, whose family ruled their area almost like their own private territory. So, the King demanded that Northumberland hand over the captured Scottish nobles. He offered only a small payment in return.

Northumberland was very angry. He decided to support someone else who wanted to be king, Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March. Northumberland marched his army against King Henry. They fought at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403. Northumberland was defeated, and his son, Henry Hotspur, was killed.

Northumberland then went to Scotland. He tried to rebel again in 1405 but was defeated once more. Finally, he made one last attempt to take the throne. He gathered an army of Scottish fighters and loyal people from his northern lands. He then marched south towards York.

The Battle at Bramham Moor

Northumberland's army reached Bramham Moor, which is south of Wetherby. There, they met an army of local fighters and soldiers brought by nobles from Yorkshire. This army was quickly put together and led by Sir Thomas Rokeby, who was the High Sheriff of Yorkshire.

We don't know the exact size of the armies. But they were much smaller than the thousands of soldiers who fought at Shrewsbury. Northumberland's rebellion did not get much support from other groups, like the Welsh rebels led by Owain Glyndŵr, whose own rebellion was failing.

The details of the battle itself are not very clear. It seems to have been a fierce fight in the middle of the field. There wasn't much clever planning from either side. Northumberland is said to have placed his men carefully. He waited for Rokeby's army to arrive around 2:00 PM, and the battle started right away. It's likely that, like many battles of that time between English and Scottish forces, the English longbows played a big part. They would have weakened the enemy ranks before the main English army charged forward.

What Happened After

Northumberland was defeated in the battle. He died fighting bravely as his army was scattered and ran away. His friend and ally, Bardolf, was badly hurt early in the fight and died later. Very few of Northumberland's soldiers escaped and returned to Scotland.

Northumberland's body was treated in a way that showed he was seen as a traitor. But eventually, his remains were brought together and buried in York Minster. Bardolf's lands and property were taken away by the King. The power of the Percy family was broken.

The north of England then came under the control of their rivals, the Neville family. Their leader, Ralph Neville, became a favorite of the King. He was made the Earl of Westmoreland, which made him even stronger. The Percy family did eventually regain their power later, during the Wars of the Roses.

A cross was put up where Northumberland was thought to have fallen. The base of this cross was later moved to the entrance of a wood near Toulston Lane. In 2008, a memorial stone and an information board were placed on Paradise Way, Bramham. This was done by the Bramham Parish Council and officially opened by the 12th Duke of Northumberland. It marked 600 years since the battle.

The battlefield is about 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) south of Bramham and 3.5 miles (5.6 kilometers) west of Tadcaster.