Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Henry Percy
|
|
|---|---|
| Earl of Northumberland, King of Mann | |
18th-century engraving
|
|
| Born | 10 November 1341 Alnwick, Northumberland, England |
| Died | 20 February 1408 (aged 66) Bramham Moor, Yorkshire, England |
| Noble family | House of Percy |
| Spouse(s) | Margaret Neville Maud, Baroness Lucy |
| Issue | Harry "Hotspur" Percy Sir Thomas Percy Sir Ralph Percy Alan Percy Margaret Percy |
| Father | Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy |
| Mother | Mary of Lancaster |
Henry Percy, the 1st Earl of Northumberland, was an important English nobleman. He was also known as the 4th Baron Percy and, for a time, the King of Mann. He was born on November 10, 1341, and passed away on February 20, 1408. Henry Percy was the son of Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy. His mother was Mary of Lancaster, who was related to King Henry III of England.
Contents
Life and Early Career
Henry Percy started his career by supporting King Edward III of England. He held important jobs in the northern parts of England. In 1362, when he was still young, he became the Warden of the Marches. This meant he was in charge of the border areas near Scotland. He had the power to talk with the Scottish government.
A few years later, in 1367, he was given the job of looking after all the castles and forts along the Scottish border. Later, he supported King Richard II of England. Richard made him an Earl in 1377. He was also briefly given the title of Marshal of England, a high military position. From 1383 to 1384, he was the Admiral of the North, meaning he commanded ships in the northern seas.
However, things changed when King Richard II gave a higher title to Henry's rival, Ralph Neville. Because of this, Henry Percy and his son, also named Henry (who was famously called "Hotspur"), decided to support Henry Bolingbroke. Bolingbroke then became King Henry IV.
After Henry IV became king, Henry Percy was given another important job: Constable of England. He was also given control of the Isle of Man. Percy and his son Hotspur were asked to stop a rebellion led by Owain Glyndŵr in Wales. But their attempts to make peace with the Welsh rebels did not please the new king.
Rebellions Against the King
In September 1402, the Percys fought in the Battle of Homildon Hill. They captured many Scottish nobles there. Henry Percy wanted to keep these nobles instead of letting them go for money. This caused another disagreement with King Henry IV.
In 1403, the Percys turned against King Henry IV. They decided to support Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March, who they believed had a better claim to the throne. They even planned with Owain Glyndŵr to overthrow Henry IV. However, the Percy rebellion failed at the Battle of Shrewsbury. Sadly, Henry's son, Hotspur, was killed in this battle. Since Henry Percy himself did not directly fight in the rebellion, he was not found guilty of treason. But he did lose his important job as Constable.
In 1405, Henry Percy and his allies signed a secret agreement called the Tripartite Indenture. This plan was to divide England among them. Owain Glyndŵr would get Wales and a big part of western England. Henry Percy would get northern England, plus some other areas like Northamptonshire and Norfolk. The Mortimer family would get the rest of southern England.
Later in 1405, Percy supported another rebellion led by Richard le Scrope, the Archbishop of York. After this rebellion failed, Percy had to escape to Scotland. The king then took away all of Percy's lands and properties.
In 1408, Henry Percy invaded England one more time, trying to start another rebellion. He was killed during this fight at the Battle of Bramham Moor.
Family Life
.svg)
In 1358, Henry Percy married Margaret Neville. She was born on February 12, 1339, and passed away on May 12, 1372. Margaret was the daughter of Ralph Neville, 2nd Baron Neville de Raby. Henry and Margaret had four sons: Harry "Hotspur" Percy, Thomas, Ralph, and Alan. They also had one daughter named Margaret.
In 1381, Henry Percy married Maud Lucy. She was born in 1343 and passed away on December 18, 1398. Maud was the daughter of Sir Thomas de Lucy, 2nd Baron Lucy. She was also the sister and heir of Anthony Lucy, 3rd Baron Lucy. When Anthony died in 1368, Henry Percy inherited Cockermouth Castle in Cumbria through Maud. A special condition was that Henry and his male heirs had to use the Lucy family's coat of arms along with their own. This coat of arms showed three silver fish called "lucies" on a red background. Henry and Maud did not have any children together.
In Books and Shows
Henry Percy is a main character in some of William Shakespeare's famous plays. You can find him in Richard II, Henry IV, part 1, and Henry IV, part 2.
His role in Shakespeare's plays also inspired a character in the TV show The Black Adder. This character is named Lord Percy Percy, and he is the heir to the duchy of Northumberland.
Several novels also tell the story of Henry Percy and his family. Lion of Alnwick by Carol Wensby-Scott is the first book in a series called the Percy Saga. It tells a fictional story about the lives of the 1st Earl of Northumberland and his son Hotspur. Other books in the series, Lion Dormant and Lion Invincible, continue the story of his family during the War of the Roses.
Henry Percy and his son Hotspur are also important characters in Edith Pargeter's novel, A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury. This book describes the events that led up to the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403. He is also a major character in My Lord John by Georgette Heyer.
Images for kids
-
18th-century engraving
See also
In Spanish: Henry Percy para niños
