Henry Percy (Hotspur): Difference between revisions

Harry Hotspur
Harry Hotspur
Sir Henry Percy
Noble family	House of Percy
Spouse(s)	Lady Elizabeth Mortimer
Issue	Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland; Lady Elizabeth Percy
Father	Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland
Mother	Margaret Neville

Browse history interactively

← Previous edit Next edit →

Content deleted Content added

VisualWikitext

Inline

Revision as of 02:20, 20 February 2010

Sir Henry Percy, also called Harry Hotspur (20 May 1364/1366 – 21 July 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, 'Hotspur', is suggestive of his impulsive nature. His date of death is known but not the exact year of birth.

Early career

There are rumours that Harry was born at Spofforth Castle in Yorkshire, Alnwick Castle in Alnwick, Northumberland, and Warkworth Castle in Warkworth, Northumberland.^[1] He 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.

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.

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.

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.

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. In the climactic battle of the play, Hal kills Hotspur in one-on-one combat.

Ancestry

Family of Henry Percy (Hotspur)

16. Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy

8. Sir Henry Percy, 2nd Baron Percy

17. Eleanor FitzAlan

4. Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy

18. Robert de Clifford, 1st Lord Clifford

9. Idoine de Clifford

19. Maud de Clare

2. Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland

20. Edmund Crouchback, 1st Earl of Lancaster

10. Henry Plantagenet, 3rd Earl of Lancaster

21. Blanche of Artois

5. Mary of Lancaster

22. Patrick de Chaworth, Lord of Kidwelly

11. Maud Chaworth

23. Isabella de Beauchamp

1. Henry Hotspur Percy

24. Robert (II) de Neville

12. Ranulf Neville, 1st Baron Neville de Raby

25. Mary fitz Ranulf

6. Ralph Neville, 2nd Baron Neville de Raby

26. Robert FitzRoger, 1st Lord FitzRoger

13. Eupheme FitzRobert

27. Margaret de la Zouche

3. Lady Margaret Neville

28. James of Aldithley

14. Hugh Audley, 1st Lord Audley

29. Ela Longespée

7. Alice d'Audley

30. Sir Edmund de Mortimer, 1st Lord Mortimer

15. Isolt de Mortimer

31. Margaret de Fiennes

References

^ ^a ^b BBC.co.uk - Spofforth Castle

Alnwick Castle; Home of the Duke of Northumberland.

External links

The Ancient House of Percy

[birth-1] BBC.co.uk - Spofforth Castle

[1]

@@ Line 20: / Line 20: @@
 == Early career ==
 [[File:Pennon of Sir Henry (Hotspur) Percy, Battle of Otterburn.jpg|200px|thumb|left|The pennon of Sir Henry Percy as captured by James Douglas, Earl of Douglas.]]
-There are rumours that Harry was born at [[Spofforth Castle]] in [[Yorkshire]], [[Alnwick Castle]] in [[Alnwick]], [[Northumberland]], and [[Warkworth Castle]] in [[Warkworth]], Northumberland.<ref name=birth>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2350180 BBC.co.uk - Spofforth Castle]</ref> 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.
+There are rumours that Harry was born at [[Spofforth Castle]] in [[Yorkshire]], [[Alnwick Castle]] in [[Alnwick]], [[Northumberland]], and [[Warkworth Castle]] in [[Warkworth]], Northumberland.<ref name=birth>[http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A2350180 BBC.co.uk - Spofforth Castle]</ref>  He 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.
 After his return from [[Valois Dynasty]] [[France]], Harry joined with his father and helped depose [[Richard II of England|King Richard II]] in favour of [[Henry IV of England|Henry of Bolingbroke]], who later became [[Henry IV of England|King Henry IV]]. He also was the co-commander with his father in the [[Battle of Humbleton Hill]].