Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland

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Template:Short description Template:Use British English Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox peer Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland (3 February 1393Template:Snd22 May 1455) was an English nobleman and military commander in the lead up to the Wars of the Roses. He was the son of Henry "Hotspur" Percy, and the grandson of Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland. His father and grandfather were killed in different rebellions against Henry IV in 1403 and 1408, respectively, and the young Henry spent his minority in exile in Scotland. Only after the death of Henry IV in 1413 was he reconciled with the Crown, and in 1414 he was created Earl of Northumberland.

In the following years, Northumberland occasionally served with the king in France, but his main occupation was the protection of the border to Scotland. At the same time, a feud with the Neville family was developing, particularly with Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury. This feud became entangled with the conflict between the Dukes of York and Somerset over control of national government. The conflict culminated in the first battle of the Wars of the Roses, at St Albans, where both Somerset and Northumberland were killed.

Family background

Henry Percy was the son of Sir Henry "Hotspur" Percy, and Lady Elizabeth Mortimer. Elizabeth was the daughter of Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March and Philippa, Countess of Ulster, daughter of Elizabeth de Burgh and Lionel of Antwerp, son of Edward III. Hotspur's father—the young Henry's grandfather—was also called Henry Percy, and in 1377 became the first of the Percy family to hold the title of Earl of Northumberland.<ref name=HBC>Fryde (1961), p. 441.</ref>

Both Hotspur and his father were early and active supporters of Henry Bolingbroke, who usurped the throne from Richard II in 1399, and became King Henry IV. They were initially richly rewarded, but soon grew disillusioned with the new regime. Hotspur rose up in rebellion, and was killed at Shrewsbury on 21 July 1403.<ref name=Walker>Walker (2004)</ref>

Hotspur's father, the earl, was not present at the battle, but there is little doubt that he participated in the rebellion.<ref name=Bean>Bean (2004)</ref> After a short imprisonment, he was pardoned, and in June 1404 he delivered his grandson into the king's custody at Doncaster.<ref name=Griffiths>Griffiths (2004a).</ref>

By May 1405, however, the earl was involved in another rebellion. His plans failed, and he was forced to flee to Scotland, taking his grandson with him.<ref name="Lomas 1999, p. 83">Lomas (1999), p. 83.</ref> The following years were marked by an itinerant life and further plotting, while the young Henry remained in the custody of the Duke of Albany.<ref name=Bean/> On 19 February 1408, the first earl of Northumberland was killed in the Battle of Bramham Moor, leaving the young Henry Percy as heir apparent to the earldom.<ref name=Wagner>Wagner (2001), pp. 198–199.</ref>

Henry remained in Scotland until the accession of Henry V in 1413, when he tried to claim his grandfather's title. His cause was aided by the king's aunt, Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland, who arranged his marriage to her daughter Eleanor.<ref name=Lomas84>Lomas (1999), p. 84.</ref>

It was in Henry V's interest to reconcile with the Percys, with their vast network in the north of England; on 11 May 1414, Henry Percy was restored to the Earldom of Northumberland,Template:Sfn followed by a formal creation on 16 March 1416.Template:SfnTemplate:Ref label

Service to the king

Warkworth Castle in Northumberland was the main residence of the Percy family.

Northumberland served occasionally in Henry V's wars in France over the following years. He joined the king on an expedition to the Continent in 1416, and sent a minor contingent of soldiers the next year.<ref name=Griffiths/> His main task, however, was the defence of the Scottish Borders, and on 16 December 1416 he was appointed Warden of the East March.<ref name=Rose72>Rose (2002), p. 372.</ref> In late August 1417, the Scots invaded northern England; while Albany laid siege to Berwick Castle, the Earl of Douglas attempted to take Roxburgh Castle. Percy lifted the siege of Berwick, and forced both Albany and Douglas across the border.<ref name=Rose72/> At the same time, he was also involved in national political affairs, and acted as steward at the coronation of Henry's queen Catherine on 24 February 1421.<ref name=Griffiths/>

When Henry V died in 1422, Northumberland was appointed a member of the council appointed to govern during the minority of Henry VI. He might have been involved in an embassy to the Council of Siena in 1423, but still, his main area of responsibility lay in the border region.<ref name=Griffiths/> In the council, he seems to have belonged to Bishop Henry Beaufort's social circle, and he followed Beaufort—now cardinal—to peace negotiations at Berwick in 1429.<ref name=Griffiths/> As Warden of the East March, he was constantly occupied with peace negotiations and defence of northern England, but his efforts were constantly frustrated, and in 1434 he resigned his commission.<ref>Pollard (1990), p. 151.</ref><ref>Rose (2002), p. 385.</ref> The next year, Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, equally exasperated by the lack of royal support, gave up his commission as Warden of the West March. Northumberland was appointed joint warden with the earl of Huntingdon of both marches for one year, during which time, although suffering defeat by the Earl of Angus at the Battle of Piperdean,<ref>Brenan Vol I p 100</ref><ref>Balfour Paul VolII p11</ref> he was able to repel a siege on Roxburgh by James I of Scotland.<ref>Rose (2002), pp. 388–9.</ref> In 1440 he was once more appointed Warden of the West March, and this time held the position until his death.<ref name=Lomas85>Lomas (1999), p. 85.</ref>

Feud with Neville family

Initially, Northumberland's relations with the other great northern family, the Nevilles, were friendly. He was already connected to the Beaufort-Nevilles through his marriage with Eleanor Neville, and in 1426 he married his sister Elizabeth to the young Ralph Neville, 2nd Earl of Westmorland.<ref name=Griffiths/> In the early 1440s, Northumberland was involved in other disputes. A conflict over land with the Archbishop of York escalated into open violence.<ref>Pollard (1990), pp. 246–7.</ref> The king intervened on the archbishop's side, though Northumberland remained in favour at court. Nevertheless, he spent less time involved in central affairs at Westminster in the later 1440s.<ref name=Griffiths/>

In the early 1450s, the relationship between the Percy familyTemplate:Who and the Earl of Salisbury—Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland's son by his second wife Joan Beaufort—started to deteriorate.<ref>Rose (2002), pp. 394–5.</ref> What triggered the conflict was the marriage between Salisbury's son Thomas and Maud Stanhope, niece and heiress of Lord Cromwell.<ref name=Lomas86>Lomas (1999), p. 86.</ref> By this marriage Wressle Castle, which had traditionally been in the possession of the Percy family, would pass to the Nevilles.<ref>Pollard (1990), pp. 255–6.</ref> At the same time, the Neville-Cromwell wedding had led Huntingdon (now Duke of Exeter) to join the cause of the Percys, because of a territorial dispute with Cromwell. Northumberland himself, who was nearing sixty, did not take action at the time, but one of his younger sons did. Thomas Percy had been created Baron Egremont in 1449, relating to his possessions in the Neville-dominated county of Cumberland.<ref name=Griffiths2>Griffiths (2004b).</ref> On 24 August 1453, Thomas attacked the Neville-Cromwell wedding party at Heworth near York with a force of over 700 men.<ref name=Lomas86/> No one was killed in the skirmish, and the wedding party escaped intact.<ref>Rose (2002), pp. 402–3.</ref>

The conflict, however, continued over the following years. On 8 October, Northumberland and Salisbury were summoned to court and ordered to end the conflict, but the warnings were ignored.<ref name=Griffiths/> Instead, the collective forces of the Percy and Neville families gathered at their Yorkshire strongholds of Topcliffe and Sand Hutton, respectively, only a few miles apart.<ref>Storey (1966), pp. 131–2.</ref> Both sides had ignored royal commands to disband, and battle seemed inevitable, but eventually a truce ensued and the forces withdrew.<ref name=Griffiths/> Then, in October 1454, Thomas Percy and his brother Richard were captured by the Nevilles in a battle at Stamford Bridge.<ref name=Griffiths2/><ref>Lomas (1999), p. 87.</ref> The conflict was escalating, and converging with events in national politics.

Towards civil war

Henry Percy was buried at the abbey of St Albans Cathedral.

Discontent was brewing in England against the personal rule of Henry VI, who had been declared of age in 1437. The main antagonists were Richard, Duke of York, and Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset. Somerset enjoyed great influence over the king, but after Henry had been incapacitated by mental illness in 1453, York was appointed protector in 1454.<ref>Carpenter (1997), p. 129.</ref> The Nevilles were by this time closely associated with York, so the natural option for Northumberland was to side with Somerset and the king.<ref name=Griffiths/> Attempts were made to reconcile Northumberland and Salisbury in the north, but little was accomplished. In December, the king rallied sufficiently to resume control of government, and York's protectorate was terminated.<ref>Carpenter (1997), p. 134.</ref> With Somerset back at the centre of power, civil war seemed imminent.

In May 1455, Northumberland was travelling with the king and Somerset to a great council at Leicester, when the party was intercepted by York and the Nevilles.<ref>Harriss (2005), p. 538.</ref> On 22 May 1455, at the First Battle of St Albans, the royal forces clashed with the forces loyal to the Duke of York, in what has been described as the first battle of the Wars of the Roses.<ref>Saul (1997), p. 131.</ref> The battle was a complete victory for the Yorkist side, and led to another reversal of the political situation.<ref>Rose (2002), pp. 412–4.</ref> The king was taken captive, and Somerset was killed. Northumberland was also among the casualties, and was buried at the nearby St Albans Abbey.<ref name=Griffiths/> A suggestion made by a contemporary chronicler, and supported by modern-day historians, said that the true purpose of the battle was to settle personal scores.<ref name=Griffiths/><ref>Storey (1986), pp. 162.</ref> Once York and Salisbury had killed Somerset and Northumberland, respectively, the battle was effectively over.<ref>Pollard (1990), pp. 263–5.</ref><ref>Lomas (1999), p. 88.</ref>

Estates and family

The Percy estates were primarily located in the northern counties of Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Cumberland.<ref name=Griffiths/> Even though the title was restored in 1416, and the Percy estates were officially regranted, this did not mean the immediate return of all the family possessions. Protracted legal battles followed, particularly with John, Duke of Bedford.<ref name=Lomas85/> Even at the time of his death, Northumberland had not recovered all the estates once held by his grandfather.<ref name=Rose71/>

Northumberland's marriage to Eleanor Neville produced at least ten children. Henry Percy was succeeded by his son Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland, who himself died fighting in the Wars of the Roses, at the Battle of Towton on 29 March 1461.<ref>Griffiths (2004c).</ref>

Name Birth date Death date Notes
John Percy 8 July 1418 –
Henry, Baron Poynings, later 3rd Earl of Northumberland 25 July 1421 29 March 1461 Killed at the Battle of Towton
Thomas Percy, 1st Baron Egremont 29 November 1422 10 July 1460 Killed at the Battle of Northampton
Lady Katherine Percy 28 May 1423 Aft. 1475 Married Lord Edmund Grey, 1st Earl of Kent
George Percy 24 July 1424 14 November 1474 Rector of Rothbury and Caldbeck
Sir Ralph Percy 1425 25 April 1464 Killed at the Battle of Hedgeley Moor
Sir Richard Percy 1426/27 29 March 1461 Killed at the Battle of Towton
William Percy 7 April 1428 26 April 1462 Bishop of Carlisle
Joan Percy 1430 1482 a nun at Whitby
Anne PercyTemplate:SfnTemplate:SfnTemplate:Sfn 3 FebruaryTemplate:Sfn
probably aft. 1428		 5 July 1522Template:Sfn Married Sir Lawrence Raynesford and Sir Hugh Vaughan.Template:Sfn Depicted in a stained glass at the Holy Trinity Church, Long Melford.Template:Sfn

Ancestry

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Notes

Template:Refbegin a. Template:Note labelThough the Dictionary of National Biography operates with the year 1394,<ref name=Griffiths/> other sources give his year of birth as 1393.<ref name="Lomas 1999, p. 83"/><ref>Rose (2002), p. xiii.</ref>
b. Template:Note labelThis was a new creation, to stress that the attainder of the first earl had not been undone.<ref name=Griffiths/><ref name=Lomas84/> Template:Refend

References

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