View source for Earl of Northumberland

{{Short description|Earldom in the Peerage of Great Britain}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2024}}
{{Infobox nobility title
| name            = Earldom of Northumberland<br/>''{{Small|later a subsidiary title of the<br/>[[Duke of Northumberland]]}}''
| image           = [[File:Coat of arms of the duke of Northumberland.png|180px]]
| caption         = Arms of [[Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland]] and 13th Earl of Northumberland (5th creation)
| creation_date   = 1377 {{Small|(1st creation)}}<br/>1416 {{Small|(2nd creation)}}<br/>1464 {{Small|(3rd creation)}}<br/>1674 {{Small|(4th creation)}}<br/>1749 {{Small|(5th creation)}}
| monarch         = [[Richard II of England|Richard II]] {{Small|(1st creation)}}<br/>[[Henry V of England|Henry V]] {{Small|(2nd creation)}}<br/>[[Henry VI of England|Henry VI]] {{Small|(3rd creation)}}<br/>[[Edward VI]] {{Small|(2nd creation restored)}}<br/>[[Charles II of England|Charles II]] {{Small|(4th creation)}}<br/>[[George II of Great Britain|George II]] {{Small|(5th creation)}}|peerage=[[Peerage of England]] {{Small|(1st to 4th creations)}}<br/>[[Peerage of Great Britain]] {{Small|(5th creation)}}
| first_holder    = [[Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland|Henry Percy]]
| present_holder  = [[Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland]]
| heir_apparent   = [[George Percy, Earl Percy]]
| status          = Fifth creation extant
| extinction_date = 1405 {{Small|(1st creation)}}<br/>1461{{Small|(2nd creation forfeit)}}<br/>1471 {{Small|(3rd creation)}}<br/>1670 {{Small|(2nd creation extinct)}}<br/>1683 {{Small|(4th creation)}}
| family_seat     = [[Alnwick Castle]]<br/>[[Syon House]]<br />[[Petworth House]]
}}

The title of '''Earl of Northumberland''' has been created several times in the [[Peerage of England]] and [[Peerage of Great Britain|of Great Britain]], succeeding the title [[Earl of Northumbria]]. Its most famous holders are the [[House of Percy]] (''alias'' Perci), who were the most powerful noble family in [[Northern England]] for much of the Middle Ages. The heirs of the Percys, via a female line, were ultimately made [[Duke of Northumberland]] in 1766, and continue to hold the earldom as a [[subsidiary title]].{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}}

==History==
===Percy family===
<section begin=Percy Family/>{{Multiple image
| align = right
| image1 = Percy arms.svg
| width1 = 150
| image2 = Modern arms of Percy.svg
| width2 = 150
| footer = '''Left''': Paternal arms of [[Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy]] (1273–1314): ''Azure, five fusils in fess or'',<ref>Debrett's Peerage, 1968, p.849, Duke of Northumberland</ref>("Percy ancient") which he abandoned in favour of '''right''': ''Or, a lion rampant azure'' ("Percy modern"/[[Duchy of Brabant|Brabant]])<ref>Howard de Walden, Lord, Some Feudal Lords and their Seals 1301, published 1904, p.43</ref> Both arms were [[Quartering (heraldry)|quartered]] by the Percy Earls of Northumberland and remain quartered by the present [[Duke of Northumberland]]
}}
[[William de Percy, 1st Baron Percy]], was in the [[Train (military)|train]] of [[William the Conqueror|William I]].{{Citation needed|date=January 2022}} After arriving in [[Kingdom of England|England]] following the [[Harrying of the North]] (1069–70), he was bestowed modest estates in [[Yorkshire]] by [[Hugh d'Avranches]]. However, by the reign of [[Henry II of England|Henry II]] the family was represented by only an heiress, Agnes de Percy (died 1203) following the death of the third [[English feudal barony|feudal baron]]. As her [[dowry]] contained the [[Topcliffe, North Yorkshire|manor of Topcliffe]] in Yorkshire, [[Adeliza of Louvain]], the widowed and remarried second wife of [[Henry I of England|Henry I]], arranged the marriage of Agnes with her own young half-brother, [[Joscelin of Louvain]]. After their wedding, the nobleman from the [[Duchy of Brabant]] in the [[Holy Roman Empire]] settled in England. He adopted the surname Percy and his descendants were later created Earls of Northumberland. The Percys' line would go on to play a large role in the history of both England and Scotland. As nearly every Percy was a [[Warden of the Marches]], Scottish affairs were often of more concern than those in England.<ref name="terry">[http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11124 ''Northumberland Yesterday and To-day''] by Jean F. Terry, 1913, from [[Project Gutenberg]]</ref>

====1309:  1st Baron Percy====
In 1309, [[Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy]] purchased [[Alnwick Castle]] from [[Antony Bek (bishop of Durham)|Antony Bek]], [[Bishop of Durham]]. The castle had been founded in the late 11th century by [[Ivo de Vesci]], a nobleman from [[Vassy, Calvados|Vassy]] or [[Vichy]].  A descendant of Ivo de Vesci, [[John de Vesci]], succeeded to his father's titles and estates upon his father's death in [[Duchy of Gascony|Gascony]] in 1253. These included the barony of Alnwick and a large property in [[Northumberland]] and considerable estates in Yorkshire, including [[Malton, North Yorkshire|Malton]]. Due to being under age, King [[Henry III of England]] conferred the wardship of John's estates to a foreign kinsman, which caused great offence to the de Vesci family. The family's property and estates had been put into the guardianship of Bek, who sold them to the Percys. From this time, the fortunes of the Percys, although they still held their Yorkshire lands and titles, were linked permanently with Alnwick and its castle.{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}}

====1316:  2nd Baron Percy====
[[Henry de Percy, 2nd Baron Percy]], who was granted the lands of [[Patrick IV, Earl of March]], in [[Northumberland]], by [[Edward II of England|Edward II]] in 1316, began to improve the size and defences of the castle. He was appointed to [[Edward III]]'s Council in 1327 and was given the manor and [[Skipton Castle|castle of Skipton]]. He was also granted, by Edward III, the castle and barony of [[Warkworth, Northumberland|Warkworth]] in 1328. He was at the siege of Dunbar and the [[Battle of Halidon Hill]] and was subsequently appointed constable of [[Berwick-upon-Tweed]]. In 1346, Henry commanded the right wing of the English army which defeated a larger Scottish force at the [[Battle of Neville's Cross]] near Durham. His son, [[Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy]] married [[Mary of Lancaster]], an aunt of [[John of Gaunt]]'s wife [[Blanche of Lancaster]].<ref name="terry"/><section end=Percy Family />

===1377 creation===
<section begin=1377/>[[File:Petworth05.jpg|thumb|200px|17th-century Percy Window in [[Petworth House]], Sussex, displaying in stained glass 9 heraldic escutcheons of [[Quartering (heraldry)|quartered]] arms of 1st, 3rd, 4th, 5th, 6th, father of 7th & 8th, 7th, 8th & 9th Percy Earls of Northumberland, each impaling the quartered arms of his wife.]]

In 1377, the next [[Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland|Henry Percy]] was created '''Earl of Northumberland''', a title given to him after the coronation of [[Richard II of England|Richard II]]. He supported the takeover by [[Henry IV of England|Henry IV]] but subsequently rebelled against the new king, leading to his estates being forfeited under [[attainder]]. In his rebellion he was aided by his son, the most famous Percy of all, [[Henry 'Hotspur' Percy|Henry "Hotspur"]], who was slain at [[Battle of Shrewsbury|Shrewsbury]] in the lifetime of his father.<ref name="terry"/> Both the 1st Earl of Northumberland as well as his son Hotspur play a chief role in [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare]]'s ''[[Henry IV, part 1|Henry IV]]''.<section end=1377/>

===1416 creation===
<section begin=1416/>[[Henry V of England|Henry V]] restored Hotspur's son, the second Earl, to his family honours, and the Percys were staunch Lancastrians during the [[Wars of the Roses]] which followed, the [[Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland|third Earl]] and three of his brothers losing their lives in the cause.<ref name="terry"/>

[[Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland]] was involved in the political manoeuvrings of the last [[Yorkist]] kings [[Edward IV]] and [[Richard III of England|Richard III]]. Through either indecision or treachery he did not respond in a timely manner at the [[Battle of Bosworth Field]], and thus helped cause his ally Richard III's defeat at the hands of Henry Tudor (who became [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]]). In 1489, he was pulled from his horse and murdered by some of his tenants.{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}}

[[Henry Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland]] displayed magnificence in his tastes, and being one of the richest magnates of his day, kept a very large household establishment.{{Citation needed|date=October 2019}}

[[Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland]], loved [[Anne Boleyn]], and was her accepted suitor before [[Henry VIII]] married her. He married later to [[Mary Percy, Countess of Northumberland|Mary Talbot]], the daughter of [[George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury]], but as he died without a son, his nephew [[Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland|Thomas Percy]] became the seventh Earl.<ref name="terry"/>

Thereafter, a succession of plots and counterplots—the [[Rising of the North]], the plots to liberate [[Mary, Queen of Scots]], and the [[Gunpowder Plot]] – each claimed a Percy among their adherents. On this account the [[Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland|eighth]] and [[Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland|ninth]] Earls spent many years in the [[Tower of London]], but the tenth Earl, [[Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland|Algernon]], fought against King [[Charles I of England|Charles]] in the [[First English Civil War|Civil War]]. The male line of the Percy-Louvain house and the earldom ended with [[Joceline Percy, 11th Earl of Northumberland]].

[[Elizabeth Seymour, Duchess of Somerset|Elizabeth Percy]], heiress to the vast Percy estates married [[Charles Seymour, 6th Duke of Somerset]]. Upon the death of her grandson George Seymour, Viscount Beauchamp, the Percy inheritance was divided and [[Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset]] was created Earl of Northumberland in 1749, with special remainder to his daughter [[Elizabeth Percy, Duchess of Northumberland (1716–1776)|Elizabeth Seymour]], who had married a Yorkshire [[baronet]], [[Sir Hugh Smithson]]. He inherited the earldom the following year and in 1766 was created the first [[Duke of Northumberland]] and Earl Percy, and it is their descendants who now represent the famous old house.<ref name="terry"/>

The current duke lives at [[Alnwick Castle]] and [[Syon House]], just outside London.<section end=1416/>

==List of titleholders==

===Early earls===
{{Main|Earl of Northumbria}}

===Earls of Northumberland, first creation (1377)===
* [[Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland]] (1341–1408) (attainted 1405)
** Sir [[Henry Hotspur Percy|Henry Percy]], also called Harry Hotspur (c. 1365–1403) ''heir apparent''

===Earls of Northumberland, second creation (1416)===
* [[Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland]] (1394–1455), grandson of Henry (1341–1408) and son of "Hotspur"
* [[Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland]] (1421–1461), (forfeit 1461), son of Henry 2nd Earl

===Earl of Northumberland, third creation (1464)===
* [[John Neville, 1st Marquess of Montagu|John Neville, Earl of Northumberland, (1st Marquess of Montagu)]] (1431–1471), (1464–1470 released)

===Earls of Northumberland (1416, cont.)===
* [[Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland]] (1449–1489) (restored 1470–1473), son of Henry 3rd
* [[Henry Algernon Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland]] (1478–1527), son of Henry 4th
* [[Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland]] (1502–1537), son of Henry 5th, died without children
* [[Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland]] (1528–1572) (father attainted, restored 1557), grandson of Henry 5th
* [[Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland]] (1532–1585), also grandson of Henry 5th, younger brother of Thomas
* [[Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland]] (1564–1632), son of Henry 8th
* [[Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland]] (1602–1668), son of Henry 9th
* [[Josceline Percy, 11th Earl of Northumberland]] (1644–1670), son of Algernon, died leaving only one daughter, so the earldom became extinct

Various references use at least three different sequences of numbers for the earls; the ones shown here are those used in the individual articles on the 12 earls. The major difference arises from the question of whether Henry (1394–1455) was 1st as a new creation or 2nd as a restoration of the rights of his grandfather, Henry (1341–1408). Additionally, there is some debate about whether the 7th Earl was restored to the previous creation or was given a new creation.

===Earls of Northumberland, fourth creation (1674)===
* [[George FitzRoy, Duke of Northumberland|George FitzRoy, Earl of Northumberland]] (1665–1716) (became [[Duke of Northumberland]] in 1683; extinct)

===Earls of Northumberland, fifth creation (1749)===
* [[Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset|Algernon Seymour, 1st Earl of Northumberland]] (1684–1750), female-line grandson and heir of the 11th Earl of the 1416 creation
** [[Elizabeth Percy, Duchess of Northumberland (1716–1776)|Elizabeth Percy ''née'' Seymour]] (1716–1776), only daughter of the 1st Earl, married Sir Hugh Smithson
* [[Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland|Hugh Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland]] (1714–1786), changed his name to Percy when he inherited the Earldom of Northumberland from his father-in-law by special remainder; became [[Duke of Northumberland]] in 1766
The line continues with the Dukes of Northumberland (third creation)

=== Family tree ===
{{Northumberland family tree}}

==See also==
* [[List of monarchs of Northumbria]]
* [[Earl of York]]
* [[Baron Percy]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
===Non-Fiction===
* {{Cite EB1911|wstitle=Northumberland, Earls and Dukes of|volume=19|pages=787–788}}
* Rose, Alexander. ''Kings in the North: The House of Percy in British History''. Phoenix/Orion Books Ltd, 2002. {{ISBN|0-2978-1860-0}}, {{ISBN|1-8421-2485-4}}.
* [[George Tate (topographer)|Tate, George]], ''[https://archive.org/details/historyofborough01tate The history of the borough, castle, and barony of Alnwick]''. Henry Hunter Hare, Alnwick, 1866

===The Earls of Northumberland in Literature and Media===
* The 1st Earl of Northumberland and his son, Henry "Hotspur", play large roles in Shakespeare's play, [[Henry IV, Part 1]]
* A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury by Edith Pargeter (1st Earl of Northumberland and Henry "Hotspur" Percy)
* Lion of Alnwick (Book 1 of The Percy Saga) by Carol Wensby-Scott (1st Earl of Northumberland and Henry "Hotspur" Percy)
* Lion Dormant (Book 2 of The Percy Saga) by Carol Wensby-Scott (Hotspur's son the 2nd Earl of Northumberland and his son the 3rd Earl of Northumberland)
* Lion Invincible (Book 3 of The Percy Saga) by Carol Wensby-Scott (The 4th Earl of Northumberland)
* Alnwick Castle, the traditional home of the Earls of Northumberland, was used as the location of Hogwarts School in the [[Harry Potter]] movies.

===Notes===
* This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain in the US: ''[http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/11124 Northumberland Yesterday and To-day]'' by Jean F. Terry, 1913

{{DEFAULTSORT:Northumberland}}
[[Category:Extinct earldoms in the Peerage of England]]
[[Category:History of Northumberland]]
[[Category:Earldoms in the Peerage of Great Britain]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1377]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1416]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1464]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1674]]
[[Category:Noble titles created in 1749]]
[[Category:Earls of Northumberland| ]]
[[Category:Peerages created with special remainders]]