View source for Henry Percy (Hotspur)

{{short description|14th-century English noble (1364–1403)}}
{{Use British English|date=May 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}
{{Infobox noble
| honorific_prefix = Sir
| honorific_suffix = {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KG}}
| image        = Statue of Harry Hotspur in Alnwick.jpg
| image_size   = 250px
| caption      = Statue of Harry Hotspur in [[Alnwick]], Northumberland, unveiled in 2010
| spouse       = [[Lady Elizabeth Mortimer]]
| issue        = {{ubl|[[Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland]]| [[Lady Elizabeth Percy|Elizabeth Percy, Countess of Westmorland]]}}
| full name    = 
| noble family = [[House of Percy|Percy]]
| father       = [[Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland]]
| mother       = Margaret Neville
| birth_date   = {{birth date|1364|5|20|df=y}}
| birth_place  = Northumberland, England
| death_date   = {{death date and age|1403|7|21|1364|5|20|df=y}}
| death_place  = [[Battle of Shrewsbury|Shrewsbury]], Shropshire, England
|resting_place = [[York Minster]]
}}
[[File:Coat of Arms of Henry Percy (Hotspur).svg|200px|thumb|Arms of Hotspur]]
'''Sir Henry Percy''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|size=100%|KG}} (20 May 1364&nbsp;– 21 July 1403), nicknamed '''Hotspur''' or '''Harry Hotspur''', was an English [[knight]] who fought in several campaigns against the [[Kingdom of Scotland|Scots]] in the [[Anglo–Scottish border|northern border]] and against the [[Kingdom of France|French]] during the [[Hundred Years' War]]. The nickname "Hotspur" was given to him by the Scots as a tribute to his speed in advance and readiness to attack. The heir to a leading noble family in northern England, Hotspur was one of the earliest and prime movers behind the deposition of King [[Richard II of England|Richard II]] in favour of [[Henry IV of England|Henry Bolingbroke]] in 1399. He later fell out with the new regime and rebelled, and was slain at the [[Battle of Shrewsbury]] in 1403 at the height of his fame.

== Career ==
Henry Percy was born 20 May 1364 at either [[Alnwick Castle]] or [[Warkworth Castle]] in [[Northumberland]], the eldest son of [[Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland]], and Margaret Neville, daughter of [[Ralph Neville, 2nd Baron Neville de Raby|Ralph de Neville, 2nd Lord Neville of Raby]], and Alice de Audley.<ref name="R_III-341_W">{{Harvnb|Richardson III|2011|p=341}}; {{Harvnb|Walker|2004}}.</ref> He was [[Knight Bachelor|knighted]] by [[Edward III of England|King Edward III]] in April 1377, together with the future kings [[Richard II of England|Richard II]] and [[Henry IV of England|Henry IV]].<ref name="R_III-341_C-713_W">{{Harvnb|Richardson III|2011|p=341}}; {{Harvnb|Cokayne|1936|p=713}}; {{Harvnb|Walker|2004}}.</ref> In 1380, he was in Ireland with the [[Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March|Earl of March]],<ref name="Walker">{{Harvnb|Walker|2004}}.</ref> and in 1383, he travelled in [[State of the Teutonic Order|Prussia]].<ref name="C-713_W">{{Harvnb|Cokayne|1936|p=713}}; {{Harvnb|Walker|2004}}.</ref> He was appointed [[Lord Warden of the Marches|Warden of the East March]] either on 30 July 1384 or in May 1385,<ref name="C-713_W" /> and in 1385 accompanied Richard II on an expedition into Scotland.<ref name="R_III-341_W" /> "As a tribute to his speed in advance and readiness to attack" on the Scottish borders, the Scots bestowed on him the name 'Haatspore'.<ref name="R_III-341_C-713_W" /> In April 1386, he was sent to France to reinforce the garrison at [[Calais]] and led raids into [[Picardy]]. Between August and October 1387, he was in command of a naval force in an attempt to relieve the siege of [[Brest, France|Brest]].<ref name="C-713_W" /> In appreciation of these military endeavours, at the age of 24 he was made a [[Order of the Garter|Knight of the Garter]] in 1388.<ref name="C-713_W" /> Reappointed as Warden of the East March, he commanded the English forces against [[James Douglas, 2nd Earl of Douglas]], at the [[Battle of Otterburn]] on 10 August 1388, where he was captured, but soon ransomed for 7000 marks.<ref name="R_III-341_C-713_W" />
[[File:Pennon of Sir Henry (Hotspur) Percy, Battle of Otterburn.jpg|thumb|left|The [[pennon]] of Percy captured by James Douglas, Earl of Douglas]]
During the next few years Percy's reputation continued to grow. Although not 30, he was sent on a diplomatic mission to [[Cyprus]] in June 1393 and appointed [[Lieutenant of the Duchy of Aquitaine]] (1394–98) on behalf of [[John of Gaunt]], [[Duchy of Aquitaine|Duke of Aquitaine]].<ref name="R_III-341_C-713_W" /> He returned to England in January 1395, taking part in Richard II's expedition to Ireland, and was back in Aquitaine the following autumn. In the summer of 1396, he was again in Calais.<ref name="Walker" />

Percy's military and diplomatic service brought him substantial marks of royal favour in the form of grants and appointments,<ref name="C-713_W" /> but despite this, the Percy family decided to support Henry Bolingbroke, the future Henry IV, in his rebellion against Richard II. On Henry's return from exile in June 1399, Percy and his father joined his forces at [[Doncaster]] and marched south with them. After King Richard's deposition, Percy and his father were "lavishly rewarded" with lands and offices.<ref name="Walker" />

Under the new king, Percy had extensive civil and military responsibility in both the East March towards Wales, where he was appointed [[High Sheriff of Flintshire]] in 1399, and in the north toward Scotland. In north Wales, he was under increasing pressure as a result of the rebellion of [[Owain Glyndŵr]]. In March 1402, Henry IV appointed Percy royal lieutenant in north Wales, and on 14 September 1402, Percy, his father, and the [[George I, Earl of March|Earl of Dunbar and March]] defeated a Scottish force at the [[Battle of Humbleton Hill|Battle of Homildon Hill]]. Among others, they made a prisoner of [[Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas]].<ref name="R_III-341_W" />

== Rebellion, death and exhumation ==
In spite of the favour that Henry IV showed the Percys in many respects, they became increasingly discontented with him. Among their grievances were:

* The king's failure to pay the wages due them for defending the Scottish border
* The king's favour towards Dunbar
* The king's demand that the Percys hand over their Scottish prisoners
* The king's failure to put an end to Owain Glyndŵr's rebellion through a negotiated settlement
* The king's increasing promotion of his son's ([[Henry V of England|Prince Henry]]) military authority in Wales
* The king's failure to ransom Henry Percy's brother-in-law, [[Edmund Mortimer, son of the 3rd Earl of March|Sir Edmund Mortimer]], whom the Welsh had captured in June 1402<ref>{{Harvnb|Walker|2004}}; {{Harvnb|Pugh|1988|pp=14, 37}}; {{Harvnb|Richardson III|2011|pp=193–195}}; {{Harvnb|Holmes|2004}}; {{Harvnb|Tout|2004}}; {{Harvnb|Bean|2004}}.</ref>

Spurred by these grievances, the Percys rebelled in the summer of 1403 and took up arms against the king. According to J. M. W. Bean, it is clear that the Percys were in collusion with Glyndŵr. On his return to England shortly after the victory at Homildon Hill, Henry Percy issued proclamations in [[Cheshire]] accusing the king of 'tyrannical government'.<ref name="Walker" />

Joined by his uncle, [[Thomas Percy, 1st Earl of Worcester|Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester]], Percy marched to Shrewsbury, where he intended to do battle against a force there under the command of the [[Henry V of England|Prince of Wales]]. The army of his father, however, was slow to move south, and it was without the assistance of his father that Henry Percy and Worcester arrived at Shrewsbury on 21 July 1403, where they encountered the king with a large army. The ensuing [[Battle of Shrewsbury]] was fierce, with heavy casualties on both sides but, when Henry Percy himself was struck down and killed, his own forces fled.<ref name="Walker" />

The circumstances of Percy's death differ in accounts. The chronicler [[Thomas Walsingham]] stated in his ''Historia Anglicana'' that "while he led his men in the fight rashly penetrating the enemy host, [Hotspur] was unexpectedly cut down, by whose hand is not known". Another account states that Percy was struck in the face by an arrow when he opened his visor for a better view.<ref>{{cite book|last=Barratt|first=John|title=War for the Throne, the Battle of Shrewsbury|year=2010|publisher=Pen and Sword Books|page=97|isbn=978-1-84884-028-7}}Campaign Chronicles series.</ref> This is the view taken by [[Alnwick Castle]], home of Hotspur's descendants and place where a statue of him is exhibited. The legend that he was killed by the Prince of Wales seems to have been given currency by [[William Shakespeare]], writing at the end of the following century. The Earl of Worcester was executed two days later.<ref>{{Harvnb|Bean|2004}}.</ref>
[[File:Wressle-Castle-29042011.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Shortly after Henry died in battle, his uncle was executed. An attainder was issued and the family's property, including [[Wressle Castle]] in the East Riding of Yorkshire (above), was confiscated by the Crown.<ref>{{harvnb|Brown|2004}}</ref>]]
King Henry, upon being brought Percy's body after the battle, is said to have wept. The body was taken by [[Baron Furnivall|Thomas Neville, 5th Baron Furnivall]], to [[Whitchurch, Shropshire]], for burial. However, when rumours circulated that Percy was still alive, the king "had the corpse exhumed and displayed it, propped upright between two millstones, in the market place at Shrewsbury".<ref name="Walker" /> That being done, Percy was subjected to [[posthumous execution]]. The king dispatched Percy's head to [[York]], where it was [[head on a spike|impaled]] on the [[Micklegate Bar]] (one of the city's gates). His four-quarters were separately displayed in London, [[Newcastle upon Tyne]], Bristol, and [[Chester]] before they were finally delivered to his widow. She had the body buried in [[York Minster]] in November of that year.<ref>{{Harvnb|Cokayne|1936|p=714}}.</ref> In January 1404, Percy was posthumously [[attainder|attainted]], declared guilty of [[High treason in the United Kingdom|high treason]], and his titles and lands were declared forfeit to the Crown.{{citation needed|date=September 2012}}

== Marriage and issue ==
Henry Percy married [[Elizabeth Mortimer]], the eldest daughter of [[Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March]], and his wife, [[Philippa Plantagenet, 5th Countess of Ulster|Philippa]], the only child of [[Lionel, 1st Duke of Clarence]], and [[Elizabeth de Burgh, Countess of Ulster]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Richardson III|2011|p=341}}.</ref> By her he had two children:

{{Children/top}}
{{Children
|name=Henry
|article=Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland
|lifespan=3 February 1393&nbsp;– 22 May 1455
|notes=2nd Earl of Northumberland; married Eleanor Neville, by whom he had issue. He was slain at the [[First Battle of St Albans]] during the [[Wars of the Roses]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Richardson III|2011|pp=343–344}}.</ref>
}}
{{Children
|name=Elizabeth
|article=Lady Elizabeth Percy
|lifespan=c.1395&nbsp;–&nbsp;26 October 1436
|notes=Married firstly [[John Clifford, 7th Baron de Clifford]], slain at the [[Siege of Meaux]] on 13 March 1422, by whom she had issue, and secondly [[Ralph Neville, 2nd Earl of Westmorland]] (d. 3 November 1484), by whom she had a son, Sir John Neville.<ref>{{Harvnb|Richardson I|2011|p=507}}; {{Harvnb|Richardson III|2011|p=250}}.</ref>
}}
{{Children/bottom}}

Sometime after 3 June 1406, Elizabeth Mortimer married, as her second husband, [[Thomas de Camoys, 1st Baron Camoys]], by whom she had a son, Sir Roger Camoys.<ref>{{Harvnb|Cokayne|1912|p=508}}; {{Harvnb|Richardson I|2011|pp=398–399}}.</ref> Thomas Camoys distinguished himself as a soldier in command of the rearguard of the English army at the [[Battle of Agincourt]] on 25 October 1415.<ref>{{Harvnb|Leland|2004}}.</ref>

== Legacy ==
[[File:Warkworth Castle interior, 2007.jpg|right|thumb|upright=1.3|[[Warkworth Castle]] in [[Northumberland]], the home of Henry Percy]]
Henry Percy, 'Hotspur', is one of [[William Shakespeare|Shakespeare's]] best-known characters. In ''[[Henry IV, Part 1]]'', Percy is portrayed as the same age as his rival, [[Prince Hal]], by whom he is slain in single combat. In fact, he was 23 years older than Prince Hal, the future [[Henry V of England|King Henry V]], who was a youth of 16 at the date of the Battle of Shrewsbury.

One of England's football clubs, [[Tottenham Hotspur]], is named after Hotspur, who lived in the region and whose descendants owned land in the neighbourhood of the club's first ground in the [[Tottenham Marshes]]. He was also well known for having a highly favoured enjoyment of watching [[cockfighting]], hence the club's badge symbol.<ref>"[https://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/heritage/england/tyne/article_3.shtml Harry Hotspur – Home grown hero of Alnwick]", ''bbc.com'', 18 June 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2015.</ref><ref>"[http://www.alnwickcastle.com/explore/whats-here/harry-hotspur-exhibition Harry Hotspur Exhibition] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925111716/http://www.alnwickcastle.com/explore/whats-here/harry-hotspur-exhibition |date=25 September 2015 }}", Alnwick Castle website. Retrieved 25 September 2015.</ref><ref>"[http://www.itv.com/news/tyne-tees/2014-11-08/alnwick-1-tottenham-hotspur-0/ Alnwick 1 Tottenham Hotspur 0]", ''itv.com'', 8 November 2014. Retrieved 25 September 2015.</ref>

A {{convert|14|ft|m|adj=on}} statue of Henry Percy was unveiled in Alnwick by the Duke of Northumberland in 2010.<ref>Daniel, B. "[http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/local-news/duke-northumberland-unveils-harry-hotspur-4452928 Duke of Northumberland unveils Harry Hotspur statue] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925091335/http://www.thejournal.co.uk/news/local-news/duke-northumberland-unveils-harry-hotspur-4452928 |date=25 September 2015 }}", ''The Journal'', 21 August 2010. Retrieved 24 September 2015.</ref>

The protagonist of the [[video game]] ''[[Shadows of the Damned]]'' is named Garcia Hotspur.

[[Tom Glynn-Carney]] portrayed Hotspur in ''[[The King (2019 film)|The King]]'' (2019).

[[Joe Armstrong (actor)|Joe Armstrong]] portrayed Hotspur in ''[[The Hollow Crown (TV series)|The Hollow Crown]]'' (2013).

[[Sean Connery]] portrayed Hotspur with [[Robert Hardy]] as Prince Hal. The 1960 production was part of a BBC series ''[[An Age of Kings]]'', a synthesis of Shakespeare's histories, with the episodes (3 & 4) featuring Hotspur first broadcast in summer 1960.

A British Airways Boeing 737-200, registered as G-BKYH, was given the name "Hotspur" in 1994, until the airline retired the aircraft.

== Footnotes ==
{{Reflist|colwidth=30em}}

== References ==
* {{Cite ODNB |title = Percy, Henry, first earl of Northumberland (1341–1408) |last = Bean |first = J.&nbsp;M.&nbsp;W. |url = http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/21932 |access-date = 3 October 2012 |year = 2004 |doi = 10.1093/ref:odnb/21932}}{{subscription required |date=October 2012}}
* {{Cite ODNB |title = Percy, Thomas, earl of Worcester (c.1343–1403) |last = Brown |first = A.&nbsp;L. |url = http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/21955 |access-date = 24 February 2016 |year = 2004 |doi = 10.1093/ref:odnb/21955}}{{subscription required |date=February 2016}}
* {{Cite book |title = The Complete Peerage, edited by H.A. Doubleday |last = Cokayne |first = George Edward |publisher = St. Catherine Press |location = London |year = 1912 |volume = II |pages = 506–510}}
* {{Cite book |title = The Complete Peerage, edited by H.A. Doubleday |last = Cokayne |first = George Edward |publisher = St. Catherine Press |location = London |year = 1936 |volume = IX |pages = 713–714}}
* {{Cite ODNB |title=Mortimer, Edmund (III), third earl of March and earl of Ulster (1352–1381) |last=Holmes |first=George |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/19342 |access-date=29 September 2012 |year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/19342}}
* {{cite DNB |wstitle=Percy, Henry (1364-1403) |volume=44}}
* {{Cite ODNB |title=Camoys, Thomas, Baron Camoys (c.1350–1420/21) |last=Leland |first=John L. |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/4461 |access-date=26 September 2012 |year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/4461}} {{subscription required |date=February 2013}}
* {{Cite book |title=Henry V and the Southampton Plot of 1415 |last=Pugh |first=T. B. |publisher=Alan Sutton |year=1988}} {{ISBN|0-86299-541-8}}
* {{Cite book |title=Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, ed. Kimball G. Everingham |last=Richardson |first=Douglas |location=Salt Lake City |year=2011 |edition=2nd |volume=I |ref={{sfnref|Richardson I|2011}}}} {{ISBN|1-4499-6637-3}}
* {{Cite book |title=Magna Carta Ancestry: A Study in Colonial and Medieval Families, ed. Kimball G. Everingham |last=Richardson |first=Douglas |location=Salt Lake City |year=2011 |edition=2nd |volume=III |ref={{sfnref|Richardson III|2011}}}} {{ISBN|1-4499-6639-X}}
* {{Cite ODNB |title=Mortimer, Sir Edmund (IV) (1376–1408/9) |last=Tout |first=T. F., rev. R. R. Davies |url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/19343 |access-date=29 September 2012 |year=2004 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/19343}}
* {{cite odnb |last=Walker |year=2004 |first=Simon |title=Percy, Sir Henry (1364–1403), soldier |url=https://archive.today/20190216032243/http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-21931 |doi=10.1093/ref:odnb/21931 |author-link=Simon Walker (historian)}}

== External links ==
* {{cite web |url=http://www.percyfamilyhistory.com/ |title=The Ancient House of Percy |last=Percy |first=Charles}}
* For an account of the Battle of Shrewsbury and Henry Percy's death see {{cite web |url=http://www.englishmonarchs.co.uk/plantagenet_9.htm |title=Plantagenet of Lancaster |publisher=English Monarchs}}
* Statue of Henry Percy, 'Hotspur':
** {{cite web |url=https://www.flickr.com/photos/72708937@N00/5084404259/ |title=Alnwick |date=28 August 2010 |publisher=fickr}}
** {{cite news |url=http://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/Harry-reborn-in-bronze.6434041.jp |title=Harry reborn in bronze |newspaper=[[Northumberland Gazette]] |date=22 July 2010 |access-date=20 August 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100726100448/http://www.northumberlandgazette.co.uk/news/Harry-reborn-in-bronze.6434041.jp |archive-date=26 July 2010 |url-status=dead}}
* For fictional treatments see:
** {{cite web |url=http://www.alexrose.com/kings-in-the-north/ |title=Kings in the North |last=Rose |first=Alexander |publisher=alexrose.com}}
** {{cite web |url=http://www.historicalnovels.info/Bloody-Field-by-Shrewsbury.html |title=''A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury'' by Edith Pargeter |last=Donsbach |first=Margaret |publisher=historicalnovels.info}}

{{Henriad}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Percy, Henry (Hotspur)}}
[[Category:1364 births]]
[[Category:1403 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Spofforth, North Yorkshire]]
[[Category:People from Alnwick]]
[[Category:14th-century English people]]
[[Category:15th-century English people]]
[[Category:English military personnel killed in action]]
[[Category:Knights of the Garter]]

[[Category:Medieval English knights]]
[[Category:English rebels]]
[[Category:Percy family|Henry 'Hotspur' Percy]]
[[Category:High sheriffs of Flintshire]]
[[Category:Burials at York Minster]]
[[Category:Knights Bachelor]]
[[Category:People from Warkworth, Northumberland]]
[[Category:Military personnel from Northumberland]]