Henry Percy (Hotspur)

For other people of the same name, see Henry Percy (disambiguation).

Harry Hotspur
Sir Henry Percy
Spouse(s)	Lady Elizabeth Mortimer
Issue
Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland Lady Elizabeth Percy
Noble family	House of Percy
Father	Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland
Mother	Margaret Neville
Born	20 May 1364(1364-05-20) Spofforth, Yorkshire, England
Died	21 July 1403(1403-07-21) (aged 39) Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England

A 19th century artist's impression of Hotspur's death

Sir Henry Percy, also called Harry Hotspur KG (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 his birth.

Early career

The pennon of Sir Henry Percy as captured by James Douglas, Earl of Douglas.

It is unclear where Sir Henry was born; either at Spofforth Castle in Yorkshire, Alnwick Castle in Alnwick, Northumberland, or Warkworth Castle in Warkworth, Northumberland. 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 the son of Edward III of England and his consort Philippa of Hainault. Henry and Elizabeth had two 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.

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 subtitled "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.

Hotspur has three of Shakespeare's most famous lines in Henry IV, Part 1; the first two of which he speaks immediately after being stabbed by Prince Hal. The first line is "O Harry, thou hast robbed me of my youth!". The second, cut off in mid-sentence by his death and completed by Prince Hal, is "O Percy, thou art dust, and food for—". Prince Hal completes the line: "For worms, brave Percy". The third is his response to the Welsh leader, Owen Glendower, who boasts "I can call spirits from the vasty deep!" To which Hotspur replies, "Why, so can I, and so can any man. But will they come when you do call for them?"

Hotspur is a central character in the novel A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury (1972) by Edith Pargeter.

In C.S. Forester's 'Hornblower Series, "Hotspur" is the name of one of the ships under Horatio Hornblower's command.

Hotspur in sport

The Percy family owned large tracts of land in Tottenham with the local football club Tottenham Hotspur choosing the name Hotspur.

Harry Hotspur statue

On Friday 20 August 2010, the statue of Harry Hotspur was unveiled in Alnwick, Northumberland. The idea of a bronze statue was to commemorate the 700th anniversary of the Percy family in Alnwick.

See also

Hotspur

Ancestry

Warkworth Castle, the home of Henry Percy

References

• Alnwick Castle; Home of the Duke of Northumberland.

Further reading

• Rose, Alexander: Kings in the North – The House of Percy in British History. Phoenix/Orion Books Ltd, 2002, ISBN 1-84212-485-4 (722 pages paperback)
• Nigel Tranter, The Stewart Trilogy, Dunton Green, Sevenoaks, Kent : Coronet Books, 1986. ISBN 0-340-39115-4. Lords of Misrule, 1388–1396. A Folly of Princes, 1396–1402. The Captive Crown, 1402–1411.
• Edith Pargeter's historical novel, A Bloody Field by Shrewsbury, (1972) deals with the relationship of Henry of Bolingbroke, later Henry IV of England, and Henry Percy, from their early friendship until Percy's death as a rebel at Shresbury. "Examines England's history during the early 15th century, detailing the key players including Richard III, Henry IV, Henry V, and Owen Glendower".

External links

• The Ancient House of Percy