Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland
Get Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland essential facts below. View Videos or join the Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland discussion. Add Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland to your PopFlock.com topic list for future reference or share this resource on social media.
Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland

Henry Percy
Earl of Northumberland, King of Mann
Henry Percy Earl of Northumberland.jpg
Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland; 18th-century engraving
Titles and styles
The Earl of Northumberland
The Lord of Mann[1]
Born10 November 1341
Alnwick, Northumberland, England
Died20 February 1408(1408-02-20) (aged 66)
Bramham Moor, Yorkshire, England
Noble familyHouse of Percy
Spouse(s)Margaret Neville
Maud, Baroness Lucy
Harry "Hotspur" Percy
Sir Thomas Percy
Sir Ralph Percy
Alan Percy
Margaret Percy
FatherHenry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy
MotherMary of Lancaster



Arms of Percy

Henry Percy was originally a follower of Edward III of England, for whom he held high offices in the administration of northern England. At a young age he was made Warden of the Marches towards Scotland in 1362, with the authority to negotiate with the Scottish government. In February 1367 he was entrusted with the supervision of all castles and fortified places in the Scottish marches. He went on to support King Richard II, was formally created an Earl on Richard's coronation in 1377,[2] and was briefly given the title of Marshal of England. Between 1383 and 1384 he was appointed Admiral of the Northern Seas. After Richard elevated his rival Ralph Neville to the position of Earl of Westmorland in 1397, Percy and his son, also Henry and known as "Hotspur", supported the rebellion of Henry Bolingbroke, who became King as Henry IV.

On King Henry IV's coronation Henry Percy was appointed Constable of England and granted the lordship of the Isle of Man. Percy and Hotspur were given the task of subduing the rebellion of Owain Glynd?r, but their attempts to make peace with the Welsh rebels did not meet with the king's approval.


In September 1402 the Percys took part in the Battle of Homildon Hill, which led to the capture of many Scots nobles. Henry did not want them to be ransomed, leading to another quarrel.[3] In 1403 the Percys turned against Henry IV in favour of Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March, and then conspired with Owain Glynd?r against Henry. The Tripartite Indenture was signed by all three parties, which divided England up between them. Glynd?r was to be given Wales, and a substantial part of the west of England, Northumberland was to have received the north of England, as well as Northamptonshire, Norfolk, Warwickshire, and Leicestershire. The Mortimers were to have received the rest of southern England, below the river Trent.[4]


In 1408 Percy invaded England in rebellion once more and was killed at the Battle of Bramham Moor. His severed head was subsequently put on display at London Bridge.

Marriages and issue

In 1358, he married Margaret Neville (12 February 1339 – 12 May 1372), daughter of Ralph Neville, 2nd Baron Neville de Raby, and Alice de Audley.[5] They had four sons (Harry "Hotspur" Percy, Thomas, Ralph, and Alan) and one daughter (Margaret).


In 1381, he married Maud Lucy (1343 – 18 December 1398), daughter of Sir Thomas de Lucy, 2nd Baron Lucy, and Margaret de Multon, and thus sister and heiress of Anthony Lucy, 3rd Baron Lucy (died 1368), of Cockermouth Castle, Cumbria, which estate he inherited on condition that he and his heirs male should bear the arms of Lucy (Gules, three lucies hauriant argent) quarterly with their own.[6] They had no issue.

In literature and media



The novel Lion of Alnwick by Carol Wensby-Scott is the first volume of the Percy Saga trilogy which retells the story of "the wild and brilliant Percy family" and relates a fictionalised account of the lives of the 1st Earl of Northumberland and his son Henry "Hotspur" Percy. The other novels in the trilogy, Lion Dormant and Lion Invincible tell the story of his other descendants and their role in the English War of the Roses.





  1. ^ self styled as the King of Mann
  2. ^ Chisholm 1911, p. 787.
  3. ^ Chisholm 1911, p. 788.
  5. ^ The Peerage http://thepeerage.com/p10692.htm#i106912


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)
Political offices
Preceded by
The Countess of Norfolk
Lord Marshal
Succeeded by
The Lord Maltravers
Peerage of England
Preceded by
New Creation
Earl of Northumberland
Succeeded by
forfeit/Henry Percy
Preceded by
Henry de Percy
Baron Percy
Succeeded by
forfeit/Henry Percy
Head of State of the Isle of Man
Preceded by
William le Scrope
King of Mann
Succeeded by
John I Stanley




Music Scenes