In the Middle Ages, there were two prominent and influential families in England – the Nevilles and the Percys. The Percy’s power was concentrated in the North, and as a result, they were the chief defenders of the Scottish border. They
In the Middle Ages, there were two prominent and influential families in England – the Nevilles and the Percys. The Percy’s power was concentrated in the North, and as a result, they were the chief defenders of the Scottish border. They were aided in their battles by strongholds in the form of great castles at Alnwick, Warkworth, Bamburgh and Prudhoe.
Perhaps the best remembered Percy is Henry ‘Hotspur’, who first served and then rebelled against King Henry IV, before being slain in battle.
Henry ‘Hotspur’ Percy (henceforth referred to just as Hotspur to avoid confusion with any other Henry Percy) was born on 20th May 1364. In addition to being a Percy, he was, in fact, also descended from the Neville family, which made Hotspur one of the most important noblemen of his time. His parents were Henry Percy, 4th Lord Percy of Alnwick, and Margaret Neville, the daughter of the 2nd Baron of Neville.
Not much is known about Hotspur’s birth, and he was possibly born at his family’s home in Alnwick. Even as a child, he was a fierce fighter, and diligently carried on his family tradition of defending the country against a Scottish invasion by patrolling the border with his father. His eagerness to go into battle and impulsive nature earned him the nickname of Hotspur. When he was only 13, Hotspur was knighted by King Edward III, shortly before the old King’s death.
At the coronation of King Richard II in 1377, the older Henry Percy was made the 1st Earl of Northumberland. The teenaged Hotspur, now heir to an Earldom, began his service in the army the very next year, where he fought for the King at the Siege of Berwick. Hotspur continued to serve loyally King Richard II, who was, in fact, younger than he was, for the next two decades. In 1386, he was sent to fight in the 100 Years War in Calais but had to be hurriedly called back to England to fend off an attack from the French.
Around this time, Hotspur married Elizabeth Mortimer, the daughter of Edmund Mortimer and his wife, Philippa. Elizabeth’s mother was the daughter of Lionel of Antwerp, and a granddaughter of King Edward III; her father was descended from Roger Mortimer. Hotspur a