Henry Percy
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Sir Henry Percy KG ("Harry Hotspur"; * May 20, 1364 in Alnwick ; ⚔ July 21, 1403 near Shrewsbury ) was an English nobleman who was initially a friend and partisan, then an enemy of King Henry IV .
Life
Henry Percy was the eldest son of Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland , and his wife Margaret Neville. He quickly made a military career and earned a reputation as "Harry Hotspur" (hot spur) in battles against the Scots and the French . In 1388 he was captured by the Scots at the Battle of Otterburn , but released for a ransom. In the same year he was accepted as a Knight Companion in the Order of the Garter. From 1393 to 1395 he was governor of Bordeaux , which was then owned by Angevin . In 1399 he supported his friend and comrade-in-arms Henry Bolingbroke against his cousin King Richard II. However, when Bolingbroke had become King as Henry IV and failed to keep other promises he had given the Percys, Henry, as well as his father and uncle Thomas , rebelled Percy, 1st Earl of Worcester , against the King. On July 21, 1403 the Battle of Shrewsbury took place . Harry Hotspur was the leader of the rebel army. However, since the hoped-for support from the Welsh rebel leader Owain Glyndŵr did not materialize, Hotspur had no chance against the numerically superior army of the king. He was killed in battle.
King Henry IV first buried him with honor. However, when rumors began to circulate in the north that Hotspur was still alive, he had his body exhumed. He was divided into four parts which were sent around England while his head was impaled at the city gate of York .
family
Henry Percy married Lady Elizabeth Mortimer (1371-1417) around 1379, daughter of Edmund Mortimer, 3rd Earl of March and the Philippa Plantagenet, 5th Countess of Ulster . They had three children:
- Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland (1392–1455), ⚭ 1414 Lady Eleanor Neville, daughter of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland ;
- Elizabeth Percy (around 1402-1437), ⚭ (1) John Clifford, 7th Baron de Clifford , ⚭ (2) 1426 Ralph Neville, 2nd Earl of Westmorland ;
- Mathilda Percy († young).
His widow married Thomas de Camoys, 1st Baron Camoys , around 1406 .
reception
In William Shakespeare's royal dramas Henry IV , parts 1 and 2, Harry Hotspur serves as a counter-image to Prince Harry, the son of Henry IV and the later King Henry V. While the prince leads a dissolute life in the company of John Falstaff , Harry Hotspur earns military fame. In the end, however, it is Prince Harry who defeats the traitor Hotspur in a duel. In truth, Hotspur was over 20 years older than Henry V.
The London football club Tottenham Hotspur is named after Sir Henry Percy.
Secondary literature
- AW Boardman: Hotspur. Henry Percy: Medieval Rebel . Sutton Publishing, Stroud Gloucestershire 2003, ISBN 0-7509-2878-6 .
- Simon Walker: Percy, Sir Henry [called Henry Hotspur] (1364-1403). In: Oxford Dictionary of National Biography . Oxford University Press, 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X ( online edition ).
- James Tait: Percy, Henry (1364-1403) . In: Sidney Lee (Ed.): Dictionary of National Biography . Volume 44: Paston - Percy. , MacMillan & Co, Smith, Elder & Co., New York City / London 1895, pp. 395 - 399 (English).
Web links
- Henry Percy, Lord Percy on thepeerage.com
Individual evidence
- ^ William Arthur Shaw: The Knights of England. Volume 1, Sherratt and Hughes, London 1906, p. 6.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Percy, Henry |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Harry Hotspur |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | English nobleman |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 20, 1364 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Alnwick |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 21, 1403 |
| Place of death | Shrewsbury |