One of the most brilliant knights of the Middle Ages, was Henry Percy who gained the nickname
Henry Hotspur.
He was a thorn in the side of the Scots and also the French, and his name was given to
him due to his skill on the battlefield as an always ready, and quick commander who would
inspire his forces.
He was part of a noble family in England, and was a key part of the deposition of a
Medieval King, but one battle would be too many for Henry Hotspur.
Following the Battle of Shrewsbury, he was posthumously executed after he fell on the
battlefield, and his remains were treated terribly.
But what is the story of this brilliant knight, and why was he treated so poorly in death?
Join us today as we look at the brutal execution of the remains of Henry hotspur and remember
as always to support our channel, please make sure to subscribe.
Henry Percy was born not he 20th May 1364 at either Alnwick Castle of Warkworth Castle
in Northumberland in the north of England.
He was the eldest son of Henry Percy the 1st Earl of Northumberland, and Margaret Neville.
As a young man at the age of 13 he was knighted by King Edward II along with the future King
Richard II and Henry IV.
It was clear he belonged to a rather well off and prominent noble medieval family that
was linked to the royal court.
At the age of 16 he was in Ireland with the Earl of March and then he travelled 3 years
later to Prussia.
He became the Warden of the East March around 1384 and then following year he was part of
Richard II’s entourage as the English ventured into the Scottish Borders.
Whilst raiding along the border and fighting the Scots, he gained the nickname hotspur
or Haatspore because of his ferocious fighting tactics.
He was a brilliant knight, and he was clearly a gifted military commander and was valued
by the Kings of England at the time.
He had been brought up in this way, and had been raised to be a military leader.
But then he was sent to France during the 100 years war to try and strengthen Calais
and the soldiers that were garrisoned there.
He also led raids into neighbouring French areas and settlements and his reputation continued
to grow.
He then was in control of a naval fleet that were sent to try and relieve the siege of
Brest, and for this and his various other campaigns he was made a knight of the Garter.
He was knighted at the age of 24, which shows you how much skill and experience he had on
the battlefields of Europe at such a young age.
He then returned to England and resumed protecting the east march, and he was then involved in
the Battle of Otterburn against the 2nd Earl of Douglas.
Here he was captured, but Douglas realised his worth, and instead of slaughtering Hotspur,
he was held for ransom and quickly the King paid 7000 marks for the safe return of Henry
Percy.
This was a huge sum of money, but then the English King could not have his main commander
slaughtered and executed.
But following this, the reputation of Henry Hotspur continued to thrive and grow.
He was sent to Cyprus in an early diplomatic mission also before the age of 30, and he
then became the leftenant of the Duchy of Aquitaine, to help John of Gaunt who was the
Duke.
He came back to England in January 1395 and raided in Ireland with Richard II, but then
returned to France where he was fighting in calais.
Through his skill on the battlefield and as a commander, he was given a huge amount of
wealth and favour from the King, and Richard II rewarded him handsomely.
He was married to Lady Elizabeth Mortimer, and together the couple had two children,
Henry Percy who would become his heir and also a daughter named Elizabeth who became
the Countess of Westmorland.
But despite being clearly close with Richard II, he decided to at some point turn against
the King.
Henry Bolingbroke challenged Richard II and his legitimacy, and along with the former
Archbishop of Cantebury Thomas Arundel, he began a military campaign in which he began
to steal land from people who opposed him.
Henry claimed that it was his intention to reclaim the rights he had as the Duke of Lancaster,
but he gained support to challenge for the crown, as he did have royal blood.
He had enough support to have himself declared King Henry IV and he imprisoned Richard II
and was then coronated on the 13th October 1399 at Westminster Abbey.
But Henry Hotspur supported Henry in this, and he had joined forced with his father at
Doncaster and together the Percy’s and Bolingbroke marched south and were involved in the rebellion.
Following Henry IV being crowned, Henry Hotspur and his family were rewarded handsomely with
more land and titles, and other important roles at court.
The new king also clearly valued Henry Hotspurs’ skill on the battlefield, and under him he
was involved in many key military operations in the east, but also towards Wales.
He was appointed the High Sheriff of Flintshire and then saw more action towards Scotland.
Inside of Wales though, he was suffering after Owain Glyndwr’s uprising was putting him
under a lot of pressure and his men were struggling to maintain order and put it sown.
But then in March 1402 Percy was made the Royal Legtenant of North Wales, and in the
autumn of that year he was yet again fighting the Scots.
He and his father along with some Scottish Earls fought against a Scottish army at the
Battle of Hamilton Hill and they were victorious, and they managed to also seize a prize prisoner
in the form of Archibald Douglas, the 4th Earl of Douglas.
However despite being friendly with the new King Henry IV, the Percy’s had shown themselves
to be turncoats and people who couldn’t always be trusted.
They became disillusioned with the King, and they had many arguments with him.
They were angry as the King failed to pay wages to them as they were defending the north
border, the King was favourable towards a Scottish Earl, the King also demanded that
the Percy’s should give over their Scottish prisoners.
There were many more reasons why the Percy’s were angry including the lack of leadership
in Wales, but because of this the Percy’s who were very powerful rose up in the summer
of 1403.
They took up weapons against the King, and were colluding with the Welsh Rebel Owain
Glyndwr.
Henry Percy said the King was running a tyrannical government and he wanted it bringing down.
His uncle Thomas Percy the Earl of Worcester joined him, and they marched to Shrewsbury
to fight against a royalist army.
But when they got to Shrewsbury on the 21st July 1403, they met a huge army with the King.
The Battle of Shrewsbury erupted and was very feirce, and there were a number of casualties
on both sides.
But the main casualty was Henry Hotspur, or Henry Percy.
There are differing accounts of his death, and one record states that ‘While he led
his men in the fight rashly penetrating the enemy, Hotspur was unexpectedly cut down,
by who’s hand not known.’
Other accounts say he was struck int he fact by an arrow which hit him when he opened his
Visor for a better view of the battlefield.
However this was not the end of the story for Henry Hotspur.
Despite lying dead on the battlefield, his body was taken to the King.
Henry allegedly wept at seeing it, and his body was then taken by Thomas Neville the
5th Baron Furnivall to Shropshire.
However there were rumours that Percy was still alive, and the King then to put this
to bed, and the corpse of Henry Hotspur dug up.
It was said he had it exhumed and displayed, propped upright between two millstones in
the market place of Shrewsbury.’
As Hotspur’s body was lying there, it was then beheaded and Percy’s head was cut off
and it was then sent to York where it was placed above one of the City’s gates.
His body was then cut into four quarters before they were sent to London, Newcastle, Bristol
and Chester and they were displayed before they were shockingly sent to his wife.
His remains were then buried at York Minster, and he was declared a traitor.
But Henry Percy, or Henry Hotspur was a skilled and gifted military leader who struck fear
into the hearts of many people across Britain and Europe.
He was known for his quick thinking and decisive actions, but following his death his remains
were treated terribly.
His posthumosu execution brought shame on his legacy and his reputation, and his remains
were displayed to send a clear reminder not to rebel against king Henry IV.
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