The Battle of Shrewsbury (21 July 1403) THE STORY OF THE BATTLE OF SHREWSBURY By Henrietta E. Marshall Henry IV knew quite well that he was not the real heir to the throne, although he tried to make people believe that he was. The real heir was Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March . Richard II was the son of Edward the Black Prince , who was the eldest son of Edward III . Edmund Mortimer was descended from Lionel of Clarence , who was the third son of Edward III. Henry Bolingbroke [ Henry IV ] was descended from John of Gaunt , who was the fourth son of Edward III. So, of course, Edmund Mortimer had a better right to the throne than Henry Bolingbroke had. But Edmund Mortimer was only a little boy, and, like so many other little princes, he was passed over and forgotten. The people chose rather to have a strong man who could really rule, than a little boy who could rule only in name. But Henry was afraid of Edmund, and kept him a prisoner in Windsor Castle, although he was not otherwise unkind to him.

Henry had seized the throne in an unlawful manner, and he found that it was no easy matter to keep it. No sooner was he crowned than plots thickened around him, and people who had hated Richard were now sorry that they had put Henry on the throne. The Welsh, who had been conquered by Edward I, had never been content to live under the rule of English kings, and Owen Glendower , a Welsh nobleman, now rebelled against Henry. He called himself the Prince of Wales, claiming to be descended from Llewellyn, that Welsh prince whom Edward I had defeated and killed. Nearly all Wales joined Owen Glendower, and although Henry went against them with a large army, he was not able to subdue them. The Welsh took several of Henry's nobles prisoner, among them Sir Edmund Mortimer. This Sir Edmund was an uncle of the young Earl of March, whom Henry kept in prison at Windsor. Henry was quite pleased that Sir Edmund should be a captive, because he was afraid that he might at some time try to put his nephew on the throne. The Scots had meanwhile also been fighting with the English, and had been defeated by the Earl of Northumberland and his young son, who was called Harry Hotspur .

He was called Hotspur because he was so quick and brave in battle. Harry Hotspur and his father had taken the Scottish leader, Douglas, prisoner. They expected to get a large ransom from the Scots for him. But Henry said that Douglas must be given up to him. This made the Percies, as Harry Hotspur and his father were called, very angry. They thought that, as they had taken the Douglas prisoner, they had a right to the money which would be paid for his release. The Percies then asked Henry to send money to Owen Glendower to ransom Edmund Mortimer, for Edmund was Harry Hotspur's dear friend. But Henry refused. He did not wish Edmund to be free, because he was afraid of him. This refusal made the Percies still more angry. The Percies had helped to put Henry on the throne, but now they became so angry with him that they were sorry that they had done so, and they turned against him. Instead of giving up the Douglas to Henry, the Percies set him free, on condition that he should help them to fight against the King.

They made friends with Owen Glendower, who set Edmund Mortimer free, and persuaded him also to join them against Henry. When the King heard of this great rebellion, he marched with a large army to Shrewsbury, and there he defeated the Percies before Owen Glendower could come with his soldiers to their help. King Henry had been told that some of the rebel nobles had sworn to kill him, so he went into battle in plain armor, while four or five knights went dressed like the King. These knights were all killed, Douglas himself killing three of them. "I marvel to see so many kings rise thus one after the other," he said. "I have this day slain three." But the real king was not among them, although he was in the battle fighting bravely. The Prince of Wales [later Henry V ], or Prince Hal, as he was often called, was only a boy, but he did great deeds at this battle, and even when he had been badly wounded, he would not leave the field until victory for his father was sure. Harry Hotspur was killed, the Douglas taken prisoner, and so with this one battle the rebellion was almost at an end. Excerpted from: Marshall, H. E.

An Island Story: A History of England, &c.. New York: Frederick A. Stokes Company, 1920. 245-247. THE BATTLE OF SHREWSBURY by Sir Charles Oman ...[W]ithin a few months Northumberland was the king 's greatest enemy. The breach between the earl and his master started in the winter after Homildon. But the first signs of trouble that gave warning of the rebellion of 1403 came from another quarter. Sir Edmund Mortimer had now been a prisoner in Glendower 's migratory camp for six months, and was anxious to ransom himself: but despite his repeated petitions, the king refused either to advance him money or to grant him facilities for raising it himself. Apparently he was glad to keep out of the way one who would be the natural leader of any plot that might be made in favour of the young Earl of March , King Richard 's rightful heir: one, too, who was actually nearer to the crown by the strict law of hereditary succession than he was himself.

Whether Mortimer was disloyal at heart before his capture is not known, but in the winter of 1402-3 he made up his mind to throw in his lot with Glendower, and at Christmas married his daughter with great state, and among prophetical hymns of triumph from the bards, who foresaw a notable future for the progeny of such a pair. On December 13 he issued a manifesto to his friends and vassals, informing them that he was leagued with the Prince of Wales [as Glendower called himself] for the purpose of restoring King Richard , if he were still alive, and if he were not, of placing the Earl of March on the throne. Mortimer's treason gave a new aspect to the rebellion; instead of being an anti-English national movement, it might now be considered no more than a branch of a legitimist rising against the usurping house of Lancaster , and many malcontents who would never have joined Owen were ready to adhere to Mortimer. His own vassals in Radnor Forest rose at once, and from thence the movement spread into Brecknock.

The spring and summer of 1403 were a most prosperous time for Glendower: despite the fact that Prince Henry and the Earl of Worcester were collecting an army at Shrewsbury, he resolved to throw himself into South Wales, which had hitherto been undisturbed. On his appearance the country-folk rose to his aid on every side; on July 2 he took Dynevor Castle, on the next day Llandovery, and on the 4th Llandeilo. Two days later he surprised Carmarthen, the largest town of South Wales, slaying fifty of its English inhabitants. But the most striking part of his success was that many strong castles—among them Llanstephan, Dryslwyn, Newcastle Emlyn, Cerig Cennan—were betrayed to him by traitors in the garrisons. Only Pembrokeshire, "little England beyond Wales," remained loyal, and repulsed his marauding bands when they crossed its border. Elsewhere he rode triumphant, and from all the strongholds that still flew St.

George's cross urgent messages went to King Henry, bidding him "come riding night and day with a great army" if he would prevent the whole principality from falling into Owen's hands. But Henry had other business in hand. The Percies had announced their adherence to the cause of Mortimer. For the last six months their discontent had slowly been ripening into treason. Their first grievance had been the king's ingratitude for their good service done at Homildon; he had promised them a great reward, but it took the rather illusory shape of the grant of a palatine earldom across the Scottish border. It was easy to sign away rights over Teviotdale and Nithsdale and Ettrick, but they had to be conquered before the signature had any effect. When Hotspur was sanguine enough to attempt to take possession of the new palatinate, he was repulsed by the first petty castles that he attacked, and returned in wrath. But the main cause of the breach between the Percies and the king was money—the most fruitful source of dissension between all unscrupulous copartners in an enterprise.

Northumberland and his kinsmen, notwithstanding the lavish rewards they had received, still had outstanding claims against Henry, mainly for the pay of the troops which Hotspur had levied against Glendower. The king thought that he had already given them so much, that he need not hurry about discharging new debts. He said that they had from first to last received £60,000 of the public money, and modern research can account for £41,000 actually paid over to them.1 But over and above this quarrel there were other causes of dissension; Mortimer was Hotspur's brother-in-law, and since his lapse into treason the king could not help suspecting his relations. Yet the question of the prisoners of Homildon was the actual topic on which the quarrel broke out. Northumberland had surrendered Murdoch of Fife and several other magnates to the king, but Henry demanded that Douglas and all the other captives of rank should also be made over to him. The earl refused to yield them till all his monetary claims on the crown should be discharged.

After much wrangling, Henry ordered great levies to be made, nominally to invade Scotland, really to overawe the Percies by appearing in their country with an army at his back. This brought matters to a head; before the royal forces had been mobilised the Percies broke into open rebellion. They would brook no refusals from the king they had made, and reckoned that he had outlived his popularity and might be overthrown by a sudden attack. They made elaborate preparations for their enterprise: Hotspur enlisted his captive Douglas and many other Scots in the plot. Communications were opened with Glendower and Mortimer, and it was agreed that they should all unite in proclaiming the Earl of March king, since Richard , as the Percies well knew, was most certainly dead. All the lords of the north were sounded; only Neville of Westmorland returned a wholly uncompromising negative to his old rival's proposals; the Archbishop of York, Richard Scrope , and Skirlaw, Bishop of Durham, lent a favourable ear. Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester , though one of the king's most favoured servants, consented to join the plot without a moment's hesitation.

Northumberland was old, and thought fit to hand over the conduct of the campaign to his son Hotspur , for speed and daring were necessary in order to anticipate the king's projected march to the north. Henry Percy 's plan was to join the two areas of insurrection by marching to join Glendower on the upper Severn. He resolved to throw himself into Cheshire, which had always been loyal to Richard II , and, after raising its levies, to meet the Welsh at Shrewsbury. The weak point of this project was that Glendower was at the moment out of touch, in the far south of the principality. On July 6, the very day upon which Hotspur started his march, Owen captured Carmarthen. The message calling him back to Shrewsbury arrived too late, for the campaign was short and furious. Hotspur started from Northumberland with a following of only 160 lances, among whom were Douglas and twenty other Scottish knights. Riding fast, he reached Chester on the 9th, and was there joined by the Earl of Worcester , who had slipped away secretly from Prince Henry 's side.

The possession of Chester, which links Wales to the north, was a strategic gain of high importance, but there was a weak point in the arrangements of the rebels. Northumberland , who was busy collecting the main body of his retainers in Yorkshire, would not be ready to join his son for some days; Glendower was far away in the south. Till they should come up, Hotspur, with the van of the insurgent host, was left isolated and exposed to King Henry 's attack. Though all Cheshire had joined him, he had probably not more than 3,000 or 4,000 men in hand. His fate depended on whether the king would strike before Northumberland and the Welsh arrived. Meanwhile he published a fiery proclamation in which he accused Henry of having violated all the promises that he had made in 1399, of murdering Richard II by slow starvation, of raising illegal loans and taxes, packing his parliaments by intimidation, and ignoring the rights of the Earl of March. All was true enough, but it did not come with a good grace from the mouth of the Percies, the usurper's chief confederates.

The king was at Lichfield on the 11th, when he received the news that Hotspur had seized Chester. His levies were not yet assembled, but he saw the necessity of striking before the rebels had united, and hastily gathered the contingents of the nearer midland shires. His army had grown to some size by the 18th, and he marched on Shrewsbury, rightly judging that this was the point at which Hotspur would strive to join Glendower. Prince Henry was holding the town with a small force which he had collected for an expedition into Wales. On the afternoon of the 20th, the king advancing from Lichfield, and Hotspur marching from Chester, reached Shrewsbury almost simultaneously. The rebels thereupon drew back a short way, seeing that they had arrived too late to secure the town. On the next morning Hotspur drew up his host in an open space called Hately Field, two miles and a half north of Shrewsbury.

He occupied a rising ground, partly taken up by cultivated enclosures covered by a dense crop of peas, and approachable only through narrow lanes, which the royalists would have to pass before they could deploy for the fight. Henry , however, was resolved to push matters to an issue, and marched out of Shrewsbury at dawn as far as the field now known as the King's Croft, where he ranged his army in two divisions, one commanded by himself, the other by his fifteen-year-old son, the Prince of Wales . He decidedly outnumbered the rebels, but they had all the advantage of the ground. Before the battle, several hours were spent in insincere negotiations; the Earl of Worcester took the chief part in the parley, and finally broke it off, taunting his late master with being a king whose word no man would trust. About noon the royalists advanced; they were delayed by the peafields and the narrow lanes, and suffered severely from the archery of the Cheshire men, before they could get to close quarters and make their superior numbers tell.

When the king had at last got his bowmen to the front, and the exchange of shafts was growing deadly, Hotspur and Douglas resolved to try the effect of a down-hill charge upon the royal right, where Henry was present in person. Their impetuous rush almost achieved its purpose; the king's banner was beaten down, and the Scottish earl slew with his own hand Sir Thomas Blount, one of two knights who had donned a surcoat with the royal arms, in order to distract attention from their master. But when the impetus of the rebel charge was spent, the royalists enclosed on both sides the wedge of assailants which had penetrated into their line, and at the same time the Prince of Wales on the left outflanked and drove back the right wing of the Percies. Though in danger of being surrounded, the enemy continued fighting fiercely till their leaders were struck down. Douglas was felled by a wound in the groin, Hotspur killed outright by an unknown hand in the thick of the melee. When the cry "Harry Percy dead" was raised by the king's men, the Cheshire levies broke and dispersed.

They were pursued for three miles, and many scores of knights and squires, the flower of the county which had been so loyal to King Richard, were slain or taken, with a great proportion of their archers and billmen. The Earl of Worcester, Sir Richard Vernon, and Sir Richard Venables, the three chief prisoners, were beheaded next day; their heads were sent to decorate the spikes on London bridge, while that of Hotspur was reserved for the gate of York. The victory had been a costly one for the king; there fell in his host the Earl of Stafford, Constable of England [Edmund, 5th Earl Stafford], nine knights, and a great multitude of the commons. Some years later Henry erected a church and hospital on the site of the central combat, where 1,600 corpses of both sides were buried in long trenches about the spot where the royal banner had stood. 1. See Sir James Ramsay's calculation in Lancaster and York, i. 57. Oman, Charles. The History of England. London: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1906. 178-183.

Other Local Resources: 7 Famous Knights of the Middle Ages 7 Famous Knights of the Middle Ages Andrew Knighton Left: A Victorian depiction of Sir James (third from left), and other leaders of the Wars of Independence by William Brassey Hole, part of a mural in the National Portrait Gallery in Edinburgh, Scotland. Photo Credit . Right: Possible statue of Tancred of Hauteville on the north side of Coutances Cathedral. This is an 1875 replacement for a statue damaged in the French Revolution. Photo Credit . Medieval knights were among the celebrities of their day – warriors, leaders, and even scholars. They became figures of romance and inspiration, giving them a special status in our imaginations. Here are seven of the most famous men who gave knighthood its allure. William Marshal (1146-1219) Described as ‘the greatest knight that ever lived’ by Archbishop Stephen Langton, William Marshal rose from minor nobility to become the most respected knight in England. After embarrassing himself with hot-headed behaviour at his first battle at the age of twenty, he joined the glamorous French tournament circuit, becoming a popular combatant.

Following the death of his close friend Henry, son of King Henry II, Marshal went on crusade in his friend’s memory. On returning to England, Marshal fought for Henry II, helped rule the country in Richard I’s absence, and was a signatory to Magna Carta during the rebellion against King John. Following John’s death in 1216, Marshal became the protector of the young Henry III. Aged 70, he took the field at the Battle of Lincoln, defeating the combined rebellion and French invasion threatening the young king. On his deathbed, he was made a Knight Templar, and buried in the Temple Church in London. Geoffroi de Charny (1300-1356) The Battle of Poitiers (1356) Eugène Delacroix A French nobleman, Sir Geoffroi de Charny was known by many as ‘a true and perfect knight’. He was also a scholar of knighthood, writing at least three books on the subject. His Book of Chivalry remains one of the most important sources on 14th century knightly behaviour. Fighting against the English in the Hundred Years’ War, Charny was captured twice.

Such was his reputation for honesty that he was let out of captivity to raise his own ransom. After fighting courageously in several important battles, Charny was killed in the front line at the Battle of Poitiers, carrying the Oriflamme, the French royal banner, to the last. James Douglas (1286-1330) A Victorian depiction of Sir James (third from left), and other leaders of the Wars of Independence by William Brassey Hole James Douglas was only a child when his father died fighting with William Wallace against the English invasion of Scotland. Sent to Paris for his own safety, it was there that he learned the ways of knighthood. On his return to Britain, he found King Edward I unwilling to restore his family’s lands, and so joined Robert the Bruce in the revolt that led to Scottish independence. A leading fighter in the Scottish guerrilla war, Sir James captured Douglas and Roxburgh Castles (1307 and 1314) and fought in the famous Scottish victory at Bannockburn (1314). He became one of Bruce’s closest companions, and was known by the English as the Black Douglas.

When Bruce – now King Robert I – died in 1329 he asked Sir James to take his heart to Jerusalem. Diverted to a crusade against the Saracens in Spain, Douglas saw a fellow knight become surrounded at the Battle of Teba. Throwing Bruce’s heart ahead of him, he charged into the thick of the fighting, and died a warrior to the last. Sir Henry Percy (1364-1403) The Pennon or banner flown by Sir Henry Percy aka Harry Hotspur and taken from him in combat by James Douglas, Earl of Douglas. The Percy family were one of the most powerful in northern England. Throughout the 14th and 15th centuries, this part of the country was plagued by violence, including local feuds, Scottish raids and even rebellions. Sir Henry Percy, known as Hotspur, became a part of this. Knighted at the age of 13, Hotspur fought in his first battle only a year later, helping to capture Berwick Castle. He proved an excellent warrior and leader, famed for his skill and courage in tournaments, on crusade in Prussia, in England’s wars with France and in fighting Scottish border raiders.

Hotspur helped put the rebel Henry Bolingbroke on the throne as King Henry IV in 1399. But the two then fell out. Hotspur himself rebelled in 1403, and was killed in battle by royal forces at Shrewsbury. The King wept for his friend’s death, but displayed his head on a pole as a warning to other traitors. Continued on Page 2 ﻿List of 10 Most Famous Medieval Knights - History Lists HISTORY LISTS You are here: History Lists · People · List of 10 Most Famous Medieval Knights List of 10 Most Famous Medieval Knights Medieval knights were elite warriors and a decisive factor in medieval warfare. A battle was typically won by the army which had the most knights. Initially, knights could become only men who proved their military skills on the battlefield. Over time, the title of a knight became reserved for sons of knights who were almost always nobles. But the title of a knight wasn't inherited.

Knightly training was a long process that started at the age of 8 and usually didn't complete by the age of 21 when the knightly title was formally conferred with a stroke with the sword on neck or shoulder during a ceremony known as accolade. King Arthur King Arthur is thought to be an actual historical figure. His life, however, is surrounded by many myths and legends. The leading character of the Arthurian legend that was popularized by Geoffrey of Monmouth in the 12th century is thought to live in the 5th or 6th century and lead the Britons against the Saxon invaders. But while he does appear in historical sources as a British soldier, there is no evidence for his knights of the round table, his miraculous sword Excalibur or other fantastic elements from the Arthurian legend. Richard the Lionheart Richard the Lionheart also known as Richard I of England (1157-1199) succeeded his father Henry II as King of England in 1189 but he spent most of his reign abroad. Shortly after his coronation, he went on the Third Crusade (1189-1192) where he confirmed his reputation of a great military leader.

On his return to England, he was captured and handed over to the Holy Roman Emperor but was released after a ransom was paid in 1194. After a brief period in England, he went to France where he fought against Philip II of France. Richard the Lionheart died in 1199 after he was hit by an arrow while besieging the Chalus-Chabrol castle. A recent research involving an analysis of Richard’s mummified heart suggests that he wasn’t killed by a poisoned arrow as long believed. Most historians think he probably died from gangrene or sepsis from the wound. El Cid El Cid (1043-1099) was a Castilian knight whose real name was Rodrigo Diaz de Vivar. He was called El Cid by the Moors whom he fought against most of his life. The Spanish national hero, however, didn’t aways fight against the Muslim rulers of medieval Spain. Occasionally, he fought for them as well. El Cid’s greatest achievement was capturing the kingdom-city of Valencia (1094) from the Moors. He formally ruled the city in the name of Alfonso VI but he was more or less independent ruler.

Shortly after his death, his widow Jimena surrendered Valencia to the Almoravids. He died from natural causes rather than from an injury sustained in a battle as suggested by the 1961 movie El Cid starring Charlton Heston. Alexander Nevsky Alexander Nevsky (c.1220-1263), Prince of Novgorod and Grand Prince of Vladimir is the most celebrated medieval Russian military leader. He assumed the name Nevsky after he defeated the Swedes on the Neva River in 1240 and repulsed the threat of an invasion of Russia from the north. Two years later, he also decisively defeated the Livonian Brothers of the Sword (a branch of the Teutonic Order) and destroyed most of their forces in the Battle of the Ice. But he couldn’t prevent the Mongol invasion of Rus’ from the east. Thanks to his outstanding political skills, however, he managed to gain considerable concessions from the Mongols and make the Mongol yoke less intolerable. After his death in 1263, Alexander Nevsky came to be regarded as the national hero, while the Russian Orthodox Church canonized him for his support to the Church.

Edward the Black Prince Edward of Woodstock, Prince of Wales (1330-1376) came to be called the Black Prince (most likely after the black armor he wore) after the Battle of Crecy (1346), one of the most notable battles of the Hundred Years’ War . He fought in France with his father Edward III of England and played the key role in another important victory of the English – the Battle of Poitiers (1356). In the late 1360s, he led an expedition to Spain and restored Peter of Castile to the throne. He then returned to France but his ill health soon forced him to return to England. He died in 1376, one year before his father whom he was supposed to succeed. The English throne passed to Edward’s minor son Richard II. William Wallace William Wallace (c. 1272-1305) was one of the most important figures in the Wars of Scottish Independence (1296-1328). In 1297, he killed the English sheriff of Lanark and soon established himself as one of the leaders of the Scottish rebellion against the English.

On September 11, 1297, the joint forces of William Wallace and Andrew Moray heavily defeated a superior English army in the Battle of Stirling Bridge. One year later, he was heavily defeated himself in the Battle of Falkirk and forced to go into hiding. In 1305, he was captured, taken to London and executed for treason. William Wallace’s life inspired the 1995 Academy Award winning movie Braveheart starring Mel Gibson which, however, includes many historical inaccuracies. Henry 'Hotspur' Percy Sir Henry Percy (1364-1403), nicknamed Hotspur for his temper was knighted by King Edward III as a 13-year-old boy. In the mid-1380s, he accompanied King Richard II on his expedition to Scotland where he proved his military skills. He was then sent to France where his reputation continued to grow. But after his family came into conflict with the new King Henry IV, the most famous English knight of his time rebelled against the King of England and took up arms. In 1403, he was defeated and killed by the royal forces in the Battle of Shrewsbury.

Bertrand du Guesclin Bertrand du Guesclin (c.1320-1380) is regarded as the greatest French knight of his time. His successful defense of Rennes (1364) against the English significantly raised the French morale but it also attracted the King’s attention. Shortly thereafter, Charles V of France sent him to deal with Charles II of Navarre and he was victorious once again. Du Guesclin was less successful in the Battle of Auray a few months later and was taken captive by the English. He was ransomed by the French King who then sent him to Spain to help Henry of Trastamara against Peter of Castile. The campaign was a success and Trastamara secured the throne but du Guesclin was once again captured by the English who came to Spain to assist Peter. Charles V made a good decision by ransoming him for the second time as he would recapture much of France from the English in the following decade. Du Guesclin died while on a military campaign in Languedoc in 1380.

John Hawkwood John Hawkwood (died 1394) was one of the most famous and successful warriors of his time. He rose to prominence during his service to the English in the Hundred Years’ War (1337-1453) and is said to be knighted but it isn’t known when and by whom. In 1362, he and his White Company of mercenaries offered their services to the Italian republics and fought for whichever paid them more. Due to his international fame and efficacy on the battlefield, each of the Italian republics did their best to outbid the others. After his death, the Florentines commissioned Paolo Uccello to make him a fresco at the Basilica di Santa Maria del Fiore (the Duomo). William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke (1147-1219) is often referred to as the greatest medieval knight who rose to prominence for his bravery in tournaments and warfare. He early entered the service of King Henry II who made him a guardian to his eldest son in 1170.

But during the revolt of Henry’s sons, he remained loyal to the father and helped him put down the rebellion. When Richard the Lionheart became King of England, he kept Marshal at his side which turned out to be a very good idea. During his absence, Marshal prevented the King’s brother John from seizing the throne. But after Richard’s death in 1199, he helped John to ensure succession and became one of his closest counselors. He remained loyal to John during the First Barons’ War (1215-17) and after his death, helped ensure the throne for John’s son Henry III. William Baron de Percy William Baron de Percy William was born in 1034. William's father was Geffrey de Percy and his mother was <Unknown>. He had three brothers named Alan , Serlo and Picot . He died at the age of 62 in 1096. Death Notes Died in sight of Jerusalem. General Notes William Baron Algernon de Percy ("algers-nons" means "with whiskers' - having a beard). In 1067 accompanied William The Conqueror on the Norman invasion of England.

He secured the lands of Yorkshire for William The Conqueror against the Picts /Scots. He was subsequently granted extensive land in Yotkshire, Lincolnshire and Sussex and was created First Baron de Percy. William de Perci was wild and adventurous and wore a beard(which was apparently unusual at this time). For this he was known as Al-gers-nons (meaning with whiskers) and the name of Algernon has followed the Percy race to this very day. There does not seem to be any proof that William de Percy was with William the Conquerer at the battle of Hastings in 1066. In fact it seems that William (Algernon) de Percy arrived in England in 1067 to assist the Conquerer mop up remaining resistance in Yorkshire and shore up the defences against the threat from Scotland and from the possibility of Viking invasion. For his trouble William de Percy was given knights fees and land, initially under Earl Hugh of Chester. By 1086 William's family including brothers Serlo and Picot is charted as owning various estates in Yorkshire and the surrounding counties.

In 1070 he was engaged on works connected with the rebuilding of York Castle after its destruction by the Danes and in 1072 he took part in the Conquerors expedition to Scotland. At the Domesday survey he was tenant in chief in the three ridings of Yorkshire, in Lindsey, with a small holding in Nottingham and of Humbledon Hants which he had received with his wife (Emma de Port). He was also an under tenant of the Earl of Chester in Whitby and in Catton and in the city of York and of the Bishop of Durham in Scarborough and Lund. He built the castle at Topcliffe and before 1086 he refounded the monastery at Whitby. He was among the Barons present when William The Conqueror heard a plea relating to property of the Abbey of Fecamp and he witnessed charters of William II in the period before 1095. In 1096 he set out on the first crusade and died and was buried at Mount Joy near Jerusalem. (This was also the ancient burial site of Samuel of the Old Testament and the hill today is called Nebi Samwel) just 10 km's NW of Jerusalem.

Following Williams dying wishes Sir Ralph Eversly a Knight carried his heart back to England and it was buried at Whitby Abbey. William had sons Alan, Walter, William, Richard and Arnolde. William became the 2nd Abbot of Whitby in 1102. From Richard sprang the Percies of Dunsley. Arnolde de Percy witnessed his father William de Percy's charter to Whitby and from him came the Percies of Kildale and Kilnwick Percy. William de Percy had 2 brothers. Serlo de Percy became prior of Whitby Abbey and Picot de Percy was a tenant of William at Bolton upon Dearne and Sutton upon Derwent. Picot de Percy donated the church at Bolton Percy to Nostell priory. His son Robert de Percy gave the church at Sutton upon Derwent to Whitby Abbey witnessed by his son William. There was further issue from this branch of the family for in 1266 Piers de Percy held Wharram Percy in Chief and had other lands in Sutton upon Derwent, Carnaby and Bolton Percy which all came under the Percy fee.

Piers de Percy was of the direct male Percy lineage, which apparently became extinct in 1168. This excerpt is from - The Conqueror and His Companions by J.R. Planché, Somerset Herald. London: Tinsley Brothers, 1874. The name of Percy, strange to say, does not occur in the Roll of Battle Abbey; for I cannot agree with my old friend Sir Bernard Burke in his discovery of it in Percelay, a form in which I have never found it in any authority. Strange, because in view of the numerous interpolations it contains, one can scarcely imagine the omission of a name so distinguished in Anglo-Norman history. But for those manifest additions the fact of the absence of the name of Percy would go far to establish the genuineness of the Rolls, as no member of that family appears to have fought at Senlac, and William de Percy must be placed in the list of those noble Normans who "came over with the Conqueror" on his return to England in 1067, amongst whom I have already mentioned Roger de Montgoineri and Hugh d'Avranches.

William de Percy was the sworn brother-in-arms of the latter, and accompanied him to England, and who on being made Earl of Chester transferred to him the lordship of Whitby, with the extensive domains attached to it in the East Riding of Yorkshire. By what service he obtained the vast possessions held by him at the time of the general survey we have no information, an old manuscript, quoted by Dugdale, simply saying that, "being much beloved by the King," he enjoyed them through his bounty, and it is not till we arrive at the reign of Stephen that we hear of any remarkable actions attributed to his descendants, when his great-great-grandson, William de Percy, distinguished himself by his valour in the famous battle of the Standard. The name of this ancient and noble family was derived from their great fief of Perci, near Villedieu, in Normandy, and according to tradition they were the descendants of one Mainfred, a Dane, who had preceded Rollo into Neustria.

Geoffrey, the son of Mainfred, followed him in the service of Rollo, and was succeeded in rotation by William, Geoffrey, William, and Geoffrey, all born in Normandy, the latter Geoffrey being the father of William de Percy, the subject of this notice, and of Serlo, his brother, the first abbot of Whitby, a monastery founded by William on the site of one called Skinshale, which had been destroyed by Inguar and Hubba. Upon this abbey William bestowed the towns of Seaxby and Everley; but resumed and regranted them to Ralph de Everley, his esquire, who had been in his service many years. Abbot Serlo, his brother, feeling injured by this proceeding, made his complaint to William Rufus, with whom he had been on terms of intimacy during the reign of his father, and the King ordered restitution to be made. Serlo, however, was not satisfied with the restoration of the towns, and having no confidence in his brother, determined to quit Whitby and establish himself where he should hold under the King only, and be out of his brother's power.

He therefore begged of Rufus six carucates of land in Hakenas and Northfield, and translated thither part of the community of Whitby. William de Percy married a lady named Emma de Port, "in discharging of his conscience," says our ancient writer, she being "very heire" to the estates given to him by William the Conqueror, and in 1096, having joined the first Crusade in company with Robert Court-heuse, died at Montjoye, near Jerusalem, the celebrated eminence so named by the Christian Pilgrims, because from there they first caught sight of the sacred city. His body was brought back to England, and buried in the chapter house at Whitby.

This Anglo-Norman race of the Percys apparently became extinct in the male line at the close of the 12th century by the deaths, without issue, of the four sons of his grandson William, when this great inheritance was divided between their two sisters and co-heirs, Maud, wife of William de Mauduit, Earl of Warwick, who died without issue, and Agnes, on whom the whole possessions of the Percys in England devolved, and passed with her hand to Joceleyn de Louvaine, brother of Adeliza, Queen of Henry I, who assumed the name of Percy, retaining the arms of his own family. From the issue of this marriage descended those great Earls of Northumberland and Worcester, whose deeds and fortunes are interwoven with the most important portions of our history from the reign of Henry III to that of Charles II. The title of Earl of Northumberland was created several times in the Peerages of England and Great Britain. Its most famous holders were the House of Percy (also Perci), who were the most powerful noble family in Northern England for much of the Middle Ages.

The heirs of the Percys were ultimately made Duke of Northumberland in 1766 ----------------------------------------------------------------------- From The House of Percy (old French Perci) were the most powerful noble family in Northern England for much of the Middle Ages, having descended from William de Percy who crossed from Normandy to England with William I in early December 1067 and was rebuilding York Castle in 1070. The name derives from the village of Percy-en-Auge in Normandy, the home of the family at the time of the Norman Conquest. Members have held the titles of Earl of Northumberland or Duke of Northumberland to this day, in addition to Baron Percy and other titles. In common with their rivals, the House of Neville, the Percy surname was twice adopted through marriage to an heiress. In the 12th century, the original Percy line was represented by Agnes de Percy, Baroness Percy, whose son by Joscelin of Louvain retained the Percy surname. Again in the 18th century, heiress Elizabeth Percy married Sir Hugh Smithson, who adopted the surname Percy and was created Duke of Northumberland.

Recurring names in the Percy genealogy include Henry (first borne by the 7th Baron and his 10 immediate successors, including the 1st Earl and Harry Hotspur), Hugh (first borne by the 1st Duke), Joscelin (first borne by Joscelin of Louvain), and Algernon (first borne by the 1st Baron as a nickname: Aux Gernons or "with moustaches"). Prominent members of the family include: William de Percy, 1st Baron Percy (d. 1096), nicknamed "Aux Gernons" ("with moustaches"), Norman baron who emigrated to England after the Conquest Alan de Percy, 2nd Baron Percy (ca. 1069–1135) William de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy (d. ca. 1150) William de Percy, 4th Baron Percy (1112–1168) Agnes de Percy, Baroness Percy (1134-1205) married Joscelin of Louvain (d.c. 1189) Richard de Percy, 5th Baron Percy (d.

1198), signatory to Magna Carta.

William de Percy, 6th Baron Percy (1193–1245) Henry de Percy, 7th Baron Percy (1228–1272) Henry de Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Alnwick (1273–1314) Henry de Percy, 2nd Baron Percy of Alnwick (1299–1352) - Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy of Alnwick (see below) - Thomas Percy (d.1369), Bishop of Norwich Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy of Alnwick (1320–1368) Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland (1341–1408) (forfeit 1405), helped Henry IV seize the throne, later rebelled against him Sir Henry Percy (1364/1366–1403), also called Harry Hotspur, helped Henry IV seize the throne but later rebelled against him, killed at the Battle of Shrewsbury - Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland (see below) - Lady Elizabeth Percy (c.

1390–1437) Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland (1394–1455), supporter of King Henry VI, killed at the beginning of the Wars of the Roses - Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland (see below) - Thomas Percy, 1st Baron Egremont (1422–1460) - Katherine Percy, Countess of Kent (1423–c.1475) - Ralph Percy (d.1464), knight, Lancastrian supporter in the Wars of the Roses - William Percy (1428–1462), Bishop of Carlisle Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland (1421–1461) (forfeit 1461), Lancastrian leader in the Wars of the Roses - Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland (see below) - Margaret Percy (b.c.1447) Henry Percy, 4th Earl of Northumberland (1449–1489) (restored 1470), aligned with Yorkists, present but inactive at the Battle of Bos

worth Field - Henry Algernon Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland (see below) - Eleanor Percy, Duchess of Buckingham (1474–1530), daughter of the 4th Earl - Alan Percy (c.1480–1560), son of the 4th Earl, English churchman and academic - Anne FitzAlan, Countess of Arundel (1485–1552), daughter of the 4th Earl - Thomas Percy (1560–1605), great-grandson of the 4th Earl, participated in the Gunpowder Plot Henry Algernon Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland (1478–1527) - Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland (1502–1537), betrothed to Anne Boleyn - Thomas Percy (c.1504–1537), participated the Pilgrimage of Grace revolt - Blessed Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland (1528–1572) (forfeit 1571; restored 1572), led the Rising of the

 North - Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland (see below) Henry Percy, 8th Earl of Northumberland (1532–1585) - Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland (see below) - George Percy (1580–1632), explorer, author, early governor of Virginia Henry Percy, 9th Earl of Northumberland (1564–1632), known as "The Wizard Earl" for his intellectual pursuits, imprisoned after the Gunpowder Plot - Dorothy Sidney, Countess of Leicester (c.1598–1659) - Lucy Hay, Countess of Carlisle (1599–1660) - Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland (see below) - Henry Percy, Baron Percy of Alnwick (d.1659), royalist in the English Civil War Algernon Percy, 10th Earl of Northumberland (1602–1668), Lord High Admiral of England, later a Parliamentarian in the English Civil War Joceline Percy, 11th Earl of Northumberland (1644–

1670) Elizabeth Seymour, Duchess of Somerset (1667–1722), only daughter and heiress of the 11th Earl Algernon Seymour, 7th Duke of Somerset, 1st Earl of Northumberland (1684–1750), son of Elizabeth Seymour Elizabeth Percy, Duchess of Northumberland, 2nd Baroness Percy (1716–1776), daughter and heiress of the 7th Duke of Somerset, married Sir Hugh Smithson (who adopted the name Percy) Hugh Percy, 1st Duke of Northumberland (1714–1786), nee Smithson - Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland (1742–1817), British army officer during the American Revolutionary War - Hugh Percy, 3rd Duke of Northumberland (1785–1847) - Algernon Percy, 4th Duke of Northumberland (1792–1865) - Algernon Percy, 1st Earl of Beverley (1750–1830), second son of the 1st Duke - George Percy, 

2nd Earl of Beverley, 5th Duke of Northumberland (see below) - Algernon Percy (1779–1833), diplomat - Hugh Percy (1784–1856), bishop - Josceline Percy (1784–1856), Royal Navy officer - William Henry Percy (1788–1855), Royal Navy officer - James Smithson (1764–1829), illegitimate son of the 1st Duke, associated with the Smithsonian Institution and smithsonite George Percy, 2nd Earl of Beverley, 5th Duke of Northumberland (1778–1867), politician - Algernon George Percy, 6th Duke of Northumberland (see below) - Lord Josceline Percy (1811–1881), politician - Lord Henry Percy (1817–1877), lieutenant-general in the British Army Algernon George Percy, 6th Duke of Northumberland (1810–1899), politician Henry George Percy, 7th Duke of Northumberland (see below) Lord Algernon Percy (18

51–1933), politician Henry George Percy, 7th Duke of Northumberland (1846–1918), politician - Henry Percy, Earl Percy (1871–1909), politician - Alan Ian Percy, 8th Duke of Northumberland (see below) - Eustace Percy, 1st Baron Percy of Newcastle (1887–1958), politician Alan Ian Percy, 8th Duke of Northumberland (1880–1930) - Henry George Alan Percy, 9th Duke of Northumberland (1912–1940), killed in World War II - Hugh Algernon Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland (see below) - Elizabeth Douglas-Hamilton, Duchess of Hamilton and Brandon (1916–2008) Hugh Algernon Percy, 10th Duke of Northumberland (1914–1988) - Henry Alan Walter Richard Percy, 11th Duke of Northumberland (1953–1995) - Ralph George Algernon Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland (b.

1956) - George Dominic Percy, Earl Percy (b. May 4, 1984) Occupation Details William's occupation was Norman knight. Ancestor Pedigree Chart Background to Henry IV Part I Background to Henry IV, Part I Henry IV, Part I covers the period of 1400-1403. from the deposing of Richard II, the rise and fall of Henry IV, and the subsequent rise of his son Hal (Henry V) The Percys ( Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland ;and Hotspur (Harry Percy, son of the Earl of Northumberland )) had supported Henry IV in a war against Richard II, which ended when Henry took the throne on September 30th, 1399. Henry had been supported by a number of wealthy landowners to whom he had promised land and money in return for their support and when the war ended, lands in Cumbria promised to the Percys were instead given to a rival. This was enough to spark them into revolt, which may have been helped by money promised by Henry which never arrived.

Henry Percy raised a small group of retainers (probably about 200) in early July 1403 and started marching south to meet his uncle, Thomas Percy. He recruited most of his army in Cheshire , an area hostile to Henry IV, and which provided many experienced soldiers, notably its archers, some of whom had served as Richard II's bodyguard. It appears that he may have hoped to be reinforced by a Welsh force under the self-proclaimed Prince of Wales , Owain Glyndŵr . This didn't happen, although it appears some Welsh forces from the borders may have joined him. The rebels then marched towards Shrewsbury , the heavily defended county town of Shropshire . In 1403 Owen Glendower , a Welsh chieftain, led a national uprising against the English. King Henry IV went against him, but without success. He therefore left the command to Hotspur (Harry Percy, son of the Earl of Northumberland ) and Edmund Mortimer (uncle of Edmund, Earl of March), and returned to London. Mortimer was captured by Glendower , but the two men became friends, and Mortimer married Glendower �s daughter.

Hotspur went back to the north, where at Holmedon Hill he defeated a large army of invading Scots, led by Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas . Soon after the Percys quarreled with the King. The chief members of the family were Henry Earl of Northumberland; Henry �Hotspur� (his son); and Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester (his brother). When the King demanded that the Percys should hand over the valuable ransoms extracted from the prisoners taken at Holmedon, the Percys refused and rebelled. They planned to gather a combined force to meet the King, their allies being Mortimer, Glendower, and Douglas (with his Scots). Hotspur and Douglas marched to join forces with Glendower. King Henry became aware of these developments on July 12 , apparently while he was moving to meet the threat posed by the Percys. Upon hearing of Percy's actions, he changed direction and marched towards Shrewsbury with his army.

Estimates of the sizes of the two armies vary widely, with the Royal army being placed between 15,000 and 60,000, and the rebels between 5,000 and 20,000. Both forces arrived near the town on July 20 1403 and set up camp to the north and south of the Severn River , which loops around the town. The next day the King's forces crossed the river at Uffington , placing them in a position in open ground where they could best use their large numbers. They were soon joined by the Percy forces from the north. For much of the morning the two forces parleyed. It appears that Henry was somewhat inclined towards accepting the King's position, while his uncle Thomas was not. Whatever the case, negotiations ended near noon, and the two forces advanced for the fight. The battle opened with a massive archery barrage, killing or wounding many of the men before they could meet in the field. Of the two forces, the Percy's Cheshire bowmen proved generally superior. However when the two armies finally met, the greater numbers of the Royal army generally prevailed.

The Percys attempted to address this imbalance with a charge, but it was premature and Henry Percy was killed. At this point the rebel forces fled the field, and a rout began. Over 300 knights and another 20,000 men-at-arms fell on the field, and thousands more died of injuries over the next few weeks. To recap: the issue was decided at the Battle of Shrewsbury, July 21, 1403. Hotspur was killed, Worcester captured and beheaded (thus solving his migraine problem), and Douglas captured and ransomed. Northumberland, who was not present at the battle, submitted to the King. Henry Percy was initially buried at Whitchurch , Shropshire , but rumors soon spread that he was not really dead. In response the King had him disinterred. His body was set up in Shrewsbury impaled on a spear between two millstones, and was later quartered and put on show in the four corners of the country. In November his remains were returned to his widow.

Question: Which English knight helped put Henry 4th on the throne but later rebelled and was killed at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403?
Answer: Sir Henry Percy