Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland

Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland (3 February 139322 May 1455) was an English nobleman and military commander in the lead up to the Wars of the Roses. He was the son of Henry "Hotspur" Percy, and the grandson of Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland. His father and grandfather were killed in different rebellions against Henry IV in 1403 and 1408, respectively, and the young Henry spent his minority in exile in Scotland. Only after the death of Henry IV in 1413 was he reconciled with the Crown, and in 1414 he was created Earl of Northumberland.

In the following years, Northumberland occasionally served with the king in France, but his main occupation was the protection of the border to Scotland. At the same time, a feud with the Neville family was developing, particularly with Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury. This feud became entangled with the conflict between the Dukes of York and Somerset over control of national government. The conflict culminated in the first battle of the Wars of the Roses, at St Albans, where both Somerset and Northumberland were killed.

Family background Henry Percy was the son of Sir Henry "Hotspur" Percy, and Lady Elizabeth Mortimer. Elizabeth was the daughter of Edmund Mortimer, Earl of March and Philippa, Countess of Ulster, daughter of Elizabeth de Burgh and Lionel of Antwerp, son of Edward III. Hotspur's father—the young Henry's grandfather—was also called Henry Percy, and in 1377 became the first of the Percy family to hold the title of Earl of Northumberland.

Both Hotspur and his father were early and active supporters of Henry Bolingbroke, who usurped the throne from Richard II in 1399, and became King Henry IV. They were initially richly rewarded, but soon grew disillusioned with the new regime. Hotspur rose up in rebellion, and was killed at Shrewsbury on 21 July 1403.

Hotspur's father, the earl, was not present at the battle, but there is little doubt that he participated in the rebellion. After a short imprisonment, he was pardoned, and in June 1404 he delivered his grandson into the king's custody at Doncaster.

By May 1405, however, the earl was involved in another rebellion. His plans failed, and he was forced to flee to Scotland, taking his grandson with him. The following years were marked by an itinerant life and further plotting, while the young Henry remained in the custody of the Duke of Albany.

Henry remained in Scotland until the accession of Henry V in 1413, when he tried to claim his grandfather's title. His cause was aided by the king's aunt, Joan Beaufort, Countess of Westmorland, who arranged his marriage to her daughter Eleanor.

It was in Henry V's interest to reconcile with the Percys, with their vast network in the north of England; on 11 May 1414, Henry Percy was restored to the Earldom of Northumberland, followed by a formal creation on 16 March 1416. (This was a new creation, to stress that the attainder of the first earl had not been undone.) In late August 1417, the Scots invaded northern England; while Albany laid siege to Berwick Castle, the Earl of Douglas attempted to take Roxburgh Castle. Percy lifted the siege of Berwick, and forced both Albany and Douglas across the border. The next year, Richard Neville, Earl of Salisbury, equally exasperated by the lack of royal support, gave up his commission as Warden of the West March. Northumberland was appointed joint warden with the earl of Huntingdon of both marches for one year, during which time, although suffering defeat by the Earl of Angus at the Battle of Piperdean, he was able to repel a siege on Roxburgh by James I of Scotland. In 1440 he was once more appointed Warden of the West March, and this time held the position until his death.

Feud with Neville family Initially, Northumberland's relations with the other great northern family, the Nevilles, were friendly. He was already connected to the Beaufort-Nevilles through his marriage with Eleanor Neville, and in 1426 he married his sister Elizabeth to the young Ralph Neville, 2nd Earl of Westmorland. The king intervened on the archbishop's side, though Northumberland remained in favour at court. Nevertheless, he spent less time involved in central affairs at Westminster in the later 1440s. What triggered the conflict was the marriage between Salisbury's son Thomas and Maud Stanhope, niece and heiress of Lord Cromwell. By this marriage Wressle Castle, which had traditionally been in the possession of the Percy family, would pass to the Nevilles. At the same time, the Neville-Cromwell wedding had led Huntingdon (now Duke of Exeter) to join the cause of the Percys, because of a territorial dispute with Cromwell. Northumberland himself, who was nearing sixty, did not take action at the time, but one of his younger sons did. Thomas Percy had been created Baron Egremont in 1449, relating to his possessions in the Neville-dominated county of Cumberland. On 24 August 1453, Thomas attacked the Neville-Cromwell wedding party at Heworth near York with a force of over 700 men.

The conflict, however, continued over the following years. On 8 October, Northumberland and Salisbury were summoned to court and ordered to end the conflict, but the warnings were ignored. Both sides had ignored royal commands to disband, and battle seemed inevitable, but eventually a truce ensued and the forces withdrew. The conflict was escalating, and converging with events in national politics.

Towards civil war

Discontent was brewing in England against the personal rule of Henry VI, who had been declared of age in 1437. The main antagonists were Richard, Duke of York, and Edmund Beaufort, Duke of Somerset. Somerset enjoyed great influence over the king, but after Henry had been incapacitated by mental illness in 1453, York was appointed protector in 1454. The Nevilles were by this time closely associated with York, so the natural option for Northumberland was to side with Somerset and the king. With Somerset back at the centre of power, civil war seemed imminent.

In May 1455, Northumberland was travelling with the king and Somerset to a great council at Leicester, when the party was intercepted by York and the Nevilles. On 22 May 1455, at the First Battle of St Albans, the royal forces clashed with the forces loyal to the Duke of York, in what has been described as the first battle of the Wars of the Roses. The battle was a complete victory for the Yorkist side, and led to another reversal of the political situation. The king was taken captive, and Somerset was killed. Northumberland was also among the casualties, and was buried at the nearby St Albans Abbey. Once York and Salisbury had killed Somerset and Northumberland, respectively, the battle was effectively over.

Estates and family The Percy estates were primarily located in the northern counties of Yorkshire, Northumberland, and Cumberland.

Ancestry