Hotspur: Sir Henry Percy and the Myth of Chivalry

by John Sadler

Overview

On 21 July 1403 Sir Henry Percy – better known as Hotspur – led a rebel army out at Shrewsbury to face the forces of the king Henry IV. The battle was both bloody and decisive. Hotspur was shot down by an arrow and killed. Posthumously he was declared a traitor and his lands forfeited to the crown. This was an ignominious end to the brilliant career of one of the most famous medieval noblemen, a remarkable soldier, diplomat and courtier who played a leading role in the reigns of Richard II and Henry IV. How did he earn his extraordinary reputation, and why did Shakespeare portray him as a fearsomely brave but flawed hero who, despite a traitor’s death, remained the mirror of chivalry? These are questions John Sadler seeks to answer in the first full biography of this legendary figure to be published for over twenty years.

Hotspur’s exploits as a soldier in France during the Hundred Years War, against the Scots in the Scottish borders and at the battles of Otterburn, Homildon Hill and Shrewsbury have overshadowed his diplomatic role as a loyal royal servant in missions to Prussia, Cyprus, Ireland and Aquitaine. And, as the heir to one of the foremost noble families of northern England, he was an important player not only in the affairs of the North but of the kingdom as a whole. So, as John Sadler reveals in this highly readable study, Hotspur was a much more varied and interesting character than his narrow reputation for headstrong attack and rebellion suggests.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781399003889
Publisher:	Pen and Sword
Publication date:	05/26/2022
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.10(h) x (d)

About the Author

John Sadler's main specialty is in military history, as an accomplished author, lecturer, battlefield tour guide, heritage professional and historical interpreter. He is a visiting lecturer at the University of Sunderland Centre For Lifelong Learning since 1998. He lives in the North East of England.

Table of Contents

Foreword ix

Introduction and Acknowledgements xi

Timeline xv

Dramatis Personae xix

List of Maps xxiii

List of Plates xxv

List of Abbreviations xxvii

Prologue: A Storm of Arrows 1

Act 1 Worm-eaten Hold of Ragged Stone - The House of Percy 6

Act 2 Sensible of Courtesy - A Knightly Apprenticeship 22

Act 3 Storm Clouds Brewing - A Scottish Resurgence 32

Act 4 Death on St Oswin's Eve - The Battle of Otterburn, 5 (or 19) August 1388 54

Act 5 Ill-weaved Ambition - Kingmakers up North 65

Act 6 At Holmedon Met - The Battle of Homildon, 14 September 1402 84

Act 7 Overmighty Subjects - The Path to Calamity 97

Act 8 For Worms Brave Percy - The Battle of Shrewsbury, 21 July 1403 119

Epilogue: Fair Rites of Tenderness - Legacy 138

Appendix 1 The Ballad of Chevy Chase 153

Appendix 2 The Art of War in Hotspur's Day 163

Appendix 3 Otterburn - What the Chroniclers Said 173

Appendix 4 Landscape 181

Glossary 183

Notes 187

Bibliography 207

Index 217