19. The Rollicking Career of Harry Hotspur
Sir Henry Percy, commonly known as Hotspur (1364 – 1403), was an English nobleman and commander who distinguished himself fighting against the Scots. He also led successive rebellions against king Henry IV of England. Hotspur was immortalized by William Shakespeare, who made him a prominent character in his play, Henry IV. He earned the nickname Hotspur from his Scottish enemies because of his diligence in patrolling the border between England and Scotland, and “[a]s a tribute to his speed in advance and readiness to attack“. In recognition of his military service in Scotland, as well as France, king Richard II made Hotspur a Knight of the Garter in 1388, and showered him with royal favors in the form of grants and appointments. Despite that largess, Hotspur and his father helped Henry Bolingbrook, the future king Henry IV, to overthrow Richard II in 1399.
Henry IV rewarded Hotspur and his father with titles, lands, and offices. However, the Percys grew discontented when the new king failed to pay monies owed them for defending the border with Scotland, as well as other slights, real and imagined. So they rebelled in 1403, with Hotspur raising an army in Cheshire while his father raised another in Northumberland. The king intercepted Hotspur before he could join forces with his father, and in the ensuing Battle of Shrewsbury, Hotspur was killed. King Henry wept upon seeing Hotspur’s body, and ordered it buried with honors. However, when rumors circulated that Hotspur was still alive, the king put them to a rest by exhuming his corpse and displaying it at the Shrewsbury marketplace. He then had Hotspur’s head severed and displayed on a pike atop York’s main city gate, while his body was quartered, with the pieces displayed around England.