Henry Percy (Hotspur)
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Sir Henry Percy, nicknamed Hotspur or Harry Hotspur, was an English knight who fought in several campaigns against the Scots in the northern border and against the French during the Hundred Years' War. The nickname "Hotspur" was given to him by the Scots as a tribute to his speed in advance and readiness to attack. The heir to a leading noble family in northern England, Hotspur was one of the earliest and prime movers behind the deposition of King Richard II in favour of Henry Bolingbroke in 1399. He later fell out with the new regime and rebelled, and was slain at the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403 at the height of his fame.
The pennon of Percy captured by James Douglas, Earl of Douglas
Statue of Harry Hotspur in Alnwick, Northumberland, unveiled in 2010
Shortly after Henry died in battle, his uncle was executed. An attainder was issued and the family's property, including Wressle Castle in the East Riding of Yorkshire (above), was confiscated by the Crown.
Warkworth Castle in Northumberland, the home of Henry Percy
Henry IV of England
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Henry IV, also known as Henry Bolingbroke, was King of England from 1399 to 1413. Henry was the son of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, himself the son of Edward III.
Illuminated miniature, c. 1402
Henry of Bolingbroke, flanked by the lords spiritual and temporal, claims the throne in 1399. From a contemporary manuscript, British Library, Harleian Collection
The coronation of Henry IV of England, from a 15th-century manuscript of Jean Froissart's Chronicles
Silver half-groat of Henry IV, York Museums Trust