Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland
| Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland | |
|---|---|
Arms of Percy (modern), as seen on seal of Henry Percy: Or, a lion rampant azure, being a difference of the arms of Brabant
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| Spouse(s) | Eleanor Poynings |
| Issue | |
| Noble family | Percy |
| Father | Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland |
| Mother | Lady Eleanor Neville |
| Born |
25 July 1421 Leconfield, Yorkshire, England |
| Died | 29 March 1461 (aged 39) Towton, Yorkshire, England |
Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland, (25 July 1421 – 29 March 1461) was an English magnate.
The Earldom of Northumberland was then one of the greatest landholdings in northern England; Percy also became Lord Poynings on his marriage. This title would bring him into direct conflict with the Poynings family themselves, and indeed, feuds with neighbouring nobles, both lay and ecclesiastical, would be a key occupancy of his youth.
Percy married Eleanor Poynings, who outlived him; together they had four children. He was a leading Lancastrian during the Wars of the Roses, from which he managed to personally benefit, although his father died early in the war. He was not, however, to live to enjoy these gains, being killed at the Battle of Towton in 1461 on the defeated Lancastrian side.
Percy was the son of Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland, and Lady Eleanor Neville, daughter of Ralph Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland, and his second wife, Joan Beaufort.
Percy was knighted in 1426 together with Henry VI. He was appointed Warden of the Eastern March on the Scottish border on 1 April 1440, originally for four years, and subsequent extensions in 1444, and 1445, for the next seven years. This came as well with the custody of Berwick Castle and responsibility for its defence He was to hold this post until March 1461. In May 1448, Percy, with his father and Sir Robert Ogle, invaded Scotland in a pre-emptive defence of the border, and burnt Dunbar and Dumfries, for which, in revenge, the Scots attacked his father's castles of Alnwick and Warkworth. King Henry made his way north, and whilst at Durham sent Percy – now Lord Poynings – to raid Dumfrieshire; the sortie – "only to return with some 500 cattle" – of around 5,000 men failed, and he was captured whilst caught in a marsh following his father's defeat at the River Sark on 23 October. Sir Robert Ogle was now outlawed and the king used half of his estates to compensate Poynings for the ransom he had expended arranging his release from captivity. Tensions with Scotland remained, to the extent that Poynings, his father, and other nobles were requested to stay and guard the border rather than attend Parliament, for which they were excused. In summer 1451, with an Anglo-Scottish truce pending, Poynings was commissioned to treat with Scottish embassies. In July 1455, he successfully prevented an assault on Berwick by the Scottish King, James II, and was congratulated by the English King as a result.
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