Sir Thomas Percy, 1st Earl of Worcester, KG

Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester, KG (134323 July 1403) was an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

nobleman and naval commander best known for leading the rebellion with his nephew Henry Percy, known as 'Harry Hotspur', and his elder brother,

Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland Henry Percy, 1st Earl of Northumberland, 4th Baron Percy, titular King of Mann, KG, Lord Marshal (10 November 134120 February 1408) was the son of Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy, and a descendant of Henry III of England. His mother was M ...

Lineage

He was the younger son of

Henry de Percy, 3rd Baron Percy Henry Percy, 3rd Baron Percy of Alnwick (c. 1321–1368), was the eldest son of Henry de Percy, 2nd Baron Percy (1301–1352), and his wife, Idoine de Clifford (Idonea in Latin and also in English), daughter of Robert de Clifford, 1st Baron de ...

, and

Mary Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

, daughter of

Henry, 3rd Earl of Lancaster Henry, 3rd Earl of Leicester and Lancaster ( – 22 September 1345) was a grandson of King Henry III of England (1216–1272) and was one of the principals behind the deposition of King Edward II (1307–1327), his first cousin. Origins He was ...

, who descended from

Henry III of England Henry III (1 October 1207 – 16 November 1272), also known as Henry of Winchester, was King of England, Lord of Ireland, and Duke of Aquitaine from 1216 until his death in 1272. The son of King John and Isabella of Angoulême, Henry ...

. He was the younger brother of

. Percy never married or had children. He was the great-great grandson of

Career

Worcester fought against England's traditional enemy France in the

Hundred Years' War The Hundred Years' War (; 1337–1453) was a series of armed conflicts between the kingdoms of England and France during the Late Middle Ages. It originated from disputed claims to the French throne between the English House of Plantagen ...

, and then served in various important governing posts in English-controlled France, as

Ambassador An ambassador is an official envoy, especially a high-ranking diplomat who represents a state and is usually accredited to another sovereign state or to an international organization as the resident representative of their own government or s ...

Seneschal The word ''seneschal'' () can have several different meanings, all of which reflect certain types of supervising or administering in a historic context. Most commonly, a seneschal was a senior position filled by a court appointment within a royal, ...

. He was appointed

Admiral of the North The Admiral of the North also known as Admiral of the Northern Seas and Admiral of the Northern Fleet was a senior English Navy appointment. The Admiral was chiefly responsible for the command of the navy's fleet that operated in the North Sea ...

from 26 Jan 1384–22 February 1385. In the 1390s he built Wressle Castle. He was created Earl of

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engla ...

in 1397 by King

Richard II Richard II (6 January 1367 – ), also known as Richard of Bordeaux, was King of England from 1377 until he was deposed in 1399. He was the son of Edward the Black Prince, Prince of Wales, and Joan, Countess of Kent. Richard's father ...

. In 1399 he was appointed Admiral of the Kings Fleet in Ireland.

Close to the crown

Along with his brother and nephew, he took part in Henry IV's deposition of

. He is said to have broken the staff of office symbolizing his position as Richard II's steward when declaring for the revolt. Later, in turn, he took part in the Percies' own subsequent rebellion against King Henry IV. He is said to have negotiated with Henry IV before the Battle of Worcester and then misrepresented King Henry's offer for a settlement to persuade his nephew Henry "Hotspur" to reject the offer and fight the battle.

Capture and execution

He was captured at the

Battle of Shrewsbury The Battle of Shrewsbury was a battle fought on 21 July 1403, waged between an army led by the Lancastrian King Henry IV and a rebel army led by Henry "Harry Hotspur" Percy from Northumberland. The battle, the first in which English archer ...

and publicly beheaded in Shrewsbury two days later, on 23 July 1403. He was buried in St. Peter's,

Shrewsbury Shrewsbury ( , also ) is a market town, civil parish, and the county town of Shropshire, England, on the River Severn, north-west of London; at the 2021 census, it had a population of 76,782. The town's name can be pronounced as either 'Sh ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to ...

, England. His head was displayed in London on

London Bridge Several bridges named London Bridge have spanned the River Thames between the City of London and Southwark, in central London. The current crossing, which opened to traffic in 1973, is a box girder bridge built from concrete and steel. It re ...

Fictional portrayals

He appears in Shakespeare's ''

Henry IV, Part 1 ''Henry IV, Part 1'' (often written as ''1 Henry IV'') is a history play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written no later than 1597. The play dramatises part of the reign of King Henry IV of England, beginning with the battle at ...

'' as the main plotter of the 1403 rebellion.

Ancestry

References

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Worcester, Thomas Percy, 1st Earl of 1343 births 1403 deaths 14th-century English Navy personnel 15th-century English Navy personnel

Thomas Thomas may refer to: People * List of people with given name Thomas * Thomas (name) * Thomas (surname) * Saint Thomas (disambiguation) * Thomas Aquinas (1225–1274) Italian Dominican friar, philosopher, and Doctor of the Church * Thomas the A ...

Younger sons of barons Percy English admirals Knights of the Garter People executed under the Lancastrians People executed under the Plantagenets by decapitation Male Shakespearean characters Lord High Admirals of England Peers created by Richard II