Battle of Shrewsbury
Battle of Shrewsbury | |||||||
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Part of the Glyndŵr Rising | |||||||
Death of Henry "Harry Hotspur" Percy, from a 1910 illustration by Richard Caton Woodville Jr. | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Kingdom of England | |||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Henry IV Henry, Prince of Wales (WIA) |
Henry "Hotspur" Percy † Thomas Percy, 1st Earl of Worcester Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas (POW) | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
14,000[1] | <14,000[1] | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
3,000+[1] | 2,000+[1] |
The Battle of Shrewsbury was 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 archers fought each other on English soil, reaffirmed the effectiveness of the longbow and ended the Percy challenge to King Henry IV of England.[1]
Part of the fighting is believed to have taken place at what is now Battlefield, Shropshire, England, three miles (5 km) north of the centre of Shrewsbury.[1] It is marked today by Battlefield Church and Battlefield Heritage Park.
Background
The Percys had previously supported Henry IV in a war against King Richard II of England, which ended when Henry IV took the throne in 1399.[2] The Percys subsequently supported Henry IV in Wales, early in the rebellion of Owain Glyndŵr, and in Scotland, in both negotiations and conflict against the Scots.
King Henry IV had been supported by a number of wealthy landowners to whom he had promised land, money and royal favour in return for their continued support. When the war ended, lands in and around
King Henry IV only became aware of the Percy forces on 12 July, apparently while he was marching an army north to assist the Percys against the Scots, receiving the news at
Both forces arrived in the Shrewsbury area on 20 July and set up camp to the north and south of the River Severn, which loops around the town. Hotspur based himself initially at the house of William Betton, his army camping close to the town. The next day the King's forces crossed the Severn at Uffington, about a mile to the east of Shrewsbury, to cut off Percy's line of retreat to Chester. They failed, and the armies took up position in a field that was variously named: "Haytleyfield", "Husefeld", "Berwykfeld", "Bolefeld". The battle commenced in the manor of Harlescott about a mile south west of where Battlefield Church now stands. (The owner of this manor, Richard Hussey, swore to this fact under oath in the escheator's court in January 1416). The battle took place in a large field of peas.
Estimates of the sizes of the two armies vary widely, and the medieval chronicles are subject to exaggeration. Annales Henrici Quarti states 14,000 Royal troops, far fewer than Waurin's estimate of 60,000. Although Henry's army is generally agreed to have been larger, John Capgrave writing in the Chronicle of England quotes Percy's army as 14,000.[1]
For much of the morning of Saturday 21 July, the two forces parleyed.[3] Thomas Prestbury, the Abbot of Shrewsbury and the Abbot of Haughmond presented the King's terms. Hotspur declined any terms and Thomas Percy spoke to the King, trading insults. Henry Percy was somewhat inclined toward accepting the king's position, while his uncle Thomas Percy was not. Negotiations ended near noon, and the two forces advanced closer for the fight. One rebel, later pardoned, went over to the royal army and the king knighted several of his followers.[4]
Battle
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About two hours before dusk, King Henry IV raised his sword. The battle opened with a massive archery barrage,
Enough of the King's men remained on the field, particularly on the left wing, which was under the command of the Prince of Wales. Perhaps in desperation, Hotspur led a charge aimed at killing the King himself, during which the Royal Standard was overthrown and its bearer, Sir Walter Blount, was hacked down by Archibald Douglas, 4th Earl of Douglas. Hotspur was killed in the charge, reputedly shot in the face with an arrow when he opened his visor. His death was initially not realised, and at some point soon afterwards the Northumbrian knights hailed the death of Henry IV, exclaiming "Henry Percy King!". Henry IV was not dead however, and retaliated by shouting "Henry Percy is dead";[6] the absence of a reply confirmed that Henry Percy was indeed dead. The battle ended soon after. It is recorded that many did not know who had won. The King's forces sustained greater losses than the rebels, and Henry IV very nearly lost both his life and his throne.
Aftermath
Henry Percy was initially buried by his maternal first cousin,
The Earl of Worcester was beheaded and Sir Richard Venables, Sir Richard Vernon and Sir Henry Boynton were publicly hanged, drawn and quartered in Shrewsbury on 23 July and their heads publicly displayed, Thomas Percy's on London Bridge.
Battlefield Church is said to have been erected over the site of the mass burial pit dug immediately after the battle. It was built initially as a memorial chapel, on the orders of King Henry IV and paid for by him, with prayers and masses being said continually for the dead on both sides. The chapel was replaced in 1460 by a church, which was further restored in 1862. A drain being dug in a corner of the churchyard may have inadvertently opened part of the burial pit. Workmen were surprised by the mass of bones which they thought showed the hurried nature of the burials. They may have merely unearthed a charnel pit containing bones of a variety of different ages.
In 2006, the BBC show Two Men in a Trench proved only that an area to the west of the church was not in fact a graveyard.
There were two other 15th-century churches associated with battles. The one at
Cultural references
The battle itself and many of the key people involved appear in
The battle features in an early and highly inaccurate sequence in the 2019
It is understood[
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g English Heritage (1995). "English Heritage Battlefield Report: Shrewsbury 1403" (PDF). Retrieved 22 August 2011.
- ^ a b c "Battle of Shrewsbury", UK Battlefields Resource Centre
- ^ a b c "Battle of Shrewsbury". Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- ^ Priestley, E.J. (1979). The Battle of Shrewsbury 1403 (booklet). Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council. p. 12. The identity of the defectors is not mentioned, although it suggests the 'rebel' was a senior officer with attendants who would have been of status to be knighted.
- ^ "Battle of Shrewsbury". Retrieved 15 January 2015.
- ISBN 978-1-85804-235-0.
- ^ Leach (Ed.), Francis (1891). The County of Shropshire: a series of descriptive sketches, with Historical and Antiquarian Notes of the Principal Family Mansions. Shrewsbury: Shrewsbury Journal. p. 5. This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
References
- ISBN 0-349-11918-X
- ISBN 0-7524-2563-3
- ISBN 0-300-06452-7
- Priestley, E.J.; The Battle of Shrewsbury 1403. Shrewsbury and Atcham Borough Council 1979 (booklet)
- ISBN 0-947805-36-2
- Whitewood, Dickon; Shrewsbury 1403: Struggle for a Fragile Crown, UK: Osprey, 2017; ISBN 978-1472826800
Online
- Alastair Dunn, A kingdom in crisis: Henry IV and the battle of Shrewsbury: Alastair Dunn discusses the battle and its repercussions in its 600th anniversary year, History Today, August 2003