Sir Ralph Percy (11 August 1425 – 25 April 1464) was an English nobleman of the

House of Percy A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air co ...

, a

knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

, a Governor of

Bamburgh Castle Bamburgh Castle is a castle on the northeast coast of England, by the village of Bamburgh in Northumberland. It is a Grade I listed building. The site was originally the location of a Celtic Brittonic fort known as ''Din Guarie'' and may h ...

and a supporter of the Lancastrian faction in the

Wars of the Roses The Wars of the Roses (1455–1487), known at the time and for more than a century after as the Civil Wars, were a series of civil wars fought over control of the throne of England, English throne in the mid-to-late fifteenth century. These w ...

. Percy was the son of

Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland Henry Percy, 2nd Earl of Northumberland (3 February 139322 May 1455) was an English nobleman and military commander in the lead up to the Wars of the Roses. He was the son of Henry "Hotspur" Percy, and the grandson of Henry Percy, 1st Earl of N ...

and Lady Eleanor Neville, and the grandson of Sir Henry "Hotspur" Percy.

Family

Percy married, firstly, Eleanor Acton and they had six children: # Sir Ralph PercyClay, John William; The Extinct and Dormant Peerages of the Northern Counties of England; 1913 # Peter Percy # Sir Henry Percy # George Percy # John Percy # Margaret Percy Sir Ralph married, secondly Jane Teye. They had a child, Catherine Percy.

Career

Ralph was born on 11 August 1425 to

and

Eleanor Neville, Countess of Northumberland Eleanor Neville (c. 1398–1472) was the second daughter of Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland (died 1425), by his second wife, Joan Beaufort, daughter of John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster, and Katherine Swynford. Marriage and chi ...

. He had three brothers, Henry,

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 ...

and Richard. Ralph, Thomas and Richard participated in the Percy-Neville feud, fighting at Stamford Bridge, where he and Thomas were taken prisoner in 1454. He was freed after Henry VI regained his sanity and

the Duke of York Duke of York is a title of nobility in the Peerage of the United Kingdom. Since the 15th century, it has, when granted, usually been given to the second son of English (later British) monarchs. The equivalent title in the Scottish peerage was Du ...

dismissed as protector. His father was killed at the

First Battle of St Albans The First Battle of St Albans, fought on 22 May 1455 at St Albans, 22 miles (35 km) north of London, traditionally marks the beginning of the Wars of the Roses in England. Richard, Duke of York, and his allies, the Neville earls of Salisb ...

in 1455, and four years later the Yorkists were charged with treason, and they fled, following the

Rout of Ludford Bridge The Rout of Ludford Bridge was a largely bloodless confrontation fought in the early years of the Wars of the Roses. It took place on 12 October 1459, and resulted in a setback for the Yorkists. Although this seemed to be a triumph for the riva ...

. However, when they returned, Thomas was killed at the Battle of Northampton. Queen Margaret raised an army in the north, and the Percies joined her. Following victories at the Battle of Worksop and the

Battle of Wakefield The Battle of Wakefield took place in Sandal Magna near Wakefield in northern England, on 30 December 1460. It was a major battle of the Wars of the Roses. The opposing forces were an army led by nobles loyal to the captive King Henry VI o ...

, where York was killed, and a victory at the Second Battle of St Albans, the Lancastrian cause was on the rise, but, at the disastrous

Battle of Towton The Battle of Towton took place on 29 March 1461 during the Wars of the Roses, near Towton in North Yorkshire, and "has the dubious distinction of being probably the largest and bloodiest battle on English soil". Fought for ten hours between a ...

, his brothers were killed and he went into exile During 1462 and 1463, the Lancastrians attempted to destabilise the kingdom, ruled by their

Yorkist The House of York was a cadet branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet. Three of its members became kings of England in the late 15th century. The House of York descended in the male line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, t ...

enemy,

Edward IV Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was King of England from 4 March 1461 to 3 October 1470, then again from 11 April 1471 until his death in 1483. He was a central figure in the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars in Englan ...

. These attempts were concentrated in the north of England and directed by the Lancastrian Queen,

Margaret of Anjou Margaret of Anjou (french: link=no, Marguerite; 23 March 1430 – 25 August 1482) was Queen of England and nominally Queen of France by marriage to King Henry VI from 1445 to 1461 and again from 1470 to 1471. Born in the Duchy of Lorrain ...

( Henry VI's wife). The

Earl of Warwick Earl of Warwick is one of the most prestigious titles in the peerages of the United Kingdom. The title has been created four times in English history, and the name refers to Warwick Castle and the town of Warwick. Overview The first creation ...

led campaigns to neutralise the Lancastrians in the north in the early 1460s. As a result, Sir Ralph Percy surrendered Bamburgh Castle to Edward IV, on Christmas Eve 1462 in return for a free pardon. Sir Ralph swore allegiance to Edward IV and, as part of Edward IV's policy of conciliation, Percy's lands were then returned to him. Sir Ralph took control of both Bamburgh and

Dunstanburgh Castle Dunstanburgh Castle is a 14th-century fortification on the coast of Northumberland in northern England, between the villages of Craster and Embleton. The castle was built by Earl Thomas of Lancaster between 1313 and 1322, taking advantage of ...

s, under his surrender agreement with Edward. Fighting in the north continued, exacerbated by a Scottish invasion led by James III,

and Henry VI in 1463. When the Scots sued for peace,

Lord Montague William Shakespeare's play ''Romeo and Juliet'' contains a relatively distinctive cast of characters. In addition to the play's eponymous protagonists, Romeo Montague and Juliet Capulet, the play, which is set in Verona, Italy, contains roles ...

was sent to arrange terms. On 25 April 1464, Montague was on his way to

Norham Norham ( ) is a village and civil parish in Northumberland, England, It is located south-west of Berwick on the south side of the River Tweed where it is the border with Scotland. History Its ancient name was Ubbanford. Ecgred of Lindisfarne ...

. The

Duke of Somerset Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are rank ...

(who had surrendered and sworn allegiance with Percy) and Percy, forswearing their oaths, attacked Montague with 5,000 men. The site of that battle was Hedgeley Moor, seven miles south of

Wooler Wooler ( ) is a small town in Northumberland, England. It lies on the edge of the Northumberland National Park, near the Cheviot Hills. It is a popular base for walkers and is referred to as the "Gateway to the Cheviots". As well as many shops ...

. Percy led Somerset's vanguard and was killed.

Ancestry

References

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Percy, Ralph 1425 births 1464 deaths English military personnel killed in action People of the Wars of the Roses Ralph Percy Younger sons of earls