Henry Percy, 1st Baron Percy (25 March 1273-October 1314) was an English nobleman and commander during the Wars of Scottish Independence.
Biography[]
Henry Percy was born in Petworth, Sussex, England on 25 March 1273, seven months after his father's death; his birth saved the Percy family from extinction. In 1293, he inherited estates in Sussex and Yorkshire, and he served under King Edward I of England in Flanders and Wales during the 1290s. In 1297, he fought at the Battle of Stirling Bridge during the Wars of Scottish Independence, and he led a reserve cavalry division at the Battle of Falkirk a year later. In 1303, he survived the defeat at the Battle of Roslin, and he participated in Aymer de Valence's decisive victory over the Scots at the 1306 Battle of Methven, after which he was sent to spread word that Valence had promised gold to anyone who could help the English apprehend Robert Bruce. Percy stayed out of the Piers Gaveston controversy by focusing on purchasing an estate at Alnwick, only to later support Gaveston's execution in 1312. When King Edward II of England suppressed the conspiracy, he made an example out of Percy by confiscating his lands and imprisoning him in July 1312; in January 1313, Percy was pardoned and his lands were restored to him. He fought at the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314, and he died shortly after of natural causes.