Lions of the Red Rose
Available from Alnwick Castle shop or
online at alnwickcastle.com.
The Duke of Northumberland on His Family's Turbulent History
An historic family, bloody wars and years-long grudges - it sounds like something straight out of Game of Thrones
Living North meets Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland, to discuss his recently published book, Lions of the Red Rose, in which he assesses the bitter and bloody Wars of the Roses, and how they played out within his own Percy family and what it meant for the North.
They say that you can't judge a book by its cover but any publisher will tell you that it's of vital importance in setting the scene, and the most recent work from Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland, does an excellent job in doing just that. It displays a bloodied sword with a wild red rose creeping up it, with the bold Percy crest at the top. The back cover quotes Shakespeare:
'Here I prophesy: this brawl today...
Shall send, between the red rose and the white,
A thousand souls to death and deadly night.'
(Henry VI, Part 1)
The Bard puts it beautifully, as ever, only his numbers were short. There were many, many thousands killed in one of these isles’ most troubled periods, only much later titled The Wars of the Roses (by another great writer, Sir Walter Scott). Elsewhere, the world was changing as continents opened up (Columbus landed in the Americas in 1492, and Vasco do Gama reached India by sea from Portugal.) Meanwhile the Renaissance took hold from 1410 and Constantinople fell to the Ottomans, bringing an end to the Byzantine Empire in 1453. It was a busy old time, and one which was hugely complex in its narrative, but nowhere more so than in the North of England.
There's another rule in reading books, perhaps more readily applied to works of fiction: don't take a peek at the final pages. In this case, however, I advise most strongly that you do exactly that. In fact, you should probably read it in this order; first local historian John Sadler's foreword, followed by the author’s own introduction; and then skip to the hugely helpful appendices (which include a map of land ownership during the Wars of the Roses, a fascinating timeline which sets global events against what was taking place here, maps showing the changing face of English-held lands in continental Europe, and four incredibly well displayed family trees).
These depict The Royal Houses of York and Lancaster, The Percy Family Tree (Earls of Northumberland), The Neville Family Tree 1 (Earls of Westmorland) and The Neville Family Tree 2 (Earls of Salisbury and Warwick).
In his foreword John Sadler puts it like this: ‘For far too long, a detailed account of the role of the principal magnatial families in the North, the Percys and Nevilles, in the build up to what we now call the Wars of the Roses, has been lacking. Ralph Northumberland has helped to fill the gap with his insightful, impeccably researched history examining the frequently pivotal part his 15th century ancestors played in this very bloody series of linked dynastic conflicts.’
I have nothing like Sadler's knowledge but what I can say is that, having read the book twice, this most complex part of history now makes a lot more sense. However, its scope is far more generous and (as the inside cover says) it is not hard to appreciate why this period in British history became the inspiration for George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones. And much other historical fiction too, I suspect.
Through his work, Ralph Northumberland has managed to carefully unravel this complex period, and in addition to this the book is beautifully illustrated with maps of key battles, and a whole range of anecdotes which readers will enjoy.
As the Duke rightly explains, this is a book that's more for dipping into. It’s a really classic coffee table book which I think many Northern families especially would enjoy. It’s insightful but it also reflects some of the character of the author, combining an eye for detail with a light turn of phrase. But how does the author himself feel about his most recent book? And why did he decide to write it?
'Forced into inactivity by Covid lockdown, I decided to try and learn more about a complex but very bloody period in my family's history,’ he explains. ‘As I got more involved in this fascinating period, it developed from a short book that I wrote for fun into its present format. It had been stewing for four years, and I have much enjoyed immersing myself in this Medieval period.'
I'm keen to establish why he chose to focus on this particular period. 'There are plenty of books on this era, including detailed histories of the Percy family, particularly a double volume work by an 18th century historian called de Fonblanque. The problem is that he was commissioned by my family and though much of it is pretty well researched and accurate, quite a lot is biased and slightly sycophantic, so I needed to read more neutral descriptions where possible.
‘Contemporary writers were often equally biased towards the victors and derogatory towards the vanquished so it needed a bit of digging to discover the most likely truths.'
In his own introduction, the Duke is at pains to clarify how the book develops: ’The English civil wars of the 15th century are fascinating but hard to follow. There were few contemporary accounts and later versions were often coloured by Tudor spin. It appears that most of the “great” men who fought during the civil wars did so for personal gain rather than public benefit. It is inaccurate to think of these periods of warfare as a single conflict for they were a series of linked wars interspersed with relative peace and prosperity. I embarked upon this book because of my family's involvement in the wars and a desire to learn more about their lives and deaths, particularly those of a father, the 2nd Earl of Northumberland, and four of his sons, Henry Percy (3rd Earl of Northumberland), Sir Thomas Percy (Lord Egremont), Sir Richard Percy and Sir Ralph Percy. These sons sought revenge for their father who was hunted down and butchered, on the orders of the Yorkist leaders, in the first battle of St Albans in 1455. By 1464 all the brothers had been killed in different battles supporting the Lancastrian cause, although the last to die, Sir Ralph, spent some time on the Yorkist side before reverting to Lancaster and dying heroically in a last stand on Hedgeley Moor in Northumberland.’
So while this introduction sets the scene, the main text tells the complex story, and tries to explain, amidst a jungle of similar names, the who, what, where, when and how things happened. It was clearly a tricky task.
'Fortunately the Alnwick Castle archivist, Chris Hunwick, was able to dig out various contemporary documents that help to bring the project to life, including the thumb print of one of the principal figures, Lord Egremont, pressed into a seal on a contemporary document,’ says the Duke.
'The book is an account of the warrior Percy knights in the 15th century; their battles in England, France and Scotland; their bloody feud with a rival family that helped to ignite a civil war in which they are all killed. In particular it is the story of four Percy brothers avenging the brutal assassination of their father by Yorkist leaders.’
As he speaks in soft tones, it's extraordinary to think back to his forebears literally killing their rivals (and being killed by them) in the ferocious heat of battle. The book is vivid and brings a sense of clarity to the various battles, as well as an understanding of just how they came to pass and how bloody they really were.
However, the key was getting an understanding of the time and as the Duke explains, this wasn't easy. ‘Trying to understand this period certainly made my head spin. It is basically about power struggles between the great magnates in the vacuum created by King Henry VI's incompetence and mental incapacity. They were nearly all called Henry, William or Richard which was confusing enough, but their titles changed constantly and could easily be confused with place names.’
You can almost hear him sigh as he continues: 'Richard, Duke of York, was the principal figure and most able administrator in the early part of the Wars of the Roses. He was rich, ambitious, had royal blood and was married to one of the most attractive women in the country, Cecily Neville, 'the Rose of Raby’. He was hated by Lancastrian leaders and, in turn, he hated the corrupt magnates around King Henry, particularly the Duke of Suffolk who tried to flee the country when his disastrous military leadership in France came to an end. Suffolk was captured at sea, tried by his motley captors, found guilty and beheaded by a drunken Irishman who took several blows to sever his head. The Duke of York was probably behind this capture and assassination.’
As he talks the text from the book comes to life. Despite research and the scholarly documents used, the text of the book actually comes across in a quite easy going style, all the while recounting the various comings and goings, name changes and a whole load of blood and gore.
'The bloodiest battle ever fought on English soil was the Battle of Towton on Palm Sunday 1461. Henry Percy, 3rd Earl of Northumberland, led the vanguard with his brother Richard and both were killed in the mud, snow and slush. Up to 30,000 men died in a few hours. But one of the most shocking incidents took place at the end of the Battle of Wakefield. The Duke of York was killed and the Yorkists had lost the battle when the Lancastrian Lord Clifford saw York's 15-year-old son, the Earl of Rutland, try to leave the battle with his tutor. Clifford stabbed the boy through the heart in revenge for the death of his own father on the orders of the Duke of York and his allies, the Nevilles.’
Many illustrations enhance the text throughout, some from various archives, others created for the book itself. ‘Peter Phillips' illustrations are really important to the book,’ explains the Duke. ‘His research enabled him to recreate the original castles that we know as ruins and show the contemporary weapons and armour. His battle maps beautifully convey troop positions and landscape features. He enjoyed painting the more gory illustrations of severed heads and executions!’
As the book’s various threads begin to come together so the story of the various feuds, and indeed the story of our nation, become clearer and for the current Duke of Northumberland that's obviously especially significant. ‘This period in history is important for many reasons. It saw the loss of virtually all English lands in France, advances in culture, printing, weaponry and tactics, it saw the end of the Plantagenet dynasty that had ruled for over 300 years. It saw the reduction in the power of magnates and the evolution of a more centralised government. In 1482 the town of Berwick was returned to England and has stayed there ever since. Castles were becoming redundant as large guns replaced medieval siege weapons such as trebuchets.
'The battle scenes are quite captivating and part of the reason I wrote it down is it made it a lot easier to understand,’ he explains. ‘Northumberland remained a vital part of the kingdom and most of the castles changed hands several times during the war. Thereafter the North's importance as a buffer against the Scots remained strong.’
As the years unfolded, so too did the story of the war and its various battles and little by little family power was taken away and later restored – as I say, it's a complex tale. And what became of the two Northern rivalrous families?
‘The Nevilles changed sides and fought against the Yorkist King Edward IV, and Warwick and Montagu were both killed at the battle of Barnet on Easter Day 1471,’ explains the Duke. ‘Their contemporary Percy enemies had already died, but the son of the 3rd Earl of Northumberland, another Henry, was reunited with all the family titles and lands under Edward IV and his brother Richard III. He was murdered in 1489 but his dynasty was secure and the Earldom survived for another 200 years. The Nevilles however, were pretty much destroyed.’
The book approaches its denouement at Bosworth Field in 1485. ‘At the Battle of Bosworth the loyal and heroic Duke of Norfolk died in the first charge against Henry Tudor's forces, but Northumberland let the side down by failing to engage his troops and walking off the battlefield. This was disappointing, but perhaps not as bad as the behaviour of the Stanleys, who swapped sides at a crucial moment, picked up the crown and popped it on Henry Tudor's head!'
With the rise of the Tudors, the fate of the Percy family was uncertain. ‘The Wars of the Roses could have ended the Percy dynasty; it very nearly did,’ writes the Duke. ‘They backed the wrong horse in their adherence to the House of Lancaster and yet, against all the odds, by 1485, the year of the Battle of Bosworth, virtually all their titles, estates and political influence had been restored to them by the House of York. That they continued to thrive after Bosworth, and into the Tudor period, shows remarkable dexterity combined with a large slice of good fortune.'
This is a work that delves deep into one of the most complex parts of our history. While the Duke oversaw much of the content, timelines, maps and family trees, he was supported by staff at Alnwick Castle and says with some pride: 'I wanted to make this book a Northern effort, hence the involvement of Peter Phillips and the printing by Statex in Newcastle. Often books are printed abroad to save cost. I think Statex have done a great job.’
The book will form part of a summer exhibition at Alnwick Castle, which helps to bring the pages and history to life. ‘The Castle Exhibition contains documents, coins, weapons and a mock up of the three severed heads of York, Rutland and Salisbury which adorned the Micklegate Bar in York after the Battle of Wakefield in 1460,’ says the Duke. ‘Margaret of Anjou, the powerful Queen of Henry VI, gloated over these trophies of enemies she had finally destroyed, but the Earl of Warwick's head was not amongst them and she failed to complete her collection. Warwick was her most hated enemy.'
If you have an interest in the region and its history, and this significant period in particular, this homegrown and distinguished work is for you.
Quick Questions with Ralph Percy, 12th Duke of Northumberland
Would you write fiction?
I’ve never tried but I might try sometime.
What has been Alnwick’s biggest success these last 25 years?
Tourism has seen the biggest growth in the last 25 years. Harry Potter, The Alnwick Garden, Lilidorei and considerable investment in infrastructure has raised visitor numbers to 500,000 – and this is reflected in the success of Barter Books and many other local businesses that have embraced the potential from tourism.
What is your favourite room in Alnwick Castle?
The library. It’s undergoing a revamp now and it’s popular with visitors too.
Would you write another book in the series?
If I wrote another in the series it would be about the Tudor and Stuart period. It was almost as brutal, as the Percys retained Catholic sympathies after the Reformation and suffered horribly under Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. Implication in the Gunpowder Plot meant a sentence of 16 years in the Tower of London for the 9th Earl of Northumberland, but his father had been murdered in the Tower and his uncle was beheaded in York!
How do you see the future of the North East?
The North of England is full of people with enterprise and there is no reason why it should not thrive if given investment and strong leadership.
How is it being a Duke in the 21st century?
Being a Duke is fine but going through passport control in some countries can be trying.
How do you see the future of Alnwick Castle?
I have handed control to my son George, so the future of Alnwick Castle is his responsibility. I think it will be safe in his hands.
How do you see the future of the peerage?
As for the peerage – I don’t know what future it will have. Perhaps it is part of our history that should be preserved along with the nation’s built heritage, of which many peers are custodians.
If you held a dinner party for four of the protagonists in this book, who would they be?
Our guests from the period would be Margaret of Anjou, Lord Montagu, Cecily Neville and of course Sir Ralph Percy. Mind you, they might need to be restrained from killing each other!
