Northumberland, Henry Percy, 4th earl of

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Northumberland, Henry Percy, 4th earl of (c.1449–89). Edward IV kept Percy in detention after the death of his father, the 3rd earl, in 1461. He was restored to the earldom in 1470 and appointed warden of the east march to replace John Neville. Tension with Richard, duke of Gloucester (later Richard III), who had replaced Warwick in his northern lands and offices, was allayed by Northumberland being retained by the duke in 1474. He supported Richard's usurpation in 1483, but apparently resented the king's continuing interest in the north. He obeyed the call to arms against Henry Tudor but remained inactive at Bosworth Field. Henry VII soon realized that he needed Northumberland's services in the east march. He was killed in an anti-tax demonstration in Yorkshire.

R. L. Storey

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