Battle of Shrewsbury

Infobox Military Conflict
conflict=Battle of Shrewsbury
partof=


caption=
date=21 July 1403
place=Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England
result=Decisive royalist victory
combatant1=
combatant2= Rebel forces
commander1=Henry IV of England
Henry, Prince of Wales
commander2=Henry Percy KIA
strength1=25,000
(modern est. 5000)
strength2=15,000
(modern est. 4000)
casualties1=~5,000
casualties2=~10,000

The Battle of Shrewsbury was a battle fought on July 21, 1403, at what is now Battlefield in Shropshire, England, just to the north of present day Shrewsbury town, marked today by Battlefield Church. The battle was waged by an army led by the Lancastrian King, Henry IV, and a rebel army led by Henry "Hotspur" Percy from Northumberland.

Background

The Percys had previously supported Henry IV in a war against Richard II, which ended when Henry took the throne in 1399. They subsequently supported him in conflict 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 and when the war ended, lands in Cumbria promised to the Percys were instead given to a rival. This was enough to spark them into private revolt, which may have been increased when monies promised by Henry never materialised. The Earls of Northumberland and Worcester therefore publicly renounced their allegiance to the King, charged him with perjury based on his claiming the throne instead of just his old lands and titles, his taxing the clergy despite having promised not to without the consent of Parliament, charging him with imprisoning and murdering King Richard II, not permitting a free Parliamentary election and refusing to pay a just ransom, requested by Owain Glyndŵr who was then holding Edmund Mortimer.

Henry Percy raised a small group of retainers initially (probably about 200) in early July 1403 and started the long march south to meet his uncle, Thomas Percy, 1st Earl of Worcester. Although some nobles, such as Lord Bardolf, joined him, he recruited most of his army in Cheshire, an area hostile to Henry IV, and which provided many experienced soldiers, notably its Cheshire archers, some of whom had served as Richard II's bodyguard. It appears that he may have hoped to be reinforced by a Welsh force under the self-proclaimed Prince of Wales, Owain Glyndŵr. This didn't happen, and it appears that Glyndŵr, at the time fighting in Carmarthenshire, was unaware that Hotspur had acted. Nevertheless it appears some Welsh forces from the Cheshire borders may have joined him. The rebels then marched towards Shrewsbury, the heavily defended county town of Shropshire.

King Henry IV himself only became aware of these developments on July 12, apparently while he was marching an army north to assist the Percys against the Scots and received the news at Burton-on-Trent. He may well have anticipated the Percys's change of heart but nevertheless instantly switched plans to meet the immediate threat posed by the Percys. He changed direction and marched west towards Shrewsbury with his army. Estimates of the sizes of the two armies vary widely, with the Royal army being placed between 15,000 and 60,000, with estimates centering on 25,000 and the rebels between 5,000 and 20,000 and estimates centering on 15,000. However, in reality, medieval armies were considerably smaller than the inflated numbers presented in chronicles. Historian Juliet Barker suggests the numbers were closer to 4000 for the rebels and 5000 for the royal army. [Barker, p 29] This is consistent with the general analysis of army sizes undertaken by Michael Prestwich from indentures and summons and pay records. [Prestwich, pp 115-119]

Both forces arrived near the town on July 20 1403 and set up camp to the north and south of the Severn River, which loops around the town. Hotspur based himself initially at the house of a William Betton, his army camping some five miles northwest of the town. The next day the King's forces crossed the River Severn at Uffington, placing themselves in a position in open ground on the floodplain of the river, at what was then known as Haytleyfield, where they could best use their larger numbers. They were soon faced by the Percy forces from the north, apparently in a large field of growing peas.

For much of the morning the two forces parleyed. Thomas Prestbury, the Abbot of Shrewsbury was used by King Henry to offer terms. Hotspur declined any terms and Thomas Percy spoke to the King, trading insults. It appears that Henry Percy was somewhat inclined towards accepting the King's position, while his uncle Thomas Percy was not. Whatever the case, negotiations ended near noon, and the two forces advanced closer for the fight.

Battle

King Henry raised his mace. The battle opened with a massive archery barrage, arrows killing or wounding many of the men before they could meet hand to hand in the field. Of the two forces, the Percys's Cheshire bowmen proved generally superior. Thomas Walsingham recorded how the King's men "fell like leaves in Autumn, every one [arrow] struck a mortal man". Prince Henry was hit in the face with an arrow during the fighting, sustaining a terrible wound. Most soldiers would have been left, but as a member of the Royal family he was rescued and later recovered, although his face was permanently disfigured. However when the two armies finally met, the greater numbers of the Royal army generally prevailed. The Percys attempted to address this imbalance with a charge, the Royal Standard was overthrown and Sir Walter Blount, its carrier, hacked down. Edmund Stafford, 5th Earl of Stafford, the Lord High Constable of England lay dead as a result but it was premature and Henry Percy was killed. The story goes that he had raised his visor to ascertain whether it was actually the King who opposed him or an imposter; an archer, recognising Hotspur's plume and arms, fired one very decisive arrow hitting him in the face and killing him, lodging deep in his brain. At this point some of the rebel forces fled the field, and a rout began. The battle had apparently lasted three hours. It was claimed that over 300 knights and another 20,000 men-at-arms fell on the field, 4,600 of King Henry's force were killed and thousands more on both sides died of wounds, broken limbs and injuries over the next few weeks.

Aftermath

Henry Percy was initially buried by his nephew Thomas Nevill, 5th Baron Furnivall at Whitchurch, Shropshire with honours, but rumours soon spread that he was not really dead. In response the King had him disinterred. His body was salted, set up in Shrewsbury impaled on a spear between two millstones in the pillory in the marketplace, with an armed guard and was later quartered and put on show in the four corners of the country. His head was sent to York and impaled on the north gate, looking towards his own lands. His quarters were sent to Chester, London, Bristol and Newcastle-on-Tyne. In November his grisly remains were returned to his widow Elizabeth. She interred them in York Minster at the right hand side of the altar.

Thomas Percy the Earl of Worcester, Sir Richard Venables and Sir Richard Vernon were publicly beheaded in Shrewsbury on 23rd July and their heads publicly displayed, Thomas Percy's on London Bridge.

Battlefield Church was 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 inadvertently opened part of the burial pit, workmen being surprised by the mass of bones showing the hurried nature of the burials.

The battle itself and many of the key people involved appear in Shakespeare's Henry IV, Part 1.

Notes

References

* Barker, Juliet; "Agincourt: The King, the Campaign, the Battle", UK: Little, Brown, 2005; ISBN 034911918X
* Morgan, ,Philip J.; "The Battle of Shrewsbury 1403" ISBN 0-7524-2563-3
* Prestwich, Michael; "Armies and Warfare in the Middle Ages: the English Experience" Yale University Press, 1996; ISBN 0300064527

Online:
* Alastair Dunn, [http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1373/8_53/106423707/p1/article.jhtml "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

External links

* [http://www.battleofshrewsbury.org/ The Battle of Shewsbury] -- from Shropshire Tourism and Leisure, describes the battle and events commemorating its 600th anniversary
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/shropshire/history/2003/02/battle_of_shrewsbury/battle_bulletins.shtml BBC Battle Bulletins] -- An experiment in which the BBC produced "Battle Bulletins," providing updates and commentary on the Battle of Shrewsbury as if it were reporting on the actual event as it unfolded.
* [http://www.battlefield1403.com Battlefield 1403] -- The battle of Shrewsbury exhibition centre.