Campaign [316] Shrewsbury 1403: Struggle for a Fragile Crown by Dickon Whitewood

Author:Dickon Whitewood
Language: eng
Format: epub, pdf
Tags: new
ISBN: 9781472826794
Publisher: Osprey Publishing
Published: 2017-11-29T05:00:00+00:00

The tomb and effigy of Sir Robert Malvesyn lies in the Church of St Nicholas in Mavesyn Ridware, Staffordshire. Robert was one of many knights and men-at-arms from the surrounding counties who answered Henry IV’s summons to fight. (Author’s photograph)

From Nottingham the king turned west towards Shrewsbury, marching past Derby and arriving in Burton upon Trent on the 16th. Prior to his arrival in the town there is little evidence that the king made considerable efforts to recruit large numbers of armed men, perhaps because he was still uncertain of the full scale and danger of the Percy revolt. Other sources suggest the king had, instead, made serious attempts to end the revolt through mediation. The Dieulacres Chronicle says that on the 16th the king wrote ‘a friendly letter’ to Hotspur ‘naming him his beloved kinsman and warmly asked him to come to him or let him know what he purposed by a trustworthy envoy, and to make sufficient amends as far as was in his power’. The envoy who carried the letter returned to the king without a reply. At the same time a second letter was sent to Hotspur’s father. Walsingham records that when the king received news that the earl was still in the north, he quickly imagined that Hotspur alone was the instigator of the rebellion, driven by the ‘obstinate malice of [his] youth’. He then ‘determined at once to meet Percy … before they could gather an army to attack’.

From Burton Henry sent an order to the sheriffs of the nearby counties to collect all knights, esquires and valets as speedily as possible. At the same time, less welcome reports reached him concerning the uncertain loyalties of some of his subjects. On 16 July, Henry issued a mandate to Sir John Pudesay, Sir Robert de Hilton, Sir Gerard Salveyn and ten others to attend him within six days. Evidently, however, Henry changed his mind and on the very same day issued another mandate addressed to the sheriff of York, ordering him to take the men into custody. On 18 July, he issued a similar order for Thomas, Lord de la Warre to present himself at once, on pain of forfeiting life and limb.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.