Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Battle of Homildon Hill

The Battle of Homildon Hill (or Humbleton Hill) took place on September 14, 1402.  This fight pitted Earl Archibald Douglas against Earl Henry Percy of Northumberland.  Douglas' Scots took ground on Holimdon Hill while Percy's English faced Douglas on Harehope Hill.  English archers carried the day, and Percy's forces were victorious that day.

The character of Archibald Douglas has inspired more than one bard.  He appears in Shakespeare's Henry IV, and Walter Scott includes him in his "The Fair Maid of Perth":

'But there remained a third party to be consulted, and that was no other than the tremendous Archibald Earl of Douglas, terrible alike from the extent of his lands, from the numerous offices and jurisdictions with which he was invested, and from his personal qualities of wisdom and valour, mingled with indomitable pride, and more than the feudal love of vengeance. The Earl was also nearly related to the throne, having married the eldest daughter of the reigning monarch.'

Sources:
http://www.oldandsold.com/articles32n/northumbria-10.shtml
Wikepedia

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