Battle of Homildon Hill

Reconstruction of the sacking of Newcastle (1402) by the Scots prior to the battle of Homildon Hill. The mounted horsemen left to right are Archibald 4th Earl of Douglas of Threave castle, George the 'Red' Douglas 1st Earl of Angus of Tantallon castle, Ramsay of Dalhousie castle near Bonnyrigg, then Sinclair with Stewart of Albany's son from Doune castle behind.  Andrew Spratt.

Hotspur Crushes Scots at Homildon Hill

For generations, the Douglases and the Percies, warlords on either side of the Anglo-Scottish border, had clashed in raids and skirmishes. In 1402, with a weak king on each throne, the simmering feud exploded!

Archibald Douglas, Earl of Douglas, led a massive Scottish force south, plundering their way to Newcastle. But the fiery young English knight, Henry Percy, nicknamed "Hotspur" for his love of battle, was waiting.

Douglas, burdened by stolen cattle, made a desperate stand on Homildon Hill. There, Hotspur unleashed a deadly surprise: Welsh archers rained arrows upon the crowded Scots, turning the hill into a killing field. The Scottish horsemen charged, only to find thin air and more arrows. Panic seized the Scots, and a bloody rout ensued.

Douglas himself, riddled with arrows and blinded in one eye, was captured along with a host of Scottish nobles. The Percies dreamt of a fortune in ransoms, but King Henry IV, desperate for funds, demanded all prisoners be turned over.

Humiliated, the Percies surrendered their captives - all except Douglas, whom Hotspur refused to relinquish. Fury erupted in London! The King, already deeply indebted to the Percies, threatened civil war if they defied him.

Hotspur, summoned to London, clashed with the King in a fiery exchange. Legends claim the King even struck Hotspur! A fragile peace was brokered, but the bond between Hotspur and Douglas, forged in adversity, only grew stronger.

Together, they allied with the Welsh rebel, Owen Glendower, to topple King Henry. But fate intervened. In 1403, at the Battle of Shrewsbury, their rebellion was crushed. Hotspur fell in battle, and Douglas was once again a prisoner.

Hotspur's severed head became a grim trophy, while his father, Northumberland, was forced to beg forgiveness beneath its gaze. The border feud continued, but the glory of Homildon Hill would forever be tainted by the King's betrayal and the death of a warrior's spirit.