On 21 July 1403, King Henry IV defeated a rebel army led by Henry ‘Hotspur’ Percy in fields north of Shrewsbury. Hotspur was killed during the fighting, and the most serious immediate challenge to Henry’s rule collapsed with him.

The two men had once been allies. The powerful Percy family supported Henry Bolingbroke when he removed Richard II and became Henry IV in 1399. Their military strength in northern England had helped make the change of king possible.

The alliance soon broke down. The Percys claimed that Henry had failed to repay large sums spent defending the northern border and fighting in Wales. They also opposed his insistence that Scottish nobles captured at Homildon Hill should remain royal prisoners rather than be ransomed for the Percys’ benefit.

Hotspur had served the king against the Welsh rebellion led by Owain Glyndŵr. By 1403, he had changed sides. The Percys allied themselves with Glyndŵr and Edmund Mortimer. They supported the young Earl of March, whose hereditary claim to the throne could be presented as stronger than Henry’s.

Hotspur gathered an army largely from Cheshire and moved towards Shrewsbury. He hoped to join Welsh forces before confronting the king. Henry moved quickly and reached the town on 20 July, shortly before the rebels.

Hotspur was left north of Shrewsbury with the River Severn and the royal army between him and reinforcements from Wales. Attempts to negotiate failed, and the armies fought the following day.

Both sides used large numbers of longbowmen. Arrows caused heavy losses before the opposing forces met at close quarters. The king’s army came under severe pressure, and the royal standard was brought down during an attack directed towards Henry.

Hotspur was killed during the fighting. Once news of his death spread, organised resistance weakened. The royal army held the field, while surviving rebel leaders were captured or fled.

The Earl of Worcester, Hotspur’s uncle, was executed two days later. Henry initially treated Hotspur’s father, the Earl of Northumberland, with greater restraint, although the Percy challenge continued in later rebellions.

The victory kept Henry IV on the throne and prevented Hotspur’s army from joining the wider revolt in Wales. It removed the rebel leader who had brought an army close enough to fight the king in person.

Henry later ordered a chapel to be established near the battlefield, with prayers said for the dead on both sides.