Why did hotspur rebel

Hotspur is rash, impetuous, incapable of strategy, and tends to alienate his colleagues. When Hotspur learns that his father and Glendower won't be joining the rebel forces at Shrewsbury, he forges ahead anyway because he thinks winning an impossible victory will lend "luster and more great opinion" to the rebels' enterprise 4. Hotspur may be more honest and straightforward than Prince Hal, who schemes and plots his way through the play, but Henry IV Part 1 makes clear that strategy, command of language, and patience are all necessary components of kingship.

Hotspur is the quintessential manly man, who hates all things effeminate. In recent years, literary critics have turned their attention to Hotspur's notions of masculinity, which are linked to his ideas about honor.

Honor, we know, is achieved on the battlefield in Henry IV Part 1 and the field of war, Hotspur insists, is no place for effeminacy. Hotspur also prefers the erotics of battle to sex with his wife.

When Lady Percy demands to know why Hotspur has kicked her out of his bed, he replies that he's got no time "to tilt with lips" and calls for "bloody noses" and "cracked crowns" instead 2. While the play certainly doesn't go out of its way to correct Hotspur's sexist and obnoxious views, it does seem to recognize the shortsightedness of Hotspur's prejudice.

Hotspur is pretty central to our discussion of "Gender," "Language and Communication," and "Power," so be sure to check out "Quotes" for these themes. You can also read more about Hotspur by going to "Character Roles.

Further grievances included his favour towards Dunbar, his demand that the Percys hand over their Scottish prisoners and his failure to put an end to Owain Glyndwr 's rebellion through a negotiated settlement. Indeed, Henry seemed happy to allow the Welsh to detain Mortimer indefinitely.

Mortimer possessed a claim to the throne which many considered superior to Henry's own, being the grandson of Lionel, Duke of Clarence, the second surviving son of King Edward III. Henry himself descended from Edward's 3rd surviving son. In the summer of , probably in collusion with Glyndwr, the Percys rose in rebellion and took up arms against Henry IV.

Soon after the victory at Homildon Hill, Hotspur issued proclamations accusing the King of 'tyrannical government'. He was joined by his uncle, Thomas Percy, Earl of Worcester and marched to Shrewsbury to meet the kings forces in battle. However, his father, Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland was slow to move south with his forces to rendezvous with them and Hotspur and Worcester arrived at Shrewsbury alone on 21 July , where they found the King waiting for them with a large army.

The following morning, ominously, Glyndwr had still not arrived with reinforcements, perhaps taken by surprise at the speed of the King's advance. The Royal army marched out of the town to meet the rebels at Haytely Field, about three miles from the centre of the town on the road to Whitchurch. Estimates regarding the sizes of the two armies vary widely, the King's army, which far outnumbered that of the rebels, is generally considered to be between 15, and 60, men, while the rebels numbered between 5, and 20, Parleys were entered into, which failed to result in an acceptable agreement, rendering battle inevitable.

By around the hour of noon, order for the advance was given and battle commenced. The assault was opened with a deadly exchange of arrows, a dread and whirring cacophony which resulted in many casualties on both sides. The Prince of Wales was wounded in the face with an arrow but staunchly refused to retire from the field.

When the two armies clashed, the larger Royal army began to gain the upper hand, although the Earl of Stafford, who led the centre of the King's army was killed in the fighting. After Richard was formally deposed and soon after killed the Percies were showered with immense amounts of rewards mainly through lands and titles by the newly crowned King Henry IV.

As a result, the Percies continued to loyally serve Henry and resumed their position as the protectors of northern England.

Unfortunately, by , the Percies would once again rebel against a king. In , the Percies won an extremely important battle against the Scots at Humbleton Hill. The Scottish leader, Archibald, Earl of Douglas, was, with several other noblemen, captured.

After the battle was fought, King Henry demanded that the Percies hand over their prisoners to him. Northumberland willingly did so but Hotspur was not so eager to do so, claiming that the prisoners rightfully belonged to him Douglas in particular. In addition, Hotspur was still angry with the fact that Henry had refused to ransom Edmund Mortimer Hotspur's brother-in-law , who had been captured by the Welsh rebel Owen Glendower and had married his daughter.

It is most likely that the king refused to do so because of the fact that Mortimer's nephew, the young Earl of March, was, technically though ambiguously , the rightful King of England because of his descent from Lionel, second surviving son of Edward III Henry was descended through Edward's third son, John of Gaunt.

These issues, combined with the fact that Henry's gratitude in general towards the Percies had seemingly run out, caused the northern family to rebel against the man that they had been so instrumental in putting on the throne. The Percies joined forces with the Scots and with Glendower and the Welsh in rebellion against the king. Unfortunately, the army that was led by Hotspur and also included his Uncle Thomas, Earl of Worcester, and the Scottish Earl of Douglas was cut off by the forces of the king and the young Prince of Wales, the future Henry V before it had the opportunity to join with the forces of Northumberland and Glendower.

A battle ensued at Shrewsbury that saw significant losses on both sides. Hotspur was killed during the battle, and Douglas and Worcester were captured the latter executed.

Thus ended the life of a true warrior; he was thirty-nine. The king was certainly upset for the loss of his longtime friend but realized his death was for his own benefit. After being buried briefly, Hotspur's body was put on public display to prove that he was indeed deceased and to provide an example for prospective future rebels.

For all the glory Hotspur achieved in the battlefield, he will most be remembered as a man who betrayed, and was ultimately killed by, his own countrymen. Hotspur in Shakespeare. In reality, Hostpur was actually two years older than Henry.

He is first seen in Richard II when he and his father, Northumberland, have joined forces with Henry Bolingbroke against the king.