Henry Algernon Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland, died in debt despite being one of the wealthiest men in England. His annual income was approximately £2,300, yet he spent over £1,500 just on maintaining his retinue of servants and followers. This extravagant lifestyle, which included magnificent dress and numerous guests, left him with insufficient funds to cover his journeys to court and other obligations. The Northumberland Household Book, a detailed record compiled around 1512, reveals the scale of his operations, showing how he managed his estates at Leconfield and Wressle in Yorkshire. His financial strain was so severe that he was forced to pay a £10,000 fine for disposing of a wardship without royal permission, a sum so large that he only managed to pay half before King Henry VIII took the throne. The new king eventually cancelled the remaining debt in 1510, but the earl's financial mismanagement remained a constant shadow over his career.
A Life of Service and Suspicion
From his youth, Henry Percy was groomed for power, attending the court of King Henry VII and being made a Knight of the Garter in 1495. He served as warden of the east marches towards Scotland in 1503, a role that required him to escort Princess Margaret to Scotland to marry King James IV. His splendid dress and large retinue were said to have pleased the princess, yet this same display of wealth would later draw the suspicion of Cardinal Wolsey. As Wolsey rose to power, the great nobles were forced to submit to his dominance, and Percy found himself under scrutiny. In 1516, he was cast into the Fleet Prison on charges of interfering with the king's prerogative concerning wardships, possibly as a political maneuver to allow Wolsey to claim credit for releasing him. Though he was examined in the Court of the Star Chamber and soon set free, the incident marked a turning point in his relationship with the crown.The Shadow of Buckingham
Henry Percy's friendship with Edward Stafford, 3rd Duke of Buckingham, would prove fatal for the duke but dangerous for Percy himself. In 1521, Buckingham was executed for treason, and Percy was suspected of being too friendly with him, an accusation that nearly cost him his life. The earl had arranged a marriage between his son, Lord Percy, and the daughter of the Duke of Shrewsbury, George Talbot, after the original match between Talbot's daughter and a son of Buckingham's fell through due to financial disputes. This connection, combined with Percy's perceived loyalty to Buckingham, placed him under Wolsey's watchful eye. Despite these dangers, Percy managed to avoid the fate of the duke, attending the Field of the Cloth of Gold in 1520 as a judge of the lists, where he displayed his status and influence among the European nobility.