Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland

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Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland (15021537), was the son of Henry Algernon Percy, 5th Earl of Northumberland.

Henry, Lord Percy became betrothed to Anne Boleyn, the future second queen of Henry VIII probably in the spring of 1523, when he was page to Cardinal Wolsey. On hearing the news, The Cardinal scolded Lord Percy before his servants, since permission for the marriage had not been sought from his father nor the king, who also had an interest due to the importance of the Northumberland earldom. His father refused permission for the marriage, and he was quickly married to Lady Mary Talbot (daughter of George Talbot, 4th Earl of Shrewsbury), an unhappy marriage without issue. After spending his inheritance lavishly and transferring various estates to friends, on his death his nephew succeeded to his title, though Henry chose to disinherit his Percy relations as much as possible and bequeathed the remainder of his estates to the crown. He was also a member of the jury that convicted Queen Anne of adultery. The charges are generally believed to have been fabricated by the queen's enemies. Henry himself fainted following his 'guilty' vote and had to be carried out; he was absent for the subsequent trial of George Boleyn, the Queen's brother, who according to the charges had an incestuous affair with his sister. He died in the following year.


Preceded by:
Henry Percy
Earl of Northumberland
1527–1537
Followed by:
Thomas Percy