Alnwick Castle in England
Alnwick Castle is a castle and a country house in the English town of Alnwick, in the county of Northumberland. After the Norman Conquest, Alnwick Castle was built, and it has since been renovated and remodeled multiple times. The 12th Duke of Northumberland actually lives in Alnwick Castle. It is, indeed, a Grade I-listed structure that, when combined with the nearby Alnwick Garden, attracted roughly 800,000 tourists each year in 2012.
history of Alnwick Castle?
Alnwick Castle was founded in 1096 by Norman ruler Ivo de Vesci, and during its early years, it was regularly assaulted by Scots, as well as being taken in 1136 by David I of Scotland. Following fears that Ivo’s great-grandson, Eustace de Vesci, was plotting against him, King John ordered Alnwick to be destroyed in 1215. Thankfully, such claims were never pursued. In the 14th century, Alnwick Castle was purchased by the Percy family, who embarked on a massive construction project that transformed the town into an important fortress on the Scottish border. From political power and military might to passionate love and explosive planning, the Percys had long represented significant yet rebellious characters on the stage of England’s history. One of the family’s most renowned members has been Harry ‘Hotspur’ Percy, a powerful knight immortalized in Shakespeare’s play Henry IV.
His monument still stands at Alnwick Castle, where he died in battle in 1403 while leading a revolt against Henry IV. Hotspur’s father, 1st Earl Northumberland, helped topple Richard II, 7th Earl Northumberland, who led the Northern Rebellion against Henry VIII in 1536, including Thomas Percy, another of the famed Gunpowder Plotters, in 1605. Another wonderful version of Percy lore talks of Henry Percy, 6th Earl of Northumberland’s wish to marry Anne Boleyn, a romance that caused controversy and was formally canceled prior to Boleyn’s famous marriage to Henry VIII. Alnwick Castle saw a lot of action over the years, including many conflicts between Yorkists and Lancastrians even during the Wars of the Roses, before returning to the Percys once they swore allegiance to Edward IV.
