On This Day In History: ‘Earl of Northumberland’ Thomas Percy Executed Because He Was Catholic – On August 22, 1572

AncientPages.com - On 22 August 1572, "Earl of Northumberland" Thomas Percy was executed because he was Catholic.

Thomas Percy was a Catholic and lived when the Protestant Queen Elizabeth I (a member of the Tudor dynasty) ruled England. The English allegedly told Thomas Percy to reject his Catholic faith, and they would spare his life if he did so.

Portrait of Blessed Thomas Percy, 7th Earl of Northumberland (1528-1570, at full length, kneeling on a cushion, wearing a black doublet with a fur trimmed cloak, a white ruff and the Order of the Garter collar and garter, reading a prayer book. Image credit: Steven van der Meulen - Public Domain

Percy refused and was publicly executed on this day in 1572.

He was a member of the English aristocracy with the title of "Earl of Northumberland" and addressed as "Lord Northumberland."

Thomas's father was also executed because he was a Catholic, which happened when Elizabeth's father, Henry VIII, ruled England and broke all ties with the Catholic Church.

But, relations between Protestants and Catholics in England became very strained. It is well known that Catholic families could only secretly "practice" their faith, and there were even unique holes in the houses so Catholic priests could find their shelter in the case of a raid.

When the so-called Rising of the North (the uprising of the Catholics against the Protestant authorities) broke out in the north of England, Thomas Percy, Earl of Northumberland, was one of its foremost leaders.

Unfortunately, this uprising failed, and Thomas Percy was caught in Scotland. He was extradited to the English government, supposedly for 2,000 pounds, and executed.

Pope Leo XIII beatified Thomas Percy in 1895.

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