This 'warts and all' account of a great family tells the story of all the earls and dukes of Northumberland, including such memorable characters as Henry Hotspur, immortalized by Shakespeare, the 'Wizard' earl, and Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke and founder of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington.
The narrative fairly buzzes along with political intrigue, battles, executions, the great accumulations and disastrous losses of land and power over much of the last millennium. It is a story of heroism, duplicity, great judgement and equally great lack of it, of warriors, politicians, academics and the women who played vital roles in the fortunes of a dynasty. The Percys were on the brink of disaster so many times, and yet managed to survive and thrive by determination, or by sheer good luck. Their story is carried right up to present-day developments at Alnwick and Syon.
