Andrew Harkley, 1st Earl of Carlisle

The surname "Harkley" comes from the name of the village of Hartley in Westmoreland ^[2] . Although relatively little is known about Andrew Harkley's early years, he was most likely the eldest son of Sir Michael Harkley and Joan, daughter of Yorkshire landowner William Fitzjon. He had a younger brother, Henry Harkley , Chancellor of the University of Oxford ^[3] . Michael Harkley was a vassal of the Clifford clan, and in 1285–1296 served as Cumberland sheriff. In the documentary evidence, the name Andrew Harkley first appears in 1292, and at that time he should have been at least twenty-one years old, therefore, he was born in the early 1270s ^[3] .

The first data on the military career of Harkley dates back to 1304, when he took part in the campaign against the Scots . In 1309, he was ordered to help Robert Clifford defend the Marks from Scotland ^[3] . His position among the local population grew in 1311, when he was appointed Sheriff of Cumberland, like his father before him. In 1312, he was elected Knight of the Shire , and in December 1313 distinguished himself as the leader of the defense against the Scottish invasion. ^[3] In the summer of 1315, he successfully led the defense of Carlisle Castle during his siege by Robert Bruce ^[4] . For this, the king awarded him a thousand marks ^[5] .

At the end of 1315 or in 1316, Harkley was captured by the Scots, who demanded a ransom of 2000 marks for him. In recent years, a quick climb up the career ladder, he made some enemies in the local community, who now took the opportunity to spread bad rumors about him at court. Edward II, however, helped to raise the money necessary for the liberation of Harkley, but, apparently, the king’s last location was lost for the next few years ^[3] . Only in 1319 he was again appointed sheriff and at the same time the keeper of the castles Carlisle and Cockermouth and the guardian lord of the Western brand. In 1321, he was also personally called to parliament ^[3] .

The most significant achievement of Harkley was the Battle of Boroughbridge in 1322. The battle was the culmination of a long struggle between King Edward II and the most influential of the counts Thomas Lancaster . The causes of the conflict, in particular, were disagreements over the conduct of the war with Scotland; Lancaster, like many others, believed that Edward was not making enough effort for success ^[6] . Unable to rebel against the king, in March 1322, Lancaster fled north of the royal army. Meanwhile, Harkley, as a sheriff, received orders from the king to collect the troops of the northern counties of Cumberland and Westmoreland and move south to join the royal army ^[7] . However, during a stop at Ripon in Yorkshire, he received information that the next day, Lancaster would arrive in nearby Boroughbridge ^[8] . Harkley decided to seize the initiative and, having taken the bridge over the Yur River , did not allow Lancaster to cross ^[9] .

Lancaster's army arrived at Boroughbridge on March 16th. The advantage was not on the side of the rebels: under the command of Harkley there were about 4,000 people, and under Lancaster there were only about 700 knights and heavily armed horsemen ^[10] . In addition, the loyalist army consisted of experienced soldiers who went through the war with Scotland. Harkley used tactics that the British learned from the Scots during these conflicts ^[9] . The Lancercost Chronicle describes how Harkley used the Scottish Shiltron - a dense infantry construction with lances or spears in his hands, highly effective against Lancaster cavalry ^[11] .

The skirmish was short-lived; Harkley had an undeniable advantage ^[12] . Lancaster planned to launch an attack across a river ford, while Earl Hereford - one of the few tycoons who remained faithful to him - crosses the bridge ^[13] . Hereford died on the bridge, his ally Roger, 2nd Baron de Clifford , was seriously injured, and the assault failed ^[14] . Lancaster, meanwhile, came under such heavy shelling that he had to withdraw the attack ^[15] . The desertion of part of the troops overnight and the arrival of royal reinforcements to Harkley forced him to surrender the next day; March 22, he was executed ^[16] . The king was extremely pleased with the actions of Harkley and generously rewarded him. On March 25, the title of Count Carlisle was created for Harkley; he received lands that brought a thousand marks a year ^[17] . On September 15, he was also declared the chief Keeper of Marks ^[18] .

On October 14, 1322, the Scots under the command of Robert Bruce defeated the English army at the Battle of Old Byland in Yorkshire. The commander of the British, Jean Breton , Earl of Richmond, was captured, the king himself managed to escape with difficulty ^[19] . This was the worst defeat for the British since the Battle of Bannockburn in 1314 ^[20] . Harkley was drafted into the royal army, but did not manage to bring his troops south in time. The incident convinced him that the war against Scotland could not be won under the leadership of Edward II ^[21] . Therefore, he entered into direct negotiations with the Scots without royal permission. He signed a peace treaty with Robert Bruce on January 3, 1323 in Lohmaben ^[22] .

By treaty, Scotland was recognized as an independent kingdom. Robert was to pay the British 40,000 marks, and Edward - to choose a wife from his family for Robert's heir ^[23] . The text, however, implies the possibility of a military alliance between Robert and Harkley versus Edward pursuant to the terms of the treaty ^[3] . It is unlikely that Harkley hoped for the mercy of the king, rather he was considering the possibility of switching to the side of Robert Bruce; it was rumored that he even planned to marry one of Bruce’s daughters. ^[3] Nevertheless, it is also likely that the cause of his actions was genuine concern about the situation in the north, and they represented a desperate attempt to find a better way out of this situation ^[23] .

Although historians usually take Harkley’s actions with understanding, the event is commonly called “Harkley treason” ^{[24] [25]} . In the words of Maurice Keen: “The conclusion of peace or a guarantee of security or the conclusion of any agreement with the enemies of the king without proper authority constituted an insult to Majesty ; a similar definition was given in other military [judicial] cases ” ^[26] . Harkley received similar powers in February 1322, but the conclusion of a peace treaty with Bruce was considered their excess ^{[27] [28]} . It is also possible that Edward held a grudge against Harkley due to the fact that he did not come to Byland and that this was the reason for the tough reaction of the king. However, there is no evidence that Harkley, after receiving the royal letter, could lead his troops to the battlefield faster than he did ^[29] .

Upon learning of Harkley's betrayal, Edward ordered his arrest. Harkley tried to find supporters; the king began to strengthen the northern castles ^[3] . On February 25, Sir Anthony Lucy arrested the Earl at Carlisle Castle. ^[30] Harkley clearly trusted Lucy, who had a very small detachment at his disposal, so most likely the arrest was made unexpectedly ^[3] . The reason for the feud between Lucy and Harkley could be a dispute over Papcastle ownership. In addition, in 1322, after the uprising was suppressed, Harkley briefly deprived Lucy of his land, even though he did not take any part in those events ^[31] .

March 3, Harkley appeared before the royal judge in Carlisle, but he was denied due hearing ^[3] . He was found guilty of treason and sentenced to be hanged, gutted and quartered ^[31] . At execution, he behaved with dignity, claiming that he tried to act in the best interests of the country ^[3] . His head was taken to the king at Knursboro in Yorkshire, and after she was hung out on the London Bridge . Four parts of his body were put on public display in four cities of the country: Carlisle , Newcastle , Bristol and Dover ^[27] . Less than three months after the execution of Harkley, Edward agreed to a thirteen-year truce with Scotland. ^[32]

Harkley's head was removed from a bridge in London only five years later. His sister petitioned the king to return various parts of his body to his family for a Christian burial, which was performed in 1328 ^[33] . During the reign of Edward III , Harkley's nephew requested the removal of the charge of treason, but to no avail ^[3] .