Simnel and Warbeck

• Who were the Yorkist Supporters in 1485

  • Thomas Howard - Earl of Surrey
  • John De La Pole - Earl of Lincoln
  • Henry Stafford
  • Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy
• Who were the Lancastrian supporters in 1485?

  • Margaret Beaufort - Henry VII's mother
  • Jasper Tudor - Henry's uncle + Duke of Bedford
  • Edward Courtenay - Earl of Devon
• Who were the Anti-Ricardian supporters?

  • Elizabeth Woodville - Edward's wife/widow
  • John Morton
  • Sir Thomas Lovell
• What threats did Henry face after securing the throne

  • People plotting and conspiring to abolish him from the throne
  • April 1486, the Stafford brothers raised a rebellion in the name of the Earl of Warwick, although it did not raise lots of support
  • Lovell tried to raise a rebellion in Yorkshire, however he too got little support and fled to Burgundy
• What is one way Henry secured himself on the throne

  • Henry VII was crowned in a formal ceremony by the Archbishop of Canterbury
  • The coronation showed that Henry had been chosen and appointed by God, strengthening his right to be king
• What is the second way Henry secured himself on the throne

  • Henry summoned Parliament to make him the LEGAL king, not the rightful
  • He also used this parliament to punish his opponents at Bosworth
• What is the third way Henry secured himself on the throne

  • He cemented his dynastic position using parliament to cancel 'titulus regulus' which Richard III had passed, making Edward's children illegitimate
  • This allowed Henry's marriage to Elizabeth of York legitimate and the two factions could converge, making Henry's children legitimate
• What is another measure Henry VII used to secure his throne

  • He embarked on a royal progress in 1486 into the midlands and North, as Yorkist support was particularly strong in the area
• What is one way Henry gained money?

  • He had parliament pass an act of Resumption in 1486
  • This allowed him to take back crown lands and titles, which resulted in an increase of royal income
• What was the date of the Battle of Bosworth

  • August 22nd 1485
• How did Richard lose the Battle of Bosworth

  • Despite having a superior force, his once believed trusted nobility let him down
  • The Stanley brother's committed their forces and saved Henry's life
  • Henry Percy, earl of Northumbria did not fight, but watched the battle from the top of the hill
• What are 2 ways Henry VII managed to secure himself on the throne

  • In 1486, he embarked on a royal progress into the midlands and the North, as Ricardian support was strong in the area
  • The Act of Resumption in 1486 allowed Henry to take back crown lands and an increase of royal finance
• How was Perkin Warbeck dangerous to Henry from 1491-1499

  • Warbeck received support from foreign powers: France, Scotland, Margaret of Burgundy and the Holy Roman Empire (However, Irish nobles not so keen)
  • He was another pretender to the throne that emerged in Ireland, claiming to be Richard Duke of York
• Warbeck's challenge from 1491 - 1495

  • He emerged in Cork in ealry 1491 - although the people of Ireland were enthusiastic of his appearance, the Earl of Kildare was reluctant
  • Charles VIII invited Warbeck to France in 1492, but Henry made sure that he was removed
  • Margaret welcomed him into Burgundy and 'recognised' him as Richard Duke of York - she was determined to remove Henry VII
• How did Burgundy aid in Warbeck's assault on England

  • Agents from Burgundy infiltrated England and recruited supporters for Warbeck to become a figurehead between 1493-1495 for Warbeck, aided by Sir William Stanley and Sir Robert Clifford
  • But in January 1495, Stanley was tired and executed
  • Nevertheless, in July 1495, Warbeck sailed to Deal, Kent with 300 men - the lack of local support made Warbeck flee and leave his contingent to be arrested and executed
• Warbeck's challenge 1495-1497

  • After Deal, Warbeck travelled to Scotland with James V, with Henry now paranoid of an invasion through Warbeck
  • In September 1496, Warbeck and 1400 men crossed the border, however the lack of support meant his invasion failed
  • In 1497, Henry raised taxation to fund an army to fight Warbeck, but this provoked 15000 to protest in Cornwall. They marched on London and now Henry's attention was diverted onto rebellion
• How did Warbeck respond to the Cornish Rebellion in 1497

  • Warbeck left Scotland, and, being dismissed from Ireland, he moved onto Cornwall with only 300 men
  • He landed in Lands End in September 1497 and managed to rally 3000-8000 men from Cornwall
  • Edward Courtnay, Earl of Devon, managed to drive out the rebels to Taunton, where many rebels were diverted away and Warbeck was captured
  • Henry pitied on Warbeck, but after he tried to escape, he was placed in prison where he tried to plot with the Earl of Warwick - both were executed in 1499
• How did Henry VII overcome Warbeck's challenge?

  • He used his children to create foreign alliances eg In 1489, he signed the Medina Del Campo with Spain, in which Prince Arthur was betrothed to Catherine of Aragon
  • Throughout the 1490s, Henry had created a network of spies to track Warbeck's movements eg when Warbeck landed in Kent
  • Henry was able to crush Warbeck due to his reward of loyalty - Edward Courtenay was a loyal servant, and he was able to stop Warbeck
• Lambert Simnel's challenge in 1487

  • John De La Pole and the Yorkists had Simnel trained by a priest to impersonate the Earl of Warwick; however, Henry was able to produce the real Earl of Warwick
  • Margaret of Burgundy was able to aid the Yorkists with 2000 German mercenaries led by Martin Schwartz
  • They sailed to Ireland, with the support of the Earl of Kildare and Gerald Fitzgerald - Simnel was crowned king in Dublin
• Henry's response to Simnel's invasion

  • Henry's lack of experience as King led him to trust De La Pole, with him even being present in council in February 1487
  • By May 8th, Henry had gathered troops and stationed at Kenilworth Castle - when he heard news of the rebels landing, he marched North, meeting the rebels at Stoke
• Result of the Battle of Stoke

  • The Rebels were slaughtered, with the Irish's lack of armour a commanding factor
  • John De La Pole and Schwartz were killed and Lovell disappeared
  • Simnel was captured and brought into the King's Kitchen, later becoming the King's Falconer
• Foreign Support From Ireland

  • Ireland was always a highly contested area for the English, claiming they always ruled Ireland, but in reality then only really controlled The Pale
  • The Earl of Kildare was a prominent Yorkist supporter - the Battle of Stoke did not change his stance, so Henry only accpeted an oath of loyalty instead of hefty bond due to his proximity
  • The Poynings Law meant the government could only meet and laws passed under the approval of the King
  • By 1497, Ireland had deteriorated to the point where Warbeck received no support
• Foreign Support From Burgundy

  • Burgundy had a wealthy background and had a strong claim to the throne, as Margaret was Richard III's sister
  • Burgundy harboured and provided troops for Yorkist leaders eg Simnel in 1487 with 2000 German mercenaries
  • Warbeck also sought support in 1493 to 1495, where he was protected, providing troops at his landing at Deal in 1495
  • Burgundy also had close connections with the Holy Roman Empire, as Emperor Maximilian was married to Margaret's step sister, Mary
• How did Henry deal with Burgundy's threat

  • In retaliation for harbouring Warbeck, Henry placed a trade embargo on wool on Burgundy in 1493, stripping them of a valuable import - Philip then placed his own embargo on English goods in 1494
  • Anxious to go into a war without a sufficient economy against France, England and Burgundy signed Intercursus Magnus in 1496, lifting both embargo's
  • Margaret promised not to support Warbeck and in return, Henry signed the anti-French alliance, the League of Venice
• Foreign Support from France

  • Henry was always paranoid from the Auld Alliance between France and Scotland, he was possibly entrapped
  • Henry had taken refuge in France in 1484, but he could still not trust the French - Between 1485 - 1492, Anglo-French relations deteriorated, as the French supported Warbeck
• Why did relations deteriorate between France and England?

  • The main reason was the independent duchy of Brittany - it had always been ruled by dukes, but French kings claimed the right to control the region
  • When the Duke of Brittany died in 1487, his 12 year old daughter remained - the French pounced, beating the 3000 soldiers Henry sent in 1489 and secured Brittany in 1491
  • In response, Henry tried to raise taxation in 1489, however this caused a revolt Yorkshire - The Earl of Northumberland was killed and Henry was lucky no Yorkist leader took advantage to cause a revolution
• How did Henry deal with France's threat

  • Henry invaded France in retaliation of them harbouring Warbeck and the annexation of Brittany in 1492 - he marched to Bolougne in which they began to besiege
  • Already at war with Italy, Charles immediately agreed a treaty with Henry at Etaples in 1492 - Charles agreed to no longer support Henry's enemies and was also granted an 'annual pension' of 50000 crowns per year
• How did Henry secure Spain and Scotland

  • Spain = Medina Del Campo (1489), Henry had his eldest son Arthur betrothed to Catherine of Aragon and was given a pension and they would not support any Yorkists
  • Scotland = Ayton (1497), The Scottish King withdraws support for the Yorkists and Henry had Margaret betrothed to the heir of the Scottish throne