Opposition to Henry Tudor

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The Stafford-Lovell Revolt 1486

Background:

Immediately following Bosworth, Henry VII's position was highly unstable. To rectify this, Henry restored his supporters to their previous positions and promoted when he could, for example, Jasper Tudor was made Duke of Bedford. Enemies of Tudor were quickly pacified, such as Warwick, Suffolk and Northumberland, who were all imprisoned in the Tower. The North was a concern of Henrys as they had been loyal supporters of Richard III and the border with Scotland always posed a threat.Tudor places Lord Strange in the North as Warden of the Northern Marshes. However, he was replaced by Henry Percy not long after. This was a good political move as thePercy's were a powerful Northern family and if they accepted Henry,other Northern nobles would also. To consolidate royal authority in the North, Tudor planned a Royal Progress in the Spring of 1486. At this time, Northumberland welcomed Tudor in the North. 

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The Stafford-Lovell Revolt 1486

Motives:

Francis, Viscount Lovell(North): Lovell had been achildhood friend andloyal supporter of Richard III, being promoted to Lord Chamberlin and Knight of the Garter. Lovell probably fought for Richard at Bosworth and after the battle fled to Sanctuaryin ColchesterAbbey. 

Humphrey Stafford &Thomas Stafford (Midlands): Both men fought for Richard at Bosworth and fled to Sanctuary in Colchester Abbey withLovell. It is more unclear about theirmotivesbut it is probable to assume that they feared being over looked by Tudor.  

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Lambert Simnel 1487

Background:

After the Stafford-Lovell Uprising there were numerous men who schemed and planned rebellions in their homes, driven by hatred or a hope for profit. A**** these men was Richard Simons, a priest, who choseLambert Simnel to impersonate the Earl of Warwick. Simons took Simnel to Ireland where he acquired royal ways and changed his name to Edward when a rumor began thatWarwickhad died in prison. He then met with Irish noblemen whom he told he had saved Edward, Earl of Warwick from death. The Chancellor of Ireland was especially taken by this scheme and helped Simnel, telling him that the English throne was his by right. Support for Simnel spread throughout Ireland to the extent that messengersbegantosend messages to England to gain support for the imposter. Messages were also sent to France, to Margaret, sistertoEdward IV, who was married to Duke Charles of Burgundy. Margaret wanted to destroy Henry, and even though she knew that Simnel was not the real Warwick, still agreed to give support and fuel the plot.

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Lambert Simnel 1487

Motives:

John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln:The Earl of Lincoln was the nephew of Richard III, and was crowned heir to Richard III when he was unable to have any more children. Lincoln had fought alongside Richard at Bosworth, and it was because of his close connection to Richard III that Henry Tudor chose Lincoln to become a member of his Council. He was shown friendship by Tudor and was integrated into the Tudor faction. However, Lincoln became a key leader in the Lambert Simnel rebellion. It is arguable what his motives were for doing this, but his ambition for a greater position was what probably caused his treason,as well as any remaining loyalty he may have had for the Yorkist faction. He added credibility to Simnel's rebellion and became the high profile leader. 

Margaret, Dowager Duchess of Burgundy: Margaret of Burgundy validated the plot by recognizing Lambert Simnel as her nephew, even though she was aware of the fact that he was a pretender. Shepersuaded her step-son to provide 2000 German mercenaries who would travel with Simnel to England. Margaret's court became a haven for Yorkist supporters, providing men guilty of treason with somewhere to go.

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Lambert Simnel 1487

Motives:

Gerald Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildare: The Earl of Kildare was a dominantfigure in Ireland, anda loyal Yorkist supporteralongside his family. Fitzgerald had served as a Lord Deputy in Ireland and allowed Lincoln to arrive in Dublin with 2000 men. He attended the coronation of Edward VI, but in 1488 Kildare submitted to Henry VII and was pardoned. However, he lost the Deputyship and fell out of favour in the mid 1490s when he was suspected of supporting the rebellion of Perkin Warbeck. Kildare was then attainted by the Irish parliament, but to prevent another Irish/Yorkist alliance, Henry made connections with Kildare in order to gain his support. Henry enhanced his position by marrying him to his Kinswoman, Elizabeth St. John. Henry rewardedKildare with a Garter Knighthood and was given back his position as Deputy of Ireland. 

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Lambert Simnel 1487

The Battle of Stokefield:

Henry marched to Stoke because he knew the rebels were there, they camped on the opposite side of the Trent to the rebels and their army was 12,000-20,000 men strong- this significantly outnumbered the Yorkist/Rebel army. The Rebels formed a defensiveposition on a hillwhilst the King divided his army into three 'blocks'/'battles'-Oxford lead the Vanguard at the front of the Kings army.The King lead theMainGuard and Lord Strange was in command of the RearGuard- This was like Bosworth.The Rebel's German and English Mercenaries were unreliable. The battle began with an exchange of missiles including guns, arrows and probably cannons as well. TheIrishrebels were well armoured, but the Kings army had the upperhand because the rebels left their defensive position. This resulted in savage hand to hand fighting which raged for several hours and resultedinthe Kings victory when the Yorkist rebels fled.  

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Yorkshire Uprising 1489

Background:

Connected to Henry's foreign policy when he decided to support Brittany against France which would renew war. As a medieval King invading another country, he would need taxes. To fund his war, Henry received a 100,000 subsidy from parliament. Some of the most northern counties don't have to pay the tax. The people of Yorkshire emerged as a resentment of the subsidy. They had a poor harvest in 1488 which meant that they were short on money and more taxes would cause them to have food shortages. The people of Yorkshire did not like that some northern counties were exempt from the subsidies. People of the North did not believe they should pay for a southern war. The Earl of Northumberland was Henry's representative in the North, he reported that the Northerners were refusing to pay the tax. Henry Tudor told Northumberland to use force if necessary. Northumberland was killed in a skirmish by members of the rebels of the uprising. The rebels broadened their support which came from the lower classes but not from the Gentry or Nobility.

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Yorkshire Uprising 1489

Henry Percy:

Henry Percy, Earl of Northumberland, put the case of the people before the King. However, Henry VII believed that if he did not assert his authority early, others would view him as a weak leader and also believed that the funds raised might assist England in the future. He refused to listen to Northumberland's arguments. After informing the people in Yorkshire that the King would not bend, Northumberland was murdered.

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Yorkshire Uprising 1489

Events:

Sir John Egremont led the York rebels. Henry chose the Earl of Surrey as head of his Vanguard because the North would have been more sympathetic to him due to the fact he fought with Richard at Bosworth. It is also a tactical move because it was an opportunity for Surrey to prove his loyalty, and for him to get his lands back. The Earl of Surrey easily put downtheir rising, capturing York and Egremont fled to Flanders. Henry in a conciliatory gesture travelled north and issued many pardons for those who were involved in the uprising. The new Earl of Northumberland was only a minor and the Earl of Surrey was made Lieutenant in the area governed by the murdered Earl. Surrey had no reason not to be loyal to Henry as his own social and political advance rested with the king. Henry faced no more problems in the North though he failed to collect the region’s tax quota for the Brittany campaign. 

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Yorkshire Uprising 1489

Outcome:

The rebellion was a failure because it did not escalate, it was not a Yorkist rebellion, it was an economic one. It was not well organised and they had no clear manifesto other than that they did not want to pay the tax. Also, it was not supported by the nobility and was not a threat to Henry's throne, just to the tax. However, it was seen as Henry Tudor at the time who raised on army and treated it as if it would grow and challenge his authority. 

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