Henry VII: Rebellions And Pretenders

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Timeline

1486

1486-87

1489

1491-1499

1497

Lovell and Stafford Rebellion

Lambert Simnel

The Yorkshire Rebellion

Perkin Warbeck 

The Cornish Rebellion

Lovell and Stafford Rebellion

 

Basic Details

 

Duration: One month

Location(s): York & Worcestershire

Main cause: To restore of House of York, Overthrow of Henry VII 

Subsidiary causes: None of significance 

Leadership: Viscount Lovell, Sir Thomas Stafford and Sir Humphrey Stafford

Outcome: A failed rebellion, Lovell escapes, Staffords both captured and Humphrey is executed

Level of threat: Low 

Success or failure?: Failure, the rebels fail to achieve their primary aim of overthrowing Henry. Henry’s concerns had more to do with the general instability of his rule in these early days than any significant threat from the rebels

 

Events

After the Battle of Bosworth:

Viscount Lovell, Sir Thomas Stafford and Sir Humphrey Stafford sought sanctuary in Colchester Abbey. 

April 1486:

The three left to try to raise a rebellion. 

  • Lovell travelled to Yorkshire to raise troops 

  • Staffords travelled to Worcestershire to raise troops

Henry VII, who was in Lincoln when word of the rebellion reached him, hurried to York to end the rebellion

  • Jasper Tudor was sent to the countryside with a pardon for every rebel but Lovell himself, which removed all support. 

Support for the Staffords collapsed when word reached them that the king was on his way south with an army.

Following the rebellion:

  •  Lovell escaped and began to rally to support Lambert Simnel

The Staffords fled to sanctuary again but were captured

  • Humphrey executed

  • Thomas imprisoned.

 

Reasons for failure?

  • Lack of credible alternative candidate as king 

  • Lovell and Staffords were only minor nobles 

  • Henry successfully tracked the rebels when they fled and did not give them time to become a threat

  • No oversea support

Simnel Rebellion

 

Basic Details

 

Duration: Active for over a year

Location(s): Ireland, invasion of England through Lancashire

Main cause: To restore of House of York, Overthrow of Henry VII 

Subsidiary causes: Dissatisfaction of Yorkist faction with their treatment by Henry VII,

Leadership: Richard Symonds,  Earl of Kildare and Earl of Lincoln

Outcome: A failed rebellion, Simnel is captured but given job in king’s kitchen, Symonds is imprisoned for life

Success or failure?: Successful, to an extent, the rebels fail to achieve their primary aim of overthrowing Henry. Yet, despite lack of significant support from commoners in England, Yorkists were able to raise sufficient funds to hire a mercenary army and posed a military threat to Henry VII (Battle of East Stoke)

 

Events

 

Simnel, student of Richard Symonds, was used to pose as Edward, Earl of Warwick, Richard III’s nephew and a legitimate heir to the throne.

  • Simnel’s claim was supported by the Earl of Lincoln, the Yorkist heir in Richard’s reign

January 1487:

Simnel was taken to Dublin

Gerald Fitzgerald, Earl of Kildare had Simnel crowned in Dublin as Edward VI 

Earl of Lincoln raised support in Flanders from Margaret of York, the Duchess of Burgundy

Simnel successfully gained an army of 8,000 men:

  • 2,000 German

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