Establishing the Tudor Dynasty: Threats to Henry VII’s throne 1486 – 1509
Use the table to assess the different threats to Henry VII’s throne:
Lord Lovell and the
Staffords – 1486
Lovell was a key supporter
of Richard III. He tried to
raise support in the North
Riding of Yorkshire in
Easter 1486. Humphrey
Stafford simultaneously
tried to raise forces in the
Midlands
Lambert Simnel and
the Earl of Lincoln –
1486-87
Leading Yorkists realized
they needed to change
their strategy: a figurehead
who could claim to be a
Yorkist Prince; and
financial support to
generate a substantial
military threat
Simnel, a boy from Oxford
who was tutored in courtly
manners by a priest,
Richard Symonds,
impersonated the Duke of
York (Richard, the younger
of the princes in the
Tower) and then as the
How great was the threat to Henry VII?
Support within
Foreign support
None
Many leading Irish
magnates supported the
Yorkists. Simnel was
crowned as King Edward
in Ireland in May 1487
Margaret of Burgundy
(sister of the Yorkist
kings) was angry at what
had happened to her
brother Richard III.
Burgundy was alarmed
that France had supported
Henry VII in gaining the
throne → Margaret
sheltered Simnel and
Lincoln, and raised an
army of 2,000 mercenaries
who travelled to Ireland in
April 1487. From there,
they travelled to the
northwest coast of
How significant
Why was Henry able to
Quality of was this threat?
overcome the threat?
England Leadership
Lovell escaped
Thomas Stafford (younger brother of
North Riding of Yorkshire from the king’s
Humphrey Stafford) was pardoned, so
and the Midlands were forces to
that Henry VII appeared reasonable.
Yorkist Areas, but there Burgundy, but
There was little enthusiasm for the
was little enthusiasm for Stafford was
uprising, even in traditional Yorkist
Richard III captured and
heartlands
executed
Henry exhibited the real Earl of
Warwick in London for everyone to see
They did not
raise enough
that he was still alive
troops –
Lincoln fled to Burgundy to join Lovell
Lincoln had
to plan the army of mercenaries*.
8,000
The Yorkist gentry of the Henry had plenty of notice of the
compared to
North Riding were conspiracy. He reinstated the Earl of
Henry VII’s
reluctant to commit Northumberland (had led a large part
12,000. This
themselves, and Lincoln of RIII army at Bosworth) to the north,
meant that
was not able to add helping to neutralize RIII’s old power
Henry won the
sufficient numbers to the base and ensuring the Yorkist Howard
Battle of Stoke
army of mercenaries with family did not join the conspirators. He
Field in 1487
which he had landed in reinforced coastal defences in East
England Anglia. Henry’s army was led
Lincoln died in
effectively by the Earl of Oxford. The
the fighting;
Earl of Lincoln was killed at the Battle
Lovell died
of Stoke Field in 1487
soon
afterwards
Simnel was captured at the Battle of
Stoke. He was spared by Henry VII,
1

Earl of Warwick (who was
held in prison by Henry
VII).
Lincoln (John de la Pole,
nephew of Edward IV and
Richard III) put together
the conspiracy.
Perkin Warbeck -
1491-99
A cloth trader from Tournai
in Flanders who
impersonated Richard, the
younger of the princes in
the Tower, from 1491 in
Ireland
How great was the threat to Henry VII? How significant
Why was Henry able to
Support within Quality of was this threat?
Foreign support overcome the threat?
England Leadership
England and started to who gave him a job in the Royal
gather support in the kitchens
North Riding of Yorkshire
This battle brought to an end the Wars
of the Roses
Henry was relatively mild in his
treatment of those who had rebelled,
winning over some Yorkists who had
previously opposed him. Only 28 were
attained, and not lots of land was
distributed. He began to develop the
policy of using bonds of good
behaviour (a lump sum, that did not
have to be paid back if the receiver was
obedient) to ensure well-behaved
landowners who might otherwise face
financial ruin
November 1492 – Henry VII and
This was a major foreign
Warbeck was Charles VIII of France signed the Treaty
policy concern in the
able to win of Etaples, the French agreeing not to
1490s. Warbeck went to
some foreign shelter rebels
France in 1492, and
support but it
Burgundy in 1493, where
In 1494, conspirators were was not
Warbeck was trained as a
found in government – Sir sustained. He Henry was informed of Warbeck’s
potential Yorkist prince
William Stanley, Henry’s had failed intentions to invade England in 1495 by
step-uncle. He was attempts to one of his royal agents. Warbeck was
Many Irish lords refused
executed in February 1494 invade England quickly defeated and fled to Scotland*
to back Warbeck
in 1495, 1496
Overall, there was not and in 1497 The Truce of Ayten with Scotland
*He was welcomed in
enough support in England during the meant that Warbeck had to flee
Scotland by James IV in
for Warbeck to be Cornish Scotland for Ireland and then Cornwall,
1495. A small Scottish
successful Rebellion. In where he failed and was arrested
force crossed the border
1497 his troops
on Warbeck’s behalf in
were crushed After his defeat of Warbeck in 1497,
1496, but quickly
by Henry’s Henry first allowed Warbeck to stay at
retreated. James gave in
troops court but then placed him in the Tower
to Henry’s offer of
when Warbeck tried to escape
2

The de la Pole Family
– 1499-1506
The Earl of Suffolk had fled
to Flanders in 1498. He
was persuaded to return
after a short exile but in
1501 fled to the Court of
the Emperor Maximillian
Richard de la Pole was
also in exile in Europe
How great was the threat to Henry VII?
Support within
Foreign support
marriage to his daughter,
Margaret.
Maximillian sheltered the
de la Poles in 1501. They
extorted £250,000 in the
form of ‘loans’ that were
never repaid to Henry VII.
Archduke Philip of
Burgundy (Maximillian’s
son) used Henry’s
insecurity about Suffolk to
force trade concessions
from England
Philip, however, agreed to
give up Suffolk in the
Treaty of Windsor in 1506,
who was imprisoned in the
Tower of London (Philip
had been sailing to claim
the Spanish throne after
the death of Isabella of
Castille, when he was
blown onto the English
coast)
How significant
Why was Henry able to
Quality of was this threat?
overcome the threat?
England Leadership
In 1499, the Earl of Warwick was
beheaded, having being accused of
plotting with Warbeck and attempting
an escape in 1498
In 1501 Henry arrested associates of
the de la Pole family: Sir William
Courtenay, William de la Pole (younger
brother). Executed James Tyrell,
governor in Calais and Sir John
This could have
been strong,
Wyndham
had there been
He gave £10,000 to Maximillian, which
more
There were potential helped prevent him supporting an
substantial
supporters in England, invasion
foreign
including a younger
support. Spain
brother (William) In January 1505, Henry suspended
and Italy were a
trade with Burgundy and the Holy
distraction to
Roman Empire who were sheltering the
the foreign
Earl of Suffolk. Following the Treaty of
power
Windsor, Suffolk was imprisoned in the
Tower of London. He was executed for
treason in 1513. Richard de la Pole
died fighting for the French forces at
the Battle of Pavia in 1525
3
Which threat from rebellion was most significant to Henry VII and why?

Why was Henry able to survive the threats to his power from rebellion?