Opposition to Henry VII's rule

Opposition to Henry VII's rule

Lovel & Stafford - April 1486

Lord Lovel, Thomas, and Humphrey Stafford were loyal supporters of Richard III.  They broke the sanctuary they had been keeping at Colchester; Lovel went north to waylay the King, and the Staffords went west to raise rebellion.  Henry VII heard of the threat and offered pardon, or death. The rebels dispersed.  Lovel evaded capture and fled to Flanders. The Staffords were captured; Humphrey was executed, but Thomas was pardoned. 

Minimal threat They had little support, and Henry was able to defeat them using military force. 

Herberts & Vaughans - 1486

Group of dissatisfied Yorkists conspired to kill Henry and seize Brecon castle.  They were defeated by Rhys ap Thomas, a loyal ally of Henry VII.  Henry was severe towards the ringleaders, but showed clemency to the ranks.  He was therefore seen as the upholder of justice and order.  The royal progress continued, and succeeded in raising loyalty and obedience. 

Minimal threat Some support raised, but dealt with effectively by a loyal follower. 

Yorkshire Rebellion - 1489

Henry imposed a subsidy to go to the aid of Brittany, but it caused widespread resentment.  Yorkshire was suffering from a bad harvest, and the people were angry because counties North of them didn't have to pay the tax.  The Earl of Northumberland put their case to the King, but Henry refused to negotiate, and Northumberland was murdered when he returned north.  The Earl of Surrey defeated the rebels, and the King travelled North to issue a pardon. 

Some threat There was a significant following in Yorkshire and the King was unable to collect the rest of the tax. 

Cornwall Rebellion -1497

A heavy tax was imposed to finance an expedition to resist invasion by James IV and Perkin Warbeck.  The Cornish refused to contribute to the defence against an invasion which offered little threat to them.  The rebels marched through the Western counties, lead by Lord Audley.  Around 15,000 rebels reached London, where they were defeated in battle. Audley and two local leaders were executed. 

Some threat The rebels were able to reach Kent before facing any opposition; they showed that Henry couldn't afford a campaign against James and would have to come to terms with him.  Did not endanger the throne. 

Lambert Simnel - 1486-7

Simnel impersonated the Earl of Warwick, Richard III's nephew. He received support from Ireland and from Margaret of Burgundy, a Yorkist who sent 2000 soldiers.  The Earl of Lincoln and Lord Lovel joined the rebellion. Lincoln may have intended to put forward his own claim to the throne.  Lincoln's forces numbered around 8000 and Henry's 12,000. The rebellion was defeated at East Stoke.  Simnel was put to work in the royal kitchens. 28 of the nobles who had fought at Stoke were attainted and their lands confiscated.

High threat The scheme almost succeeded, showing Henry's instability.  However he managed to emerge victorious despite foreign intervention. 

Perkin Warbeck - 1491-9

Warbeck impersonated Richard, Duke of York, and received support from Ireland, Scotland, France and the Holy Roman Emperor.  In 1495, Henry's step-uncle, Lord Stanley, was implicated and executed.  Warbeck landed in Kent in 1495 but failed to gain any support. He was sheltered by James IV at the Scottish court.  The Scottish invasion was also a disaster, as Warbeck received no support south of the border.  He returned to Ireland, and got no support there. He gave himself up in August 1497. In 1499 he was charged with trying to escape and hanged. 

High threat Warbeck received support from several European powers, and actually invaded England.  The conspiracy lasted for 8 long and costly years. 

Suffolks - 1499-1506

Edmund de la Pole, Earl of Suffolk, was the strongest Yorkist claimant. In 1501 he fled, with his brother Richard, to the court of Maximilian.  After the deaths of Arthur and Elizabeth, Henry had only his 10-year-old son to continue his dynasty.  He acted ruthlessly, attainting 51 men.  In 1506, a storm caused Philip of Burgundy to be shipwrecked off the English coast. Henry persuaded him to surrender Suffolk. Suffolk remained in the Tower, and his brother Richard remained at large. 

High threat Henry could not feel secure even after the defeat of Warbeck and Warwick in 1499. The Tudor Dynasty depended on his only son's heartbeat, meaning that the succession was in jeopardy. 

Was Henry secure?

Yorkist threats to the throne remained right until the end of Henry's reign.  The future of the Tudor Dynasty rested on the life of his only son Henry.  Many of the Pretenders had foreign support.  Henry's accession to the throne showed that it was possible to take the throne by force; meaning that his entire reign was blighted by attempts to do just that.