Henry VII AQA A Level Complete Notes

Rebellions Against Henry VII

The Lovell Rebellion (1486)

• Leaders: Yorkists Viscount Lovell and Thomas Stafford.
• Details: Emerging from hiding in Colchester, they gathered troops against Henry VII.
• Outcome: The rebellion quickly collapsed.

The Yorkshire Rebellion (1489)

• Location: Near Thirsk.
• Cause: Henry's attempt to raise money to fund his expedition to Brittany.
• Outcome: The rebellion failed despite the rebels killing the Earl of Northumberland.

Court Conspiracy (1494-5)

• Event: A conspiracy to support a Yorkist claim to the throne was uncovered.
• Outcome: Led to a purge of nobles.

The Threat of the Earl of Suffolk (Edmund de la Pole)

• Timeline:
  • 1501: Fled to Maximilian’s court.
  • 1504: Many relatives received attainders when Parliament met.
  • Continual rumours of plotting against Henry.
  • Eventually, Suffolk was imprisoned and remained in the Tower until executed by Henry VIII in 1513.

Major Rebellions: Simnel and Warbeck

The Simnel Rebellion (1487)

• Claimant: Lambert Simnel, encouraged by his teacher Richard Symonds, claimed to be the Earl of Warwick.
• Support:
  • Yorkists including the Earl of Kildare proclaimed him King Edward VI.
  • Margaret of Burgundy provided 2000 soldiers and John de la Pole (Earl of Lincoln) joined with 3000 German mercenaries.
• Events:
  • Invaded England from Ireland, landing in Lancashire and marching south.
  • Gained little support as many in the north were weary from decades of war.
  • Defeated by Henry’s army at the Battle of Stoke; Lincoln was killed.
• Aftermath:
  • Simnel was given work in the royal kitchens.
  • Symonds escaped death due to his status as a priest.
  • Margaret, Kildare, and other key Yorkists escaped and remained ready to rebel.
  • Henry attempted to reconcile with the Yorkists by crowning Elizabeth as Queen in her own right in November 1487.

The Warbeck Rebellion (1491-9)

• Claimant: Perkin Warbeck, a servant claiming to be Richard of York, the younger of the Princes in the Tower.
• Support:
  • Backed early by Margaret of Burgundy and the Earl of Kildare.
  • Officially supported by Charles VIII of France and later by Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor.
• Events:
  • 1495: Landed in Kent but gained little support; moved to Scotland.
  • Supported by James IV of Scotland, who gave Warbeck his cousin's hand in marriage and an annual income.
  • 1497: James IV invaded England on Warbeck’s behalf; Warbeck was shocked by Scottish troops’ brutality and refused to advance further.
  • Henry offered James a truce (the Truce of Ayton); Warbeck fled to Ireland.
  • Attempted a third invasion in the south-west in 1497, capitalizing on Cornish anger against Henry over taxes but failed again.
• Outcome:
  • Warbeck surrendered in August 1497 and admitted his true identity.
  • Initially allowed to remain at Court, but after attempting to escape in 1498, he was imprisoned in the Tower.
  • Executed in 1499 after a failed plot to escape with the Earl of Warwick, possibly encouraged by Henry’s spies to justify their removal.

 Consolidation of power - 

Henry immediately consolidated his power in a number of ways: • He dated his reign from 21 August 1485, the day before the Battle of Bosworth,thereby ensuring that anyone who had fought on the…