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52-643: Perkin Warbeck ( c.  1474 – 23 November 1499) was a pretender to the English throne claiming to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York , who was the second son of Edward IV and one of the so-called " Princes in the Tower ". Richard, were he alive, would have been the rightful claimant to the throne, assuming that his elder brother Edward V was dead and that he was legitimate —a point that had been previously contested by his uncle, King Richard III . Due to

104-599: A Knight of the Garter in 1475. From this time on, it became a tradition for the second son of the English sovereign to be Duke of York. He was created Earl of Nottingham on 12 June 1476. On 15 January 1478, in St Stephen's Chapel , Westminster, when he was 4 years old, he married the 5-year-old Anne de Mowbray, 8th Countess of Norfolk , who had inherited the vast Mowbray estates in 1476. As York's father-in-law's dukedom had become extinct when Anne could not inherit it, he

156-511: A Flemish knight, arrive with two little ships and 60 German soldiers and meet James IV and talk to Warbeck. Guns provided for the raid from Edinburgh Castle included two great French "curtalds", 10 falconets or little serpentines, and 30 iron breech-loading "cart guns" with 16 close-carts or wagons for the munitions. Bothwell estimated the invasion force would last only four to five days in England before it ran out of provisions. He suggested, from

208-488: A junior Scots noblewoman was scarcely what might be expected for a potential king of England. In September 1496, James IV prepared to invade England with Warbeck. A red, gold and silver banner was made for Warbeck as the Duke of York; James's armour was gilded and painted, and the royal artillery was prepared. John Ramsay of Balmain (who called himself Lord Bothwell) described the events for Henry VII. He saw Roderic de Lalaing,

260-465: A local English merchant named John Strewe for a few months where he traded cloth. After his time in the Netherlands, Warbeck yearned to visit other countries and was hired by a Breton merchant. This merchant eventually brought Warbeck to Cork , Ireland , in 1491 when he was about 17, and there he learned to speak English. Warbeck then claims that upon seeing him dressed in silk clothes, some of

312-677: A significant threat to the newly established Tudor dynasty ; Henry declared Warbeck an impostor. Warbeck made several landings in England backed by small armies but met strong resistance from the King's men and surrendered in Hampshire in 1497. After his capture, he retracted his claim, writing a confession in which he said he was a Fleming born in Tournai around 1474. He was executed on 23 November 1499. Dealing with Warbeck cost Henry VII over £13,000 (equivalent to £12,916,000 in 2023), putting

364-545: A stop to extortionate taxes levied to help fight a war against Scotland and was warmly welcomed. He was declared "Richard IV" on Bodmin Moor and his Cornish army some 6,000 strong entered Exeter before advancing on Taunton . Henry VII sent his chief general, Giles Daubeney, 1st Baron Daubeney , to attack the Cornish and when Warbeck heard that the King's scouts were at Glastonbury he panicked and deserted his army. Warbeck

416-465: A strain on Henry's weak state finances. Perkin Warbeck's personal history is fraught with many unreliable and varying statements. Warbeck said that he was Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York , the younger son of King Edward IV , who had disappeared mysteriously along with his brother Edward V after Richard, Duke of Gloucester , succeeded to the throne as King Richard III following the death of King Edward IV, his eldest brother, in 1483. After Warbeck

468-498: Is a drawing in the Recueil d'Arras by Jacques le Boucq dating from c. 1570. The text labeling the drawing as Perkin Warbeck is in a different hand to inscriptions on other drawings in the collection. It might have been added later. It is then questionable if it indeed depicts Warbeck. Since le Boucq didn't know who the man was, by his time the identity of the man was likely forgotten. However, Le Boucq's original handwriting describes

520-524: Is unknown, but she tutored him in the ways of the Yorkist court. Henry complained to Philip of Austria, Duke of Burgundy , about the harbouring of the pretender. When Henry was ignored, he imposed a trade embargo on Burgundy, cutting off important Burgundian trade connections with England. The pretender was also welcomed by various other monarchs and was known in international diplomacy as the Duke of York . At

572-870: The Tweed at Coldstream . Miners set to work to demolish Heaton Castle on 24 September, but the army quickly retreated when resources were expended and hoped-for support for Perkin Warbeck in Northumberland failed to materialise. According to an English record, the Scots penetrated four miles into England with a royal banner displayed and destroyed three or four little towers (or Bastle houses ). They left on 25 September 1496 when an English army commanded by Lord Neville approached from Newcastle. When news of this invasion reached Ludovico Sforza , Duke of Milan , on 21 October 1496, he wrote to his ambassador in Spain to request

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624-563: The 17th century. In the period before the boys' disappearance, Edward was regularly being visited by a doctor; historian David Baldwin extrapolates that contemporaries may have believed Edward had died either of an illness or as the result of attempts to cure him. Bones reportedly belonging to two children were discovered in 1674 by workmen rebuilding a stairway in the Tower. On the orders of King Charles II , these were subsequently placed in Westminster Abbey , in an urn bearing

676-572: The Duchy of Burgundy, however, Warbeck was publicly recognized as Richard of Shrewsbury by Margaret of York , widow of Charles the Bold , sister of Edward IV , and thus the aunt of the Princes in the Tower. Whether Margaret—who left England to marry before either of her nephews were born—truly believed that the pretender was her nephew Richard, or whether she considered him a fraud but supported him anyway,

728-547: The Exchequer ), Sir William Stanley (the Lord Chamberlain ) and Sir Robert Clifford. Clifford went over to mainland Europe and wrote back to his friends to confirm Warbeck's real identity as Prince Richard. King Henry ordered the group of supporters to be rounded up and put on trial. All were duly arrested, together with William D'Aubeney, Thomas Cressener, Thomas Astwode, Robert Ratcliff and others. Lord Fitzwater

780-617: The Mowbray estate before parliament in 1483. Nothing was done for Lord Howard. His father died on 9 April 1483. Thus his brother Edward , Prince of Wales, became King of England and was acclaimed as such, and Richard his heir presumptive . Fearing for her family's safety, the Queen Dowager arrived with her family to Westminster Abbey seeking sanctuary in April 1483. Her eldest son was taken by his regent, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, to

832-629: The Spanish monarchs make peace between England and Scotland. The peace mission was entrusted to the Spanish ambassador in Scotland, Pedro de Ayala , who had been Perkin's companion in Northumberland. Later, wishing to be rid of Warbeck, James IV provided a ship called the Cuckoo and a hired crew under a Breton captain, Guy Foulcart . Horses were hired for 30 of Warbeck's companions to ride to

884-470: The Tower of London, allegedly to prepare for his coronation. In June 1483, the Duke of Gloucester requested that Richard join his brother, King Edward V in the Tower and Queen Elizabeth was forced to hand over the young boy. A priest, now generally believed to have been Robert Stillington , the Bishop of Bath and Wells , testified that Edward IV had agreed to marry Lady Eleanor Talbot in 1461. Lady Eleanor

936-481: The York family. Francis Bacon believed he was one of Edward's many illegitimate children. It has also been suggested that he was a son of one of Edward's siblings, either Richard III or Margaret of York , Warbeck's first major sponsor. Some authors, for example Horace Walpole , have even gone as far as to claim that Warbeck actually was Richard, Duke of York. It is often claimed that Perkin's only surviving likeness

988-493: The block. Later the same month Sir William Stanley was also beheaded. Other members of the group were imprisoned and fined. Sir Robert Clifford was pardoned and rewarded for revealing the names of the conspirators. On 3 July 1495, funded by Margaret of Burgundy, Warbeck landed at Deal in Kent , hoping for a show of popular support. They were confronted by locals loyal to Henry VII in the ensuing Battle of Deal . Warbeck's small army

1040-862: The citizens of Cork who were Yorkists demanded to do "him the honour as a member of the Royal House of York." He said they did this because they were resolved on gaining revenge on the King of England; they decided that he would claim to be the younger son of the late King Edward IV. Warbeck first claimed the English throne at the court of Burgundy in 1490, where jeton coins were minted for him. Warbeck explained his (i.e. Richard of Shrewsbury's) mysterious disappearance by claiming that his brother Edward V had been murdered, but he had been spared by his brother's (unidentified) murderers because of his age and "innocence". However, he had been made to swear an oath not to reveal his true identity for "a certain number of years". He claimed that from 1483 to 1490, he had lived on

1092-467: The clothing bought for the tournament shows Warbeck fought in a team with the king and four knights. A copy of a love letter in Latin obtained by Pedro de Ayala is thought to be Warbeck's proposal to Lady Catherine. However, James's biographer Norman Macdougall comments that it is clear that nobody, with the possible exception of Margaret of Burgundy, took seriously his claim to be the prince; his marriage to

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1144-517: The continent of Europe under the protection of Yorkist loyalists, but when his main guardian, Sir Edward Brampton , returned to England, he was left free. He then declared his true identity. In 1491, Warbeck landed in Ireland in the hope of gaining support for his claim as Lambert Simnel had four years previously. His cause was promoted by John Atwater , a former Mayor of Cork and ardent Yorkist, who may have been instrumental in helping him assume

1196-527: The identity of Richard. However, little support materialized for an active rebellion, and Warbeck was forced to return to mainland Europe. There his fortunes improved. He was first received by Charles VIII of France , but in 1492 he was expelled under the terms of the Treaty of Etaples , by which Charles had agreed not to shelter rebels against Henry VII. After an English expedition laid siege to Boulogne , Charles VIII agreed to withdraw all backing from Warbeck. In

1248-410: The invitation of Duke Philip's father, Emperor Maximilian I , in 1493, Perkin attended the funeral of Maximilian's father Frederick III and was recognised as King Richard IV of England. Pro-Yorkist sympathy in England involved important figures making it known that they were prepared to back Warbeck's claims. These included Lord Fitzwater, Sir Simon Montfort , Sir Thomas Thwaites (ex- Chancellor of

1300-572: The late 1450s. In order to be accepted at court, he converted to Catholic Christianity, with King Edward IV standing as his sponsor. Upon his conversion, he adopted the English name of Edward Brampton in honour of his Sponsors. Brampton was an adventurer, soldier, and ship's commander, who fought in several engagements during the War of the Roses , including the Battle of Tewkesbury , and was eventually awarded

1352-514: The materials of the man's outfit as "drap dor"(drap d'or=cloth of gold) and "drap darger"(probably drap d'argent=cloth of silver). An outfit fit for royalty, but not pointing to Warbeck specifically. This group of drawings in the Recueil d'Arras may be based on the work of Meynnart Wewyck , an artist at the Tudor court who travelled to Scotland in the years after Perkin Warbeck had left. There he

1404-473: The names of Edward and Richard. The bones were re-examined in 1933 at which time it was discovered the skeletons were incomplete and had been interred with animal bones. It has never been proven that the bones belonged to the princes. In 1789, workmen carrying out repairs in St George's Chapel , Windsor, rediscovered and accidentally broke into the vault of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. Adjoining this

1456-555: The only surviving brother of Edward IV, became King Richard III. The Duke of York was sent to the Tower of London , then a royal residence, by King Richard III in mid-1483, where he was held with his brother. They were sometimes seen in the garden of the Tower, but there are no known sightings of them after the summer of 1483. What happened to the two of them—the Princes in the Tower —after their disappearance remains unknown. Tudor History

1508-645: The position of Governor of Guernsey . With the help of his wife Lady Margaret Brampton, he won favours in both the Portuguese and English royal courts and was knighted in August 1484 by Richard III . Following the defeat of Richard III, Brampton left England for the court of Margaret of Burgundy , where it is presumed he met Perkin Warbeck , a pretender to the throne of England, who he later employed. From his marriage to Lady Margaret Brampton, he had six children: João, Jorge, Henrique, Isabel, Maria and Joana. In

1560-434: The run. Over the next six years, Warbeck travelled across Europe, receiving recognition from a number of monarchs including Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor and James IV of Scotland as "Richard IV" of England. This support included Margaret of York , the aunt of the real Richard. Following his capture after a failed invasion of England in 1497, Warbeck was held in the Tower of London. He confessed to being an impostor, and

1612-489: The safety of Berwick-upon-Tweed , that the Scots could be vanquished by a modest English force attacking from north and south in a pincer movement . The Scottish host assembled near Edinburgh; James IV and Warbeck offered prayers at Holyrood Abbey on 14 September and on the next day at St Triduana's Chapel and Our Lady Kirk of Restalrig . On 19 September 1496 the Scottish army was at Ellem and on 21 September they crossed

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1664-698: The ship at Ayr on 5 July 1497. Pedro de Ayala accompanied Perkin to Ayr. Perkin pawned a horse for cash in Ayr and sailed to Waterford in shame. James IV made peace with England by signing the Treaty of Ayton at St Dionysius's Church in Ayton in Berwickshire . Once again Perkin attempted to lay siege to Waterford, but this time his effort lasted only eleven days before he was forced to flee Ireland, chased by four English ships. According to some sources, by this time he

1716-506: The situation escalating into war with France. Spanish ambassadors arrived in Edinburgh, and later Pedro de Ayala was established as a resident ambassador during the crisis. Warbeck married Lady Catherine Gordon , a daughter of George Gordon, 2nd Earl of Huntly . The marriage was celebrated in Edinburgh with a tournament. James gave Warbeck clothes for the wedding and armour covered with purple silk. Historian Katie Stevenson suggests

1768-569: The tomb unknown. In 1486, Richard of Shrewsbury's eldest sister Elizabeth married Henry VII, thereby uniting the Houses of York and Lancaster. In 1491, in Cork , Perkin Warbeck, a young man of Flemish origin was proclaimed by a variety of Yorkist supporters led by the Irish city's former Mayor John Atwater to be Richard. He claimed to have escaped from the Tower and spent the intervening years on

1820-497: The uncertainty as to whether Richard had died (either of some natural cause or having been murdered in the Tower of London ) or whether he had somehow survived, Warbeck's claim gained some support. Followers may have truly believed Warbeck was Richard or may have supported him simply because of their desire to overthrow the reigning king, Henry VII , and reclaim the throne. Given the lack of knowledge regarding Richard's fate, and having received support outside England, Warbeck emerged as

1872-438: Was Flemish and held the occupation of comptroller to the city of Tournai , in present-day Belgium . These family ties are backed up by several municipal archives of Tournai which mention most of the people whom Warbeck declared he was related to. Around the age of ten, he was taken to Antwerp by his mother to learn Dutch . From there, he was undertaken by several masters around Antwerp and Middelburg before being employed by

1924-550: Was Jewish. Another version is that “Rui Barba was a Christian who begat Edward Brampton out of wedlock with the wife of a Jew.” Later Portuguese genealogy records indicate that his father could have been Fernão Rodrigues Alardo, the main alcaide of Leiria and Óbidos . Born in about 1440 in the Jewish community in Lisbon , Portugal , his mother's name was Mariana and his father was a blacksmith, Duarte emigrated to England during

1976-421: Was another vault, which was found to contain the coffins of two children. This tomb was inscribed with the names of two of Edward IV's children: George, Duke of Bedford, who had died at the age of two; and Mary of York who had died at the age of 14. Both had predeceased the King. However, the remains of these two children were later found elsewhere in the chapel, leaving the occupants of the children's coffins within

2028-747: Was beheaded on Tower Hill on 28 November 1499. Warbeck was buried in Austin Friars, London . The presumed site of his unmarked grave is at the Dutch Church, Austin Friars . His story was featured in Francis Bacon 's 1622 work History of the Reign of King Henry VII . Perkin reportedly resembled Edward IV in appearance, which has led to speculation that he might have been Edward's illegitimate son or at least had some genuine connection with

2080-404: Was captured and interrogated in 1497 under the eye of King Henry VII, another version of his life was published, based on his confession. This confession is considered by many historians to be possibly only partially true as it was procured under duress. According to the confession, Warbeck was born to a woman called Katherine de Faro, wife of John Osbeck (also known as Jehan de Werbecque). Osbeck

2132-412: Was captured at Beaulieu Abbey in Hampshire where he surrendered. Henry VII reached Taunton on 4 October 1497, where he received the surrender of the remaining Cornish army. The ringleaders were executed and others fined. Warbeck was imprisoned, first at Taunton, then at the Tower of London , where he was "paraded through the streets on horseback amid much hooting and derision of the citizens". Warbeck

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2184-623: Was created Duke of Norfolk and Earl Warenne on 7 February 1477. When Anne de Mowbray died in November 1481 her estates should have passed to William, Viscount Berkeley and to John, Lord Howard . In January 1483, Parliament passed an act that gave the Mowbray estates to Richard, Duke of York and Norfolk, for his lifetime, and at his death to his heirs, if he had any. The rights of the two co-heirs at law were extinguished; Viscount Berkeley had financial difficulties and King Edward IV paid off and forgave those debts. Berkeley then renounced his claims to

2236-409: Was initially treated well by Henry. As soon as he confessed to being an impostor, he was released from the Tower of London and was given accommodation at Henry's court. He was even allowed to be present at royal banquets. He was, however, kept under guard and was not allowed to sleep with his wife, who was living under the protection of the queen. After eight months at court, Warbeck tried to escape. He

2288-587: Was known as "Mynours the English painter". Another painter, Piers, from Antwerp, was his successor at the Scottish court , and he has also been suggested as the source of the Scottish portraits in the Recueil . Warbeck's story subsequently attracted writers, most notably the dramatist John Ford , who dramatized the story in his play Perkin Warbeck , first performed in the 1630s. Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York (17 August 1473  – c.  1483 ),

2340-489: Was later executed following an attempt to escape. As son of the king, Richard was granted use of the arms of the kingdom, differentiated by a label argent, on the first point a canton gules . Edward Brampton Duarte Brandão came from the Jewish community of Portugal. He was brought up in the Jewish faith, but his parentage is uncertain. It has been suggested that his mother was Christian and his father, Rui Barba,

2392-557: Was left with only 120 men on two ships. Bacon's History of the Reign of King Henry VII said he had "in his company four small barks, with some sixscore or sevenscore fighting men". On 7 September 1497, Warbeck landed at Whitesand Bay , two miles north of Land's End , in Cornwall , hoping to capitalise on the Cornish people 's resentment in the aftermath of their uprising only three months earlier. Warbeck proclaimed that he could put

2444-402: Was quick to blame his uncle, Richard. Thomas More wrote that the princes were smothered to death with their pillows, and his account forms the basis of William Shakespeare 's play Richard III , in which Tyrrell suborns Forrest and Dighton to murder the princes on Richard's orders. Subsequent re-evaluations of Richard III have questioned his guilt, beginning with William Cornwallis early in

2496-413: Was quickly recaptured. He was then held in the Tower, initially in solitary confinement, and later alongside the 17th Earl of Warwick ; the two tried to escape in 1499. Captured once again, Warbeck was led from the Tower to Tyburn , London on 23 November 1499, where he read out a confession and was hanged . Warbeck's Irish ally John Atwater was also executed at Tyburn on the same day. The Earl of Warwick

2548-694: Was routed and 150 of the pretender's troops were killed without Warbeck even disembarking. He was forced to retreat almost immediately, this time to Ireland. There he found support from Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Earl of Desmond , and laid siege to Waterford , but, meeting resistance, he fled to Scotland . Warbeck was well received by James IV of Scotland . Warbeck followed the court and was a Christmas guest at Linlithgow Palace in 1495. James realised that Warbeck's presence gave him international leverage. As Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain were negotiating an alliance with Henry VII, James IV knew that Spain would help him in his struggles with England in order to prevent

2600-476: Was sent as a prisoner to Calais and later beheaded for trying to bribe his gaolers. In show trials in January 1495, all the conspirators were initially condemned to death, although six, including Thwaites, were then pardoned and their sentences commuted to imprisonment and fines. Within days Sir Simon Montfort, Robert Ratcliff and William D'Aubeney were beheaded at Tower Hill and Cressener and Astwode pardoned at

2652-520: Was still alive when Edward married Elizabeth Woodville in 1464 and the Regency Council under the late King's brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester , concluded that this was a case of bigamy . This invalidated the second marriage to Elizabeth Woodville and the legitimacy of all children of their union. Titulus Regius declared both Edward and Richard as illegitimate and removed from the line of succession on 25 June 1483. The Duke of Gloucester, as

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2704-467: Was the sixth child and second son of King Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville , born in Shrewsbury . Richard and his older brother, who briefly reigned as King Edward V of England , mysteriously disappeared shortly after their uncle Richard III became king in 1483. Prince Richard was created Duke of York on 28 May 1474 and was knighted on 18 April the following year. He was also made

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