Uncover the revolts that could have toppled one of history’s most famous dynasties

Written by Emily Staniforth

Between 1485 and 1603, the Tudor dynasty reigned supreme over England. Of the five Tudor monarchs who sat on the English throne, all faced the threat of usurpation and rebellion against their ever-changing political and religious policies that kept England in a state of constant flux. Here are just some of the most threatening and consequential revolts that kept the Tudors on their toes.

The Simnel Rebellion

HENRY VII’S THRONE IS CHALLENGED BY A PRETENDER JANUARY 1487 – JUNE 1487

When Henry Tudor won the final battle of the Wars of the Roses against the Lancastrians in 1485, it was always going to be a momentous task to consolidate his throne as the first Tudor king. His first major opposition came just two years after his victory at Bosworth, when a young boy claiming to be Edward, Earl of Warwick, began to garner support in Ireland. The boy’s name is now believed to have been Lambert Simnel, though his identity has never been confirmed.

He was educated by the priest Richard Symonds who, seeing a resemblance between the young Simnel and the children of the late Plantagenet King Edward IV, hatched a plan to place the boy on the English throne as the rightful Lancastrian heir. But, upon hearing a rumour in 1487 that the Earl of Warwick (the nephew of both Edward IV and Richard III) had died in the Tower of London, Symonds changed his plan and began passing off Simnel as Warwick. Managing to convince enough people in Ireland, Simnel was crowned as King Edward VI in Dublin on 24 May 1487. Unfortunately for Simnel, Warwick was still very much alive.

Despite the actual Warwick’s existence, Simnel’s rebellion gained some high-profile supporters in Margaret of Burgundy, who paid 2,000 German mercenaries to fight for the cause; John de la Pole, the Earl of Lincoln and another nephew of Richard III; and Gerald Fitzgerald, the Earl of Kildare and Lord Deputy of Ireland. In June 1487, the rebel army landed in England and fought Tudor forces at the Battle of Stoke. The rebellion was defeated, with de la Pole killed on the battlefield. Simnel and Symonds were captured, with little known about what happened to the priest afterwards. For many of the rebels, Henry VII showed mercy and restraint in their punishment, particularly for poor Simnel, who the king recognised was merely a child who had been manipulated by those who opposed Tudor rule. Simnel was given a job in the royal kitchens, where he worked for the rest of his life.