Lambert Simnel
Lambert Simnel has an important role in English history because of his threat to King Henry VII's reign as king. As one of two child impostors who were merely pawns in a dangerous political game, Simnel was used to leverage power against King Henry VII.
Lambert Simnel was born sometime around 1477, but it isn't exactly clear who his parents were. When Simnel was around the age of ten, he was taken in by highly educated, Oxford attending Priest Roger Simon. Simon's goal was produce a king and he saw Simnel as the perfect choice for this quest. He tutored young Simnel on manners. The boy was described by many as having looks fit for a king.
It was originally Simon's intention to present the young boy as being the Duke of York, which would have made him the son of Edward IV. Simon changed his mind when he heard that the Earl of Warwick had died during a term of imprisonment at the Tower of London. This boy, who would have been about the same age as Simnel, had a real claim to the throne because he was the son of the Duke of Clarence, who was the brother of King Edward.
In order to support his false story, Simon put out word that the Earl of Warwick had actually escaped from the tower and was under his tutelage. Simon's story gained the support of the House of York, who was willing to support just about anything that might overtake King Henry. From there, Simnel was taken to Ireland to be presented to the Earl of Kildare. Kildare bought the story and arranged an invasion of England in order to overthrow King Henry. In May of that year, Simon had Simnel named "King Edward VI" in Dublin's Christ Church Cathedral.
As news of this event came to King Henry, he made various attempts to disprove the lie. He even presented the real Earl of Warwick, who had not died in the Tower of London, to the public to prove that Simnel was an impostor. In addition, he offered full pardons, including pardons on the harsh charge of treason, to the criminals if they would turn themselves in.
An interesting event helped to push the effort to put Simnel in the royal seat. The Earl of Lincoln fled England to Burgundy, France, where he claimed that he had been a part of the Earl of Warwick's escape. This event, coupled with other lies, was enough to encourage Simon and the Yorkists to gather troops and mercenaries. King Henry gathered troops for himself in preparation for the war.
On June 16, 1487, Simnel's supporters came to England and battled King Henry's forces at the Battle of Stoke Field. They were put down with relative ease, though. Among those captured and executed was Lord Kildare, who had led much of the military movement. Simon was also captured, but his priestly status enabled him to spend life in jail rather than face execution.
King Henry pardoned Simnel because it was recognized that he was mainly used as a puppet by the older gentlemen trying to play a political game. King Henry even gave Lambert Simnel a job within the palace, allowing him to work in the kitchen. He later became a royal falconer, a job which he worked until his death in 1534.
Original Authors: Coby DuBose
Edit Update Authors: RPN
Updated On: 22/05/2007
