On the other hand, this rebellion was handled very well, and could never be a serious threat to Henry’s government for the following reasons. First of all, Henry had sufficient support from powerful noble families such as The Duke of Bedford, The Earl of Oxford, The Earl of Shrewsbury and Lord Hastings. These were very powerful men who joined Henry on the battlefield at Stoke. This gave Henry an advantage as they were skilled on the battlefield and wielded power and land all over the country. Secondly, Henry had set up precautions in preparation for the impending invasion from Simnel. He oversaw the repair of coastal beacons in Norwich and commissioned a fleet at Harwich. This showed his effective leadership and preparation for battle, and willingness to defend his country and his crown at all costs. Lastly, he had placed a number of rebellion deterrents into his government policies, such as Acts of Attainders, which could be reversed if loyalty was achieved. This could be attractive to old Richardian supporters; if they switched their alliances to Henry they could retrieve their lands. During this rebellion, Henry did have a major threat on his hands, as this could have ended his rule if he had lost on the Battlefield at Stoke.
The second major rebellion Henry faced was Perkin Warbeck. Over the years Warbeck would win the support of many foreign nations against Henry VII. This rebellion was a serious threat to Henry because it also had the backing of foreign nations, a strong likeness to the Lambert Simnel rebellion. These nations were ones such as France, where Warbeck was received as a prince in 1492, Burgundy in 1493, The Holy Roman Empire and Ireland. This showed major flaws in Henry’s foreign policy. Secondly, the imposture lasted 8 years, and Warbeck travelled from nation to nation, and even landed in England unnoticed for a short period of time. This shows a weak grip of power for Henry, as it took him almost a decade to defeat the imposture. Thirdly, Warbeck was able to join a current rebellion that was happening in Cornwall about the Cornish tax raise for war against Scotland, this showed Henry that his people were willing to welcome in Yorkist supporters, which was very concerning for the King and his government. On the other hand, the Perkin Warbeck imposture was handled very well by Henry. Henry handled the conspiracy before it could develop into a significant threat; he did this by executing Warbeck’s supporters such as Sir William Stanley and Sir Robert Clifford. Secondly, Warbeck surrendered to the King in 1497, as Sir Giles Daubeney was in the process of crushing the Cornish Rebellion in Exeter. This made the imposture very easy for Henry to handle after this point. Thirdly, Warbeck was badly organised and a poor leader, so was easily defeated by the King. During this rebellion, Henry did not face a major threat as he knew exactly how to handle it and had to nobles at hand to help him.
The third major rebellion threat to Henry VII and his government was the Lovell rebellion in 1486. This was threat in a way because it showed Yorkist support was still significant in some nobles, such as Francis, Viscount Lovell and the Stafford Brothers who tried to lead the rebellion. Another reason it was a minor threat is because it showed flaws in government policies such as sanctuary harbouring criminals of treason. Thirdly, it showed some nobles could not be trusted, and that Henry must be careful who he entrusts with titles and power. On the other hand, this rebellion was not a threat because there was no imposture involved which could threaten Henry’s crown. Secondly, the nobles involved in the rebellion were only minor noblemen, so did not have large amounts of power or retained men at their command. Thirdly, Henry knew exactly how to deal with the situation to try and deter others from rebelling by executing one of the Stafford Brothers, and sparing the other, showing merciful kingship.
To some extent, Henry had these rebellions under control, with the help of loyal nobles, but overall he and his government were very threatened by rebellions from Yorkist supporters between the years of 1485 and 1509.
by
lucerz (student)
