Simnels and Warbeck’s claims to the throne were great threats to Henry’s security, because of Henry’s weak claim to the throne; therefore, it was possible for anyone to usurp his throne like he had done. Henry claim to the throne was weak as his claim only came from a female line, as he was a descendant of Henry V’s wife and the Beaufort family. But his victory at the Battle of Bosworth, enabled him as many would say to become a usurper King and Henry said he was given the throne as he has divine sanction.
Both Simnel and Warbeck on their own didn’t pose a great threat to Henry’s security, but they did with the support they individually gained.
Compared to Warbeck, Simnel internally posed a greater threat to Henry’s security due to the internal support that Simnel had. Unlike Warbeck, Simnel had the support of a great noble power supporting him, and that was John de La Pole, Earl of Lincoln, who was heir to Richard III. As the heir to Richard III, John de la Pole was a major potential threat to Henry VIII. But the greater threat that John de la Pole posed and the impact of his support was that it enabled Simnel to link his internal support and foreign support (therefore, linking internal and external threat), because of John de la Pole being the nephew of Margaret, Duchess of Burgundy (sister of Richard III), she too became involved in supporting Simnel. Margaret became involved as she was using Simnel in order to restore the Yorkist succession, but also for personal reasons as she was agreeing with her nephew. Margaret’s support for Simnel brought a great impact to Henry’s security, because she had considerable political skills and a lot of money, and as Colin Pendill described ‘she was a formidable foe’. This is shown by Margaret equipping Simnel with 2000 experienced troops under the equally experienced Martin Schwarz.
Simnel also gained more foreign support from Fitz Gerald, the Earl Kildare who supported Simnel as Henry had failed to acknowledge his position as deputy in Ireland, therefore, alienating crucial elements in Irish society which was a failure for Henry. Fitz Gerald’s support would also pose a great threat to Henry, because in Ireland, Simnel was ‘crowned’ King as ‘Edward VI’, which gave the pretender legitimacy. Fitz Gerald also helped Simnels threat by helping Simnel invade England, which would lead to the Battle of Stoke. However, Simnel didn’t get the support he wanted in order to make him a greater threat, because firstly, the country may have had enough of the chaos and disorder of the War of the Roses and did not want a further period of warfare. Secondly, the country disliked the large Irish contingent with their reputation for brutality and decided to wait and see the outcome before deciding how to react.
Unlike Simnel, Warbeck posed a greater threat with the foreign powers he had supporting him. Like Simnel, Warbeck had the support of Margaret of Burgundy, but this time round she didn’t crucially support Warbeck in that she didn’t supply him with financial support etc, but due to her support, Emperor Maximilian did become to support Warbeck. Maximillains support showed how much of an impact it would have, because Maximillain was a great powerful figure and Henry reacted by temporarily breaking off all trade with Flanders even though this jeopardised the cloth trade, which was important to the English (Trade Embargo).
Warbeck also had the support from the France, which posed a great threat to Henry and its impact is shown by Henry invading France in 1492. But there was one key supporter that Warbeck had which could truly threaten Henry and that was Warbeck’s Scottish support from James IV by backing Warbeck to invade England, but also with Warbeck marrying noble Lady Catherine Gordon.
However, Warbeck didn’t gain the support from Ireland as they were too loyal too Henry and also no Englishmen had joined Warbeck, but support that has not yet been mentioned, which could threaten Henry was the support for Warbeck within Henry’s household who were in close proximity. This could potentially be a great threat to Henry’s security, because of how close they were to him.
The seriousness of the two pretenders threat is shown by how Henry reacted to them.
With Lambert Simnel, Henry proved that Simnel was bogus by parading the Earl of Warwick through the streets of London, which was unsuccessful as many people wanted to believe Simnel. But the Battle of Stoke and how Henry reacted shows how compared to Warbeck, Simnel was a great threat to Henry’s security, because Simnel took Henry to battle unlike Warbeck. The Battle of Stoke made ‘Henry realise that it depended on this battle, as it was like Bosworth two years ago.’ J. Hunt and C. Towle. This is true, as this is the same situation that had previously been done two years ago, and could easily be done again.
But how Henry reacted with Simnel at the end shows how much of a little threat he was on his own as Henry could afford to be merciful and made Simnel into a turnspit in the kitchen. Even though Simnel on his own and his threat wasn’t necessarily a great threat to Henry, it did show how weak and vulnerable he was and this is shown by how quickly Henry married Elizabeth of York to try and secure goodwill. Also Parliament deprived those nobles who had fought at Stoke of their lands and attainted them.
Henry’s reaction to Warbeck shows in his eyes whom he thought was more of a threat, and that was Warbeck compared to Simnel. Henry broke off trade with Flanders, known as the Trade Embargo, which jeopardised England’s capital. Also from 1486, Henry went round England, which he had not done before, in order to show himself to his people, because he didn’t want Warbeck gaining any English support. In 1492, Henry invaded France, the result in which Henry had to pay a heavy pension in order for France not to support Warbeck anymore shows how much of a threat Henry fought it was. Henry also took the threat from Scotland and from Warbeck very seriously indeed and as with France, decided to retaliate by raising his own invasion forces. He raised great sums of money from Parliament and spent moths of 1497 raising troops for the largest invasion of Scotland ever seen. Henry’s strike at William Stanley does enormously show how threatened Henry thought Warbeck to be, as William Stanley had helped Henry at the battle of Bosworth, and now Henry was accusing him of treason, but it also shows on the other hand, how much support Warbeck did have which could make him into a potential threat.
Warbeck’s execution showed ‘that Henry ‘would spare no traitor, however eminent.’ R Truvey and C. Steinsberg. This once gain shows how much of a threat Henry perceived Warbeck to be unlike Simnel, ‘the strawdoll’, Warbeck had to be executed in order to end his threat, but this may also have been due to the pressure from the Spaniards. They wanted the Tudor dynasty to be secure before they allowed Catherine of Aragon to marry Prince Arthur.
But how easily Warbeck’s foreign powers easily gave up their support for Warbeck shows to some degree how they were using him, but also how weak his foreign support was and it is Warbeck’s foreign support that made him threatening. Henry made an alliance in 1492 with France known as the Treaty of Etaples, which resolved the problem between France and England. Also in 1497 there was the seven-year true agreed at Ayton, which stopped Scotland’s involvement with Warbeck.
