Editing Lambert Simnel (section)

==Pretender==
Simon noticed a striking resemblance between Lambert and the sons of [[Edward IV of England|King Edward IV]], so he initially intended to present Simnel as [[Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York|Richard, Duke of York]], son of Edward IV, the younger of the vanished [[Princes in the Tower]].<ref name = "jim"/> However, when he heard rumours (at the time false) that the [[Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick|Earl of Warwick]] had died during his imprisonment in the [[Tower of London]], he changed his mind. The real Warwick was a boy of about the same age, having been born in 1475, and had a claim to the throne as the son of [[George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence]], King Edward IV's executed brother. Warwick was a touchstone for Yorkist affections, and people still wore his badge of the bear and ragged staff.<ref> Penn, Thomas, ''Winter King: The Dawn of Tudor England'', Penguin, 2019, p. 23.</ref>

According to James A. Williamson, Simnel was merely a figurehead for a rebellion that was already being planned by the Yorkists:
 
<blockquote>He was merely a commonplace tool to be used for important ends, and the attempt to overthrow Henry VII would have taken place had Simnel never existed. The Yorkist leaders were determined on a serious push, rising of their party in England supported by as great a force as possible from overseas.<ref name = "jim"/></blockquote>

Simon spread a rumour that Warwick had actually escaped from the Tower and was under his guardianship. He gained some support from Yorkists. He took Simnel to [[Ireland]] where there was still support for the Yorkist cause, and presented him to the [[Lord Deputy of Ireland]], the [[Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare|Earl of Kildare]]. Kildare was willing to support the story and invade England to overthrow King Henry. Simnel was paraded through the streets, carried on the shoulders of "the tallest man of the time", an individual called D'Arcy of Platten (this was evidently [[William Darcy (died 1540)|Sir William Darcy]], an ally of Kildare, who is known to have been exceptionally tall).<ref>Wilkins, Christopher, ''The Last Knight Errant: Edward Woodville and the Age of Chivalry'', IB Tauris, 2009, p. 140.</ref> When Henry heard about what was going on, he arranged for the real Earl of Warwick to be taken from the tower and paraded through London, presumably to disprove the rumours of his death or escape. <ref> Barbara, Mervin, ''Enquiring History: Tudor Rebellions 1485–1603'', Hodder Education, 2014, p. 22.</ref> This did not prevent the rebellion, likely because insufficient infrastructure and methods of transport meant news spread slowly.  

==="Coronation"===
[[File:NEWENHAM(1830) p115 DUBLIN - CHRIST'S CHURCH.jpg|thumb|upright=1.5|[[Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin]], from ''Picturesque views of the antiquities of Ireland. Drawn on stone by James D. Harding, from the sketches of Robert O'Callaghan Newenham'' (1830)]]
On 24 May 1487 Simnel was crowned in [[Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin|Christ Church Cathedral]] in [[Dublin]] as "King Edward VI".<ref name="odnb" /><ref>Kilfeather, Siobhán, ''Dublin: A Cultural History'', New York: Oxford University Press, 2005, p. 37.</ref> He was about 10 years old. Lord Kildare collected an army of Irish soldiers under the command of his younger brother, [[Thomas FitzGerald of Laccagh]].

[[John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln]], formerly the designated successor of his uncle the late [[Richard III of England|King Richard III]], joined the conspiracy against Henry VII. He fled to [[Duchy of Burgundy|Burgundy]], where Warwick's aunt [[Margaret of York]], the [[Duke of Burgundy|Dowager Duchess of Burgundy]], kept her court. Lincoln claimed that he had taken part in young Warwick's supposed escape. He also met [[Francis Lovell, 1st Viscount Lovell|Viscount Lovell]], who had supported a [[Stafford and Lovell Rebellion|failed Yorkist uprising in 1486]]. Margaret collected 2,000 Flemish mercenaries and shipped them to Ireland under the command of [[Martin Schwartz (mercenary)|Martin Schwartz]], a noted military leader of the time. They arrived in Ireland on 5 May. King Henry was informed of this and began to gather troops.

===Battle of Stoke Field===
{{main|Battle of Stoke Field}}
On 5 June 1487 Simnel's army—mainly [[Flanders|Flemish]] and [[Ireland|Irish]] troops—landed on [[Piel Island]] in the [[Furness]] area of [[Lancashire]] and were joined by some English supporters. However, most local nobles, with the exception of Sir Thomas Broughton, did not join them. Henry had been receiving information about events in Ireland, although it was vague and conflicting. Thanks to existing plans to invade Ireland he was able to react speedily to the invasion and had begun mustering troops as early as February. A lack of English support led Simnel's army to change their plans, deciding their only chance of success was one swift and decisive battle. On 15 June 1487, they set up camp near the small village of [[East Stoke, Nottinghamshire]], near [[Newark-on-Trent]]. The royal army of 12,000 set up camp {{convert|10|mi}} away.<ref> Barbara, Mervin, ''Enquiring History: Tudor Rebellions 1485–1603'', Hodder Education, 2014, p. 23.</ref>

On 16 June 1487 the rebels clashed with the King's army, at the [[Battle of Stoke Field]] in [[Nottinghamshire]], and were defeated. Lincoln and Thomas FitzGerald were killed. Lovell went missing and was rumoured to have escaped to Scotland with Sir Thomas Broughton and hidden to avoid retribution.<ref>Horrox, Rosemary. "Lovell, Francis". Oxford Dictionary of National Biography (online ed.). Oxford University Press, 2004.</ref>

Simons avoided execution due to his priestly status, but was imprisoned for life. Kildare, who had remained in Ireland, was pardoned.<ref >Chrimes, S.B. ''Henry VII'' Yale University Press 1999 pp. 260–261 </ref >