Editing Lambert Simnel

{{Short description|Pretender to the throne of King Henry VII of England}}
{{about|the English person|the racehorse|Lambert Simnel (horse)|the cake|Simnel cake}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}}
{{Infobox pretender
| name         = Lambert Simnel
| image        = Lambert simnel.jpg
| birth_date   = c. 1477
| birth_place  = 
| death_date   = After 1534 (aged approximately 57)
| death_place  = 
| regnal       = Edward VI of England<br>Crowned on 24 May 1487 at [[Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin|Christ Church Cathedral]], [[Dublin]]
| title        = Pretended Earl of Warwick
| throne       = [[Kingdom of England|England]]
| pretend from = 1487
| year         = 
| king         = 
| relationship = Claimed to be [[Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick]], son of [[George Plantagenet, 1st Duke of Clarence]]
| house        = In the name of the [[House of York]]
| father       = 
| mother       = 
| spouse       = 
| children     = 
| predecessor  = 
| successor    = 
| footnotes    = 
}}
'''Lambert Simnel''' (c. 1477 &ndash; after 1534) was a pretender to the throne of England. In 1487, his claim to be [[Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick]], threatened the newly established reign of [[Henry VII of England|Henry VII]] (1485&ndash;1509). Simnel became the figurehead of a Yorkist rebellion organised by [[John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln]]. The rebellion was crushed in 1487. Simnel was pardoned because of his tender years, and was thereafter employed by the royal household as a [[domestic worker|scullion]].

==Early life==
Simnel was born around 1477. His real name is not known—contemporary records call him John, not Lambert, and even his surname is suspect. Different sources have different claims of his parentage, from a baker and tradesman to an organ builder. Most definitely, he was of humble origin. At the age of about ten, he was taken as a pupil by an [[University of Oxford|Oxford]]-trained priest named Richard Simon (or Richard Symonds / Richard Simons / William Symonds) who apparently decided to become a kingmaker. He tutored the boy in courtly manners and contemporaries described the boy as handsome. He was taught the necessary etiquette and was well educated by Simon.<ref name = "jim">Williamson, James A., ''The Tudor Age'', New York: D. McKay Co., 1961, p. 25.</ref>

==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 >

==Later life==
King Henry pardoned young Simnel (probably because he recognised that Simnel had been merely a puppet in the hands of adults) and put him to work in the royal kitchen as a [[Roasting jack|spit-turner]]. When he grew older, he became a [[falconry|falconer]]. Almost no information about his later life is known. He died some time after 1534.<ref name="odnb">[https://www.oxforddnb.com/view/10.1093/ref:odnb/9780198614128.001.0001/odnb-9780198614128-e-25569?rskey=ZYdh4q&result=1 Michael J. Bennett, "Simnel, Lambert (b. 1476/7, d. after 1534)", Oxford DNB Online].</ref> He seems to have married, as he is probably the father of Richard Simnel, a canon of [[St Osyth's Priory]] in Essex during the reign of Henry VIII.<ref name = "ali">Weir, Alison, ''The Princes in the Tower'', Vintage, 2008, p. 234.</ref>

==Cultural depictions==
In the 1972 [[BBC]] serial ''[[The Shadow of the Tower]]'' Simnel was portrayed by [[Gary Warren (actor)|Gary Warren]].

In 1996 [[Blyth Power]]'s album ''Out From Under the King'' included a song, ''Lambert Simnel''.

In 2006 [[Steeleye Span]]'s album ''[[Bloody Men]]'' included a song, ''The Story of the Scullion King'', about Simnel.

In 2013, a sketch parodying ''[[Who Do You Think You Are? (British TV series)|Who Do You Think You Are]]'' in season 5, episode 7 of ''[[Horrible Histories (2009 TV series)|Horrible Histories]]'', depicted Simnel's claim to the throne.

In the 2017 [[Starz]] miniseries ''[[The White Princess (miniseries)|The White Princess]]'', Simnel is portrayed by Max True.<ref>{{cite web|title=The White Princess|url=https://screammanagement.com/max-true-starz-in-the-white-princess/|website=Scream Management|access-date=27 June 2017|archive-date=3 November 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161103125606/http://screammanagement.com/max-true-starz-in-the-white-princess/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The 2017 children's book ''The Player King'', by [[Avi (author)|Avi]], offers a fictionalized first-person account of the key period of Simnel's life.<ref>Avi, ''The Player King'', Atheneum Books, 2017, {{ISBN|978-1481437684}}</ref>

The 2025 historical fiction novel ''The Pretender''  by Jo Harkin fictionalizes the childhood and young adulthood of Simnel.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Harkin |first=Jo |title=The pretender |date=2025 |publisher=Alfred A. Knopf |isbn=978-0-593-80330-1 |edition=First |location=New York}}</ref>
 


==Further reading==
*{{cite book |last1=Amin |first1=Nathen |title=Henry VII and the Tudor Pretenders: Simnel, Warbeck, and Warwick |date=15 April 2021 |publisher=Amberley Publishing Limited |isbn=978-1-4456-7509-1 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X3MqEAAAQBAJ |language=en}}
*{{cite book |last1=Bennett |first1=Michael |title=Lambert Simnel and the Battle of Stoke |date=21 March 2024 |publisher=History Press |isbn=978-1-80399-723-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aTHpEAAAQBAJ |language=en}}
*{{cite book |title=The Princes in the Tower: Solving History's Greatest Cold Case | first=Philippa |last=Langley | author-link=Philippa Langley |isbn=978-1-80399-541-0 | date=November 2023| publisher=[[The History Press]]}}<ref>{{cite web | newspaper=[[The Times]] | url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/historians-said-i-was-unhinged-philippa-langley-cracks-mystery-of-princes-in-the-tower-x0n578txf | title='Historians said I was unhinged': Philippa Langley cracks mystery of princes in the tower | first=Julia | last= Llewellyn Smith| date=17 November 2023 | access-date=18 November 2023}}</ref>
*{{cite book |last1=Lewis |first1=Matthew |title=The Survival of the Princes in the Tower: Murder, Mystery and Myth |date=11 September 2017 |publisher=The History Press |isbn=978-0-7509-8528-4 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=y1wrDwAAQBAJ |language=en}}
*{{cite book |last1=Ashdown-Hill |first1=John |author-link=John Ashdown-Hill |title=The Dublin King: The True Story of Edward Earl of Warwick, Lambert Simnel and the 'Princes in the Tower' |date=5 January 2015 |publisher=The History Press |isbn=978-0-7509-6316-9 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i8sVBgAAQBAJ |language=en}}

==See also==
*[[Perkin Warbeck]]
*[[John Deydras]]
*[[Mary Baynton]]

==References==
{{reflist}}
*{{cite book|author=Ashley, Mike|title=British Kings & Queens|publisher=Carroll & Graf|year=2002|isbn=0-7867-1104-3|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/briefhistoryofbr0000ashl_f1a2}} pp.&nbsp;229, 230

{{s-start}}
{{s-pre}}
{{s-bef|before=[[Henry VII of England|Henry Tudor]]}}
{{s-tul|title=[[King of England]]<br>[[Lord of Ireland]]<br> <small>Yorkist claimant</small> |years=1487}}
{{s-aft|after=[[Perkin Warbeck]]}}
{{s-end}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simnel, Lambert}}
[[Category:1470s births]]
[[Category:1530s deaths]]
[[Category:People of the Wars of the Roses]]
[[Category:House of York|Lambert Simnel]]
[[Category:15th-century English people]]
[[Category:16th-century English people]]
[[Category:Pretenders to the English throne]]
[[Category:Impostor pretenders]]
[[Category:Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York]]