Lambert Simnel rebellion - 1486 - 87

Question 1

What was the main cause of the Lambert Simnel rebellion?

Answer 1

Dynastic - attempt by Yorkists to place the pretender Lambert Simnel on the throne

Question 2

What was the subsidiary cause of the Lambert Simnel rebellion?

Answer 2

Dissatisfaction of Yorkist faction with their treatment by Henry VII, especially loss of lands and hope of preferment

Question 3

How long did the Lambert Simnel rebellion last?

Answer 3

One month

Question 4

Where did the Lambert Simnel rebellion take place?

Answer 4

Ireland; with the invasion of England through Lancashire

Question 5

Who first led the Lambert Simnel rebellion?

Answer 5

Richard Symonds, an Oxford priest

Question 6

Who later led the Lambert Simnel rebellion?

Answer 6

Irish Earl of Kildare and the Earl of Lincoln

Question 7

Who had Lambert Simnel crowned and where?

Answer 7

The Irish Earl of Kildare in Dublin

Question 8

What happened to Lambert Simnel after the Lambert Simnel rebellion?

Answer 8

He is spared and is given work in the kitchens

Question 9

What happens to Symonds after the Lambert Simnel rebellion

Answer 9

Escapes execution but is imprisoned for life

Question 10

What was the size of the army the in Lambert Simnel rebellion?

Answer 10

8000 men

Question 11

What was Lambert Simnel’s army made up of

Answer 11

• 2000 german mercenaries, paid for by burgundy
• 4500 ill-disciplined Irish Kerns (light infantry) sent by the Earl of Kildare
• a smaller force of Yorkists under the command of half a dozen gentry which joined after they landed in England

Question 12

What was the deciding battle of the Lambert Simnel rebellion?

Answer 12

the battle at East Stoke in June 1487

Question 13

How would you show the Lambert Simnel rebellion as not a threat?

Answer 13

Simnel’s lack of support in England can be shown by how he raised no more than 1500 men in the two weeks spent there despite landing in the Yorkist heartland.

Question 14

Which noble waited for the battle at East Stoke to end before joining a side?

Answer 14

Northumberland

Question 15

How would you show the Lambert Simnel rebellion as a threat?

Answer 15

• The battle of East Stoke was closely fought for 3 hours despite having a bigger, more experienced and better-equipped army with no guarantee that he would win
• Henry’s only support by major nobles was by Oxford and Derby, similar to Simnel

Question 16

What were the reasons for the failure of the Lambert Simnel rebellion?

Answer 16

• Simnel was not clearly legitimate and was only 12 years old - a child and not an inspiring leader
• Simnel depended on foreign support, making it harder to raise support in England as he seemed to be a puppet for foreign interests.
• Yorkist leadership very weak after Bosworth
• Henry’s treatment of Yorkist nobility after Bosworth was effective as it limited the number of nobles desperate enough to rebel
• exhaustion and poverty - the north was devastated by war and was focused on survival and families, not dynastic fighting
• The bad behaviour of the undisciplined Irish troops

Question 17

Who did Lambert Simnel pretend to be?

Answer 17

Edward, Earl of Warwick

Question 18

Why was Lambert Simnel pretending to be Edward, earl of Warwick a threat?

Answer 18

Because Edward had a stronger claim to the throne than Henry VII, so pretending to be Edward means Simnel has a stronger claim.

Question 19

How did Henry VII try to remove Simnel’s threat?

Answer 19

By parading the real Edward, Earl of Warwick around to remove support by showing him as a pretender. This didn’t work

Question 20

What was the final battle of the Lambert Simnel rebellion?

Answer 20

The battle of East Stoke