Battle of Stoke Field
East Stoke, Nottinghamshire, England
What happened
King Henry VII fought a Yorkist army led by the Earl of Lincoln, which backed a boy pretender named Lambert Simnel. Lambert Simnel was a boy of humble birth whom supporters claimed was a royal prince, and he had been crowned 'King Edward VI' in Dublin. His army of Irish and Flemish soldiers landed in Lancashire and marched south. At East Stoke, beside the River Trent, Henry's army defeated it after a long, close fight, and the Earl of Lincoln fell.
Why it matters
Why it matters: It is called the last major battle between rival claimants from the houses of York and Lancaster. It ended the Yorkist attempt to remove Henry VII.
What came next
Henry pardoned Simnel and gave him a job in the royal kitchen; he later became a falconer. Another pretender, Perkin Warbeck, appeared in the 1490s.
Did you know?
After the battle Henry VII raised his standard on a spot called Burham Furlong, now marked by a stone memorial.
Timeline
- 24 May 1487Simnel is crowned in Christ Church Cathedral, Dublin.
- 5 June 1487His army lands on Piel Island, Lancashire.
- 16 June 1487Battle of Stoke Field.
- after 1534Simnel dies, having lived out his life in royal service.