Surprisingly, Henry VII showed clemency towards Lambert Simnel. Recognizing that Simnel was likely an innocent pawn used by ambitious nobles, Henry spared the boy’s life. Simnel was captured and put to work in the royal kitchens, later becoming a falconer in Henry’s service.

This act of mercy contrasted with Henry’s harsh treatment of other Yorkist threats and helped to bolster his image as a just and merciful king.

The Earl of Warwick, the true Yorkist claimant, remained imprisoned in the Tower and was executed in 1499 after another Yorkist plot, the Perkin Warbeck affair.

John de la Pole’s death marked the end of a significant Yorkist challenge to Henry VII’s reign. However, pretenders and rebellions continued to plague Tudor England for several years.

The Irish Role in the Lambert Simnel Affair

The involvement of the Irish nobility was crucial to the Lambert Simnel affair. Ireland’s strong Yorkist sympathies were rooted in political, social, and economic factors. The Anglo-Irish aristocracy, particularly in the Pale, had traditionally aligned with the Yorkist cause. The Tudor administration’s authority in Ireland was limited, and Dublin’s elites resisted Henry VII’s attempts to assert control.

The coronation in Dublin was thus both a symbolic and practical demonstration of Irish opposition to the Tudor regime. It also exemplified the complex relationship between Ireland and England, where Irish politics often intersected with English dynastic struggles. shutdown123