Lambert Simnel was a boy of humble origins, born around 1477. His early life is shrouded in mystery, but it is believed he was taken in by a priest named Richard Symonds (or Richard Simon), who taught him and later used him as a figurehead for a Yorkist plot.

Simnel bore a remarkable resemblance to Edward Plantagenet, the Earl of Warwick, who was the legitimate Yorkist heir after the execution of the Princes in the Tower and the deaths of other claimants. Edward Plantagenet was the son of George, Duke of Clarence, brother of Edward IV and Richard III. However, the real Earl of Warwick was imprisoned in the Tower of London by Henry VII and was out of reach for Yorkist conspirators.

Recognizing an opportunity, Yorkist loyalists decided to use Simnel as a pretender to the English throne, falsely claiming he was the Earl of Warwick himself. This was a calculated move to rally Yorkist support and challenge Henry VII’s reign.

The Yorkist Conspiracy and Support in Ireland

Lambert Simnel’s claim to the throne was largely orchestrated by John de la Pole, Earl of Lincoln, a leading Yorkist figure and nephew to both Edward IV and Richard III. De la Pole had once been named Richard III’s heir but had lost favor when Henry Tudor claimed the throne. He became the chief conspirator behind Simnel’s claim.

Ireland, particularly Dublin and the Pale (the area around Dublin under direct English control), was a stronghold of Yorkist sympathy. The Anglo-Irish nobility and ruling classes, discontented with Henry VII’s rule and loyal to the House of York, saw Simnel as a legitimate alternative.

On May 24, 1487, in Dublin’s Christ Church Cathedral, Lambert Simnel was crowned King Edward VI by John Walton, the Archbishop of Dublin. This event was a dramatic statement of defiance against Henry VII and symbolized Irish support for the Yorkist cause. shutdown123