Episode 4 of The White Princess centers on one of the most misunderstood rebellions of Henry VII’s reign: the uprising led by Lambert Simnel. While the Starz Philippa Gregory adaptation correctly identifies the threat Simnel posed, it distorts the motives, mercy, and political intelligence of the people involved. From Margaret of Burgundy’s role in the rebellion, to the treatment of Edward Plantagenet, to the show’s continued vilification of Margaret Beaufort, this episode replaces Tudor pragmatism with cartoon villainy.

Inside This Post:

• The Real Lambert Simnel
• A King’s Pardon: The Mercy of Henry VII
• Jasper Tudor & Margaret Beaufort

Episode 4: The Pretender

Margaret of Burgundy sends a Pretender named Lambert Simnel to England to challenge Henry’s throne, under the guise of being Edward Plantagenet. Elizabeth of York grapples with her mother’s betrayal, while Henry VII goes to war to protect his throne against Francis Lovell and his “heir to the throne.”

The Real Lambert Simnel

This episode revolves around Lambert Simnel’s failed uprising. It has Margaret of York knowingly choosing a peasant boy to her to pretend to be Edward Plantagenet (Teddy, Margaret Pole’s brother, currently imprisoned in the Tower at ten years old).

I find Lambert Simnel a fascinating character, which is why he features in several of my books, with most of his story being told in The Queen’s Falconer and The Last Fire-Eater. This isn’t a bad take on Lambert, but it glosses over a lot of the facts and his tragic history. We know little about him, including his real name (it could have been John). An Oxford-trained priest named Richard Simon took him in as a pupil. He intended to present Lambert as Richard, Duke of York, but heard rumors that the imprisoned Teddy Plantagenet had died in the Tower, and changed his mind.

Teddy held Yorkist affections, with people still wearing his family badge. Simon spread rumors that Teddy had escaped from the Tower and come into his care. He took Lambert to Ireland first to gain support from the Lord Deputy of Ireland (in the series, Henry claims Elizabeth Woodville wrote to the Irish to earn their support). They paraded Lambert through the streets in Ireland, presenting him as the Earl of Warwick. Hearing about this, Henry did the same with the real one to prove to the English that he was still alive, but it did not prevent the rebellion.

They crowned Lambert as “King Edward VI” in Dublin, collected the support of John de la Pole (nephew of Richard III), then went to Burgundy where they met Margaret of York. She did not pick a boy to “make mischief” for Henry, but was convinced of Lambert’s story, or wanted revenge on Henry for the death of her brother (and, for political purposes, it benefitted them financially not to have a Tudor on the throne in negotiating trade, because Henry had revoked all their trade permits). There, he met Francis Lovell. Margaret backed them with 2,000 Flemish mercenaries, and sent them to challenge Henry VII for the throne.

It was a short-lived fight, called the Battle of Stoke Field, and the invaders were easily defeated, since they gained little support from the English landowners. Francis Lovell escaped, and John de la Pole died in battle.

A King’s Pardon: The Mercy of Henry VII

Henry pardoned Lambert because of his young age, aware he had been a pawn. Lambert served in the royal kitchens as a spit-turner, then as a falconer. Henry also pardoned most of the Irish landowners involved in the rebellion who survived, since he believed he needed their support to govern Ireland. And he imprisoned and later pardoned the Irish bishops involved, showing he was more merciful than this series would have you believe.

The series has Margaret of York accompanying Lambert across the Channel, and watching the battle from a distance, before she turns back home and escapes. This is not true, since she never left Flanders. Nor was Duchess Cecily on the boat.

Meanwhile, Margaret Beaufort pays someone to shout for Teddy in the crowd during his procession, so her son will throw him back into the Tower and consider executing him for it. She blames it all on Elizabeth Woodville and pushes for her to be “silenced forever” (executed). All false. More slander against Margaret Beaufort.

Jasper Tudor & Margaret Beaufort

Were Jasper Tudor and Margaret Beaufort in love? In Philippa Gregory’s novels, yes. In real life, we don’t know, but I doubt it. Jasper was quick to marry Margaret off after his brother died, to advance their alliances and provide security for her son.

There is a rather silly scene between them in which Jasper confesses his love to her and says she could have her marriage to Lord Stanley annulled, so she can marry him (assuming she never slept with Stanley). This is their way of working around divorce not being an option, but the Church likely would not have annulled a marriage that had been in place for so long without good cause. Margaret all but lived without her husband at this point, anyway.

Margaret winds up realizing her love for him makes her vulnerable, so she marries him off to Katherine Woodville, Lizzie’s widowed aunt.

Rather than Jasper’s marriage taking place after Lambert Simnel’s failed rebellion, Henry arranged for his uncle to marry Katherine before he wed Elizabeth of York. They were wed in November 1485, two months before Henry and Elizabeth, and three years before this episode took place.

Minor Inaccuracies & Thoughts:

• Margaret Pole thinks an invasion by Margaret of York from Flanders would get her brother out of the Tower (“Could this not be good for Teddy? If the Duchess wages war, could she not send someone to rescue him?”). To say such things to Lizzie would be treason, and she would never have dared utter them.
• Jasper Tudor is injured in the battle; he fought at Stoke, but was not injured.
• John de la Pole tries to snatch Teddy during a public procession; this is a good way to set up his involvement with Lambert Simnel, and to represent his popularity as an alternate choice to Henry Tudor.
• Richard Pole is much older than Margaret Plantaganet, but there was only eleven years between them in real life. She was fourteen when it was arranged, but we’re not sure when the wedding took place—either 1487 or 1491). She bore her first child in 1492, at nineteen, suggesting they waited.
• Richard Pole has only one hand in this series; historically, there’s no mention of it, and he held significant positions that demanded the use of both hands (such as a Knight of the Garter). So, it’s untrue.
• Lizzie rides astride to her sister’s wedding, which wouldn’t have happened.

About the Author: Charity Bishop writes historical fiction, historical fantasy, and suspense novels that explores the darkness in human hearts, and the light that refuses to be extinguished. Discover her books.