The Stafford and Lovell Rebellion was the first challenge that Henry VII faced, an uprising that aimed to remove him from the throne of England and continue the War of the Roses. However, it ultimately failed to achieve its aims, and Henry barely considered it a threat!
What happened there exactly? Why did it happen, and how was it such a colossal failure?
About the Stafford and Lovell Rebellion
The Stafford and Lovell Rebellion was a rebellion that took place in 1486, during the reign of Henry VII. It was the first rebellion Henry VII faced. It was led by Viscount Lovell, Sir Humphrey Stafford and his brother, Thomas Stafford and took place in York and Worcestershire.
The rebellion failed to attract much support and was entirely unsuccessful. After the rebellion, Viscount Lovell fled to Flanders; the Stafford brothers sought sanctuary in Abingdon Abbey but were eventually captured. The rebellion was not much of a threat to Henry VII and had little significance in his reign.
Reasons behind the Stafford and Lovell Rebellion
The Stafford and Lovell Rebellion was a dynastic rebellion, which makes the reasons for its occurrence clear – it was motivated against the Tudor dynasty.
The rebels wanted to reclaim the throne of England for the House of York, getting rid of Henry VII in the process. The Battle of Bosworth had ended the War of the Roses and led to Henry VII assuming the throne after slaying the Yorkist King Richard III.
This battle happened less than a year before the Stafford-Lovell Rebellion. Henry VII’s place on the throne was not very stable, so it seemed an ideal time to try and tip the scales towards the House of York.
Timeline of the rebellion
Below is a timeline of the critical events of the Stafford and Lovell Rebellion.
Date | Event |
April 1486 | Henry VII learned that Lovell and the Staffords were trying to raise troops against him in Yorkshire and Worcestershire. |
23 April 1486 | There was a failed attempt to seize Henry VII in York. |
11 May 1486 | The Stafford brothers fled to Abingdon Abbey and claimed sanctuary. |
14 May 1486 | The Stafford brothers were forcibly removed from the Abbey by sixty of the King’s men. |
8 July 1486 | Sir Humphrey Stafford was executed. |
Key figures of the rebellion
So who exactly were the namesakes of this rebellion? who are the key figures involved in the rebellion?
Francis, Viscount Lovell
Viscount Lovell was one of the leaders of the rebellion and a prominent Yorkist. He had been very close with Richard III since they were young and enjoyed this friendship's benefits during Richard III’s reign.
After the Battle of Bosworth, Lovell and the Stafford brothers fled to Colchester Abbey to seek sanctuary, finally leaving to travel to Yorkshire to raise troops.
After the rebellion failed, he fled to Flanders. He was also involved in the Simnel Rebellion a year later. He seems to have disappeared after that – we don’t know what became of him!
Sir Humphrey Stafford
Sir Humphrey Stafford led the Stafford and Lovell rebellion along with Viscount Lovell and his younger brother Thomas Stafford. He was devoted to the Yorkist cause, having fought at the Battle of Bosworth on the side of Richard III.
From sanctuary in Colchester Abbey, Humphrey and his brother travelled to their home county of Worcestershire to try and raise troops for the rebellion. After the rebellion failed, he sought sanctuary in Abingdon Abbey but was later captured. He was executed on 8 July 1486.
Abingdon Abbey was a Benedictine Monastery founded in the 7th century C.E. It was later a victim of the English Reformation under Henry VII’s son, Henry VIII. The holy order was dissolved, and the abbey was dismantled – anything of worth was stripped and sold off.
Thomas Stafford
Thomas Stafford was the younger brother of Sir Humphrey Stafford. He travelled to Worcestershire with his brother to raise troops for the rebellion but achieved little. After the rebellion failed, Henry VII pardoned him; evidently, he did not see Stafford as a ringleader of the rebellion and decided he was not a threat.
Was the Stafford-Lovell Rebellion a threat to Henry VII?
The following table looks at the arguments on each side.
Significant threat | Insignificant threat |
Henry VII had been king for less than a year, and his position was not stable. There was still a good chance that he could fall from power if a powerful enough rebellion occurred. | Although the Stafford-Lovell rebellion aimed to put a Yorkist king back on the throne, they had no candidate for their rebellion. They failed to attract much support without a figurehead and claimant to the throne. |
| Lovell and the Staffords were only minor nobles. They did not have a vast amount of wealth, power, or influence from which to form a strong rebellion. |
| Despite being king for less than a year, Henry VII had a very efficient network of spies. He knew the rebellion was being planned for April 1486, giving him a good month to figure out a plan of action before the climax in May 1486. |
| Lovell and the Staffords had no foreign backing for their rebellion, and thus little access to money, troops and wider European influence. |
As you can see, the Stafford-Lovell rebellion did not present much of a threat to Henry VII. The rebellion severely lacked support from critical areas of society and did not have a strong foundation.
Significant outcomes of the Stafford-Lovell Rebellion
The Stafford-Lovell Rebellion had no significant outcomes. It achieved none of its aims, described as a ‘dismal failure’ by historian C.H. Williams.
There is no evidence that this was a particularly alarming event for Henry VII. He was more concerned about the general instability caused by the rebellion rather than any direct threat to his throne.
The later impostures of Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck are far more significant when considering the threats Henry VII faced and his establishment of the Tudor dynasty.
Imposture - The act of pretending to be someone else to deceive people
Stafford and Lovell Rebellion - Key takeaways
- The Stafford and Lovel Rebellion was a Yorkist rebellion in 1486 in Yorkshire and Worcestershire.
- It was a dynastic rebellion aiming to remove Henry VII from the throne.
- The rebellion was easily defeated, and one of Humprey Stafford’s leaders was executed.
- It was not a significant threat to Henry VII due to its limited support, primarily as they had no alternative Yorkist candidate to put forward for the throne.
- The rebellion demonstrated Yorkist discontent with the reign of Henry VII, which continued to present challenges throughout his reign.
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