Perkin Warbeck (1474 – 23 November 1499) was a pretender to the English throne during the reign of King Henry VII of England. Traditional belief claims that he was an imposter, pretending to be Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York, the younger son of King Edward IV of England, but was in fact a Fleming born in Tournai around 1474. The "Perkin Warbeck" of the traditional tale was claimed to be the son of a French official, John de Werbecque and...
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Perkin Warbeck (1474 – 23 November 1499) was a pretender to the English throne during the reign of King Henry VII of England. Traditional belief claims that he was an imposter, pretending to be Richard of Shrewsbury, 1st Duke of York, the younger son of King Edward IV of England, but was in fact a Fleming born in Tournai around 1474. The "Perkin Warbeck" of the traditional tale was claimed to be the son of a French official, John de Werbecque and Katherine de Faro.
As Richard of Shrewsbury's fate in the Tower of London was not known for sure (although most historians believe he died in 1483), Warbeck's claim gathered some followers, whether due to real belief in his identity or because of desire to overthrow Henry and reclaim the throne. Most historical accounts mention that Warbeck cost Henry VII over £13,000 (equivalent to £6.4 Million in 2007 values) , putting a strain on Henry’s weak financial state.
Warbeck first claimed the English throne at the court of Burgundy in 1490. In...
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