Henry VII Chronology – What Happened 1497–1498?

Edmund Dudley was appointed Under-Sheriff of London.

Two new ships, ‘The Sweepstake’ and ‘The Mary Fortune’ were built.

Parliament approved a new tax to defend the border with Scotland against a possible Scottish invasion in support of Perkin Warbeck.

Thomas Englefield, representing Berkshire in Parliament, became Speaker of the Commons.

A commercial treaty was agreed between England and France.

John Cabot, financed by King Henry VII, set sail in ‘The Matthew’ with a crew of 18 sailors to discover new lands.

The tax imposed by Henry to finance improving defences along the border with Scotland was resented by the men of Cornwall who felt that they were too far removed from the northern border for its defence to be their responsibility.

A band of Cornishmen led by Michael Joseph and Thomas Flamank began a march to London to petition the King. They were joined by supporters along the way including James Touchet, Baron Audley who became their leader. Elizabeth and the royal children relocated to the Tower of London for safety and Henry dispatched a force to deal with the rebels. After a brief skirmish the rebels changed route and marched to the historically rebellious county of Kent to try to gain more support.

The band of rebels reached Kent but rather than finding support for their cause they were attacked at Blackheath by a force raised by Lord Abergavenney, Earl of Kent. The rebels were routed and the three leaders captured.

John Cabot discovered an uninhabited land which he named the New-Found-Land.

Thomas Flamank and Michael Joseph were hanged at Tyburn.

James Touchet, Baron Audley was beheaded at Blackfriars, London.

Henry VII called for James IV to surrender the Pretender Perkin Warbeck to England. He stated that James had broken the Anglo-Scots peace treaty and that if Warbeck was not expelled from Scotland the two countries would be at war. Ferdinand of Spain, fearful of an alliance between Scotland and France, instructed his ambassador to persuade James to comply with Henry’s wishes. James eventually realised that the alliance with England was in his best interests. He did not surrender Warbeck to England but instead provided him with a boat and told him to leave Scotland.

Terms were agreed for a partial reconciliation of trade between England and the Netherlands. A conference, to be held at Bruges, was planned for April 1498.

Perkin Warbeck, accompanied by his wife and thirty loyal followers, landed in Cork to try to win support. They were well received by the Mayor of the city.

Terms for the marriage of Catherine of Aragon and Prince Arthur were now set out in detail. Catherine would come to England in 1500 when Arthur was 14 years old. Her dowry of 200,000 crowns would be paid in instalments.

Prince Arthur and Catherine of Aragon were formally betrothed at the Palace of Woodstock. The Spanish ambassador to England stood as proxy for Catherine.

John Cabot returned to England. Henry VII gave him a reward of £10 (£7000 today) roughly 2 years pay for a craftsman.

Perkin Warbeck landed at Whitesand near Land’s End in Cornwall. He hoped to utilise the unrest in Cornwall to gain support for his cause. He placed his wife in the monastery at St Michael’s Mount for her safety.

Perkin Warbeck was proclaimed King in Bodmin.

Warbeck, at the head of around 8,000 peasants, lay siege to Exeter. However he was beaten back and lost around 500 men.

Warbeck was given the news that a royal army led by Giles Daubeney was stationed near Glastonbury.

In the early hours of the morning, Perkin Warbeck and a few trusted men left Cornwall for Southampton. They hoped to find a safe passage out of England. Instead they found a manned fleet in port awaiting their arrival. Warbeck had no choice but to flee.

A truce was declared between England and Scotland and it was agreed that it should last for 7 years. Negotiations for a marriage between James IV and Princess Margaret were re-opened.

Warbeck deserted his army and fled east. The abandoned leaders of Perkin Warbeck’s army surrendered to Henry VII at Taunton.

Perkin Warbeck was captured at Beaulieu Abbey. He confessed to being an impostor and begged forgiveness.

Perkin Warbeck was imprisoned in the Tower of London.

This conference was held between England and the German states regarding the Treaty of Utrecht that had been signed in 1474. The 1474 treaty had been interpreted in such a way as to give the merchants of Venice and Hansa states privileges in England. Henry VII was not happy about this and urged the Germans to accept his interpretation of the treaty.

Prince Arthur and Catherine of Aragon made formal appeals to the Pope to grant the necessary dispensation for them to marry.

Thomas Wolsey was ordained as a priest.

Edward Stafford, Earl of Wiltshire, died

The trade conference between the Netherlands and England, planned in 1497 to discuss a renewal of trade between the countries went ahead but accomplished little.

John Cabot left England with five ships, one of which had been donated by King Henry VII. One of the ships had to put into harbour in Ireland after being damaged. The fate of the other four ships is unknown. Recent research suggests that Cabot was in London in 1500 and that he travelled with his son in 1508 but the facts are not clear.

The English Merchant Adventurers were granted a trade monopoly with the Netherlands.

Perkin Warbeck escaped from a window in the Tower of London, where he was imprisoned, and made for the coast. He later surrendered to the abbot of the monastery at Sheen. He was made to sit in a pillory on a scaffold before being returned to his cell in the Tower.