Perkin Warbeck: The Pretender at Chateau Amboise
The Grand Hall, Château Royal d'Amboise
June 1492. Anne of Beaujeu, Regent of France, invited a young man with the extraordinary name of Perkin Warbeck to the French Court at Château Amboise.
Why? Retaliation. Henry VII was threatening war against France over Brittanyand Anne had no intention of going to war. She had learned a very important lesson from her father. Jaw Jaw Not War War.
France was in ruins after a hundred of years of wars with England.
Louis XI jaw jawed with Edward IV after which he paid England to leave France and never come back.
Anne, like him, had many strings to her bow. One of them was Perkin Warbeck, who had shaken Henry to the core. He threatened his security as king of England by turning up out of the blue declaring he was Richard, Duke of York, the second son of Edward IV, one of the two princes in the Tower presumed dead.
Henry was paranoid of anyone with blood ties to the Plantagenets. The princes had a far stronger claim to the throne. As well as perfect English, Mr Warbeck spoke perfect French, the language of royalty. He wore expensive silk clothes, was good looking, well mannered and charismatic. He behaved like a prince fully conversant with the ways of the English Court.
In Amboise, he was known as Plantagenet.
Not only had Anne sent her chief naval captain to Ireland to personally escort Mr Warbeck to France, he was an honoured guest at the Royal Court in Château Amboise for five months.
Philippe of Commynes, secretary, advisor, diplomat and trusted friend of Anne and of her late father recorded Mr Warbeck’s arrival at the Château.
The king was twenty-one when his guest arrived in France; he was sweet natured [Charles was dubbed Charles the Affable] but not capable of understanding state affairs...Sickly, almost deformed, with an energetic taste for curiosities, small dogs overran his apartments, ripping the cloth of gold curtains on his bed, parrots and white blackbirds, hung with little bells and coloured ribbons, fluttered on perches near the ceiling. In the palace at Plessis [Tours] he had a giant aviary in which canaries flew and sang. The cages of his singing birds were dressed in bright green silk to look like trees.
As Regent, Anne was king of France in all but name.
It’s doubtful that many politicians could come up to her ankles, except, of course, her father who taught her everything there was to know about governing France.
Today’s political chicaneries fade into insignificance compared with those of Anne.
She helped Henry Tudor, who was under the financial and physical protection of the French throne for most of his life, defeat Richard III and declare himself Henry VII.
Might versus Right by Conquest.
Why?
Always helps to have family on the throne. He was, like her, a Valois. His grandmother was Catherine of Valois.
Anne and Henry signed a peace treaty which drew a final, legal, line under The Hundred Years' War between England and France.
All good? Done and dusted? No. Treaties are not worth the vellum they’re written on.
December 1491. Anne strong armed her brother Charles VIII and Anne, Duchess of Brittany into marrying.
Why?
She wanted Brittany for France.
The Duchess was furious. She was already married by proxy to Maximilian, king of the Romans, Holy Roman Emperor in waiting. Charles was betrothed to his daughter.
It was a double public insult for the House of Hapsburg.
October 1492. Henry’s besieged the French port of Boulogne and sent troops to defend Brittany against Anne.
Why?
He claimed loyalty. Brittany had given him safe haven for fourteen years when he was in exile hiding from Richard III.
It was sabre rattling.
Anne knew that his real reason was anger with her public support for Mr Warbeck.
How’s this for Anne’s politicking?
Anne couldn’t care two figs about Mr Warbeck. He was a pawn in her Machiavellian political manoeuvrings. She told Henry that if he agreed not to go to war to defend the autonomy of Brittany, if he recognised French control of Brittany, she would expel Mr Warbeck from Château Amboise.
3rd November 1492. The Peace of Étaples was negotiated by Anne. She dictated the terms. It was the last of her many great achievements as Regent of France.
When he was asked to leave Chateau Amboise, Warbeck made his way to the Royal Court of Maximilian from the House of Hapsburg who publicly recognised him as Richard IV of England.
1495. Following his unsuccessful invasion of England, Warbeck sailed to Scotland where he was given a state welcome by James IV. The king backed his claim, gave him a yearly allowance of £1200 and the hand in marriage of Lady Catherine Gordon, the daughter of an earl.
1497. Henry VII threatened James IV with war if he didn’t surrender Warbeck. James gave Warbeck a boat and expelled him from Scotland.
He was captured at Beaulieu Abbey.
Henry allowed him to come to Court but he ran away. He was caught and imprisoned in the Tower of London until Henry asked the king of Aragon for the hand of Catherine of Aragon for his son, the prince of Wales.
Her father raised his concerns about Warbeck’s claim to the throne.
1499. After being a thorn in Henry’s flesh at a cost of £13k (£10,879,000) Perkin Warbeck was hanged. He had kept to his claim for eight years, an honoured guest at European Courts who gave him money, troops and ships to take the English throne.
Whether they believed in his claim or simply hated Henry VII is anyone’s guess.
If he wasn’t one of the princes in the Tower, he’ll do until the next claimant to the throne comes along.
The jury, amazingly, is still out.
Post by Pamela, Photography by Mark.
Out of the Shadows
The Ladies of Royal Chateau Amboise
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