Perkin Warbeck

Perkin Warbeck
Pretender
16th-century copy by Jacques Le Boucq of the only known contemporary portrait of Warbeck, Library of Arras[1][2]
Born	Pierrechon de Werbecque c. 1474 Tournai, Tournaisis
Died	23 November 1499 (aged 24–25) Tyburn, Middlesex, England
Title(s)	Pretended Duke of York
Throne(s) claimed	England
Pretend from	1490
Connection with	Claimed to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, son of Edward IV of England
Royal House	In the name of the House of York
Father	Jehan de Werbecque; claimed to be Edward IV of England
Mother	Katherine de Faro; claimed to be Elizabeth Woodville
Spouse	Lady Catherine Gordon

Perkin Warbeck (c. 1474 – 23 November 1499) was a pretender to the English throne claiming to be Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, who was the second son of Edward IV and one of the so-called "Princes in the Tower". Richard, were he alive, would have been the rightful claimant to the throne, assuming that his elder brother Edward V was dead and that he was legitimate—a point that had been previously contested by his uncle, King Richard III.

Due to the uncertainty as to whether Richard had died (either of some natural cause or having been murdered in the Tower of London) or whether he had somehow survived, Warbeck's claim gained some support. Followers may have truly believed Warbeck was Richard or may have supported him simply because of their desire to overthrow the reigning king, Henry VII, and reclaim the throne. Given the lack of knowledge regarding Richard's fate, and having received support outside England, Warbeck emerged as a significant threat to the newly established Tudor dynasty; Henry declared Warbeck an impostor.

Warbeck made several landings in England backed by small armies but met strong resistance from the King's men and surrendered in Hampshire in 1497. After his capture, he retracted his claim, writing a confession in which he said he was a Fleming born in Tournai around 1474. He was executed on 23 November 1499. Dealing with Warbeck cost Henry VII over £13,000 (equivalent to £12,916,000 in 2023), putting a strain on Henry's weak state finances.