The Perkin Warbeck Conspiracy 1491-1499

Perkin Warbeck, pretender to the English throne, claimed to be Richard, Duke of York, the younger of the two sons of Edward IV murdered in the Tower. This book looks at who Perkin Warbeck was, how he was used by those in power in Burgundy, France, Italy, Scotland and Ireland, and the progress of the conspiracy itself. Perkin Warbeck has often been considered a side issue to Henry VII’s reign, even as something of a joke, but this new book reveals how close the conspirators came to bringing about a fundamental change in the sway of European politics, and how Perkin Warbeck was used by those in power to further their own ends. Importantly, Arthurson not only sets the plot within the context of what was going on in fifteenth-century European politics, but also reveals new truths about Henry VII’s reign.

Illustrated with a wealth of contemporary portraits, paintings, engravings and documents, and with full notes and genealogical tables, this book, the first in-depth study of Perkin Warbeck, will appeal to all students of the fifteenth century.