Threats to the Crown: Conclusion

Did the challenges to the throne '1486-1506' pose a real threat to Henry VII?

Threat

• Henry had no strong heirs (Arthur was only a baby)
• There was the possibility of the treacherous magnates rallying in support of the pretenders which made Henry paranoid.
• Henry's claim to the throne was weak and there were Yorkists alive with stronger claims to the throne than Henry including de la Pole.
• The mere existence of Suffolk posed a threat.
• Battles were a risky business. Henry was prepared with a big army at Stoke but there was always a chance of treachery (e.g. The Stanley's at Bosworth).
• The threats lingered on for a long time. E.g: The Warbeck plot lasted 8 years causing significant anxiety and expense for Henry. 
• Henry had very recently left France (1485) landed in Wales and won the Battle of Bosworth to take the throne. This could happen again.
• There was widespread international backing for the pretenders- Ireland, Scotland, Burgundy, and the Netherlands. 
• The Early years of Henry's reign were unstable since there was a history of bloodshed and usurpation.
• It was hard to prove Warbeck wasn't who he said he was.

Not a Threat

• Henry was helped by Parliament who granted him money with high taxes. 
• People did not want to extend the Wars of the Roses on the grounds of dubious claimants.
• There was little support for the Pretenders in England (only in the peripheries).
• Other foreign powers were unlikely to invade E.g Maximilian the Holy Roman Emperor didn't have the resources available due to the Italian Wars.
• The pretender plots were not secret. Henry's spies monitored then and used pre-emptive strikes. Henry was prepared. He defeated the Simnel with a big army at Stoke.
• International security was achieved through marriage alliances. E.g: Katherine of Aragon and Arthur Tudor, James IV of Scotland and Margaret Tudor.
• Henry was a good dimplomat, able to win over foreign powers who supported the pretenders. Henry made the Treaty of Medina del Campo with Spain in 1489 which stated Spain would not assist the Yorkists. Henry negotiated the Treaty of Etaples with France in 1492 which secured a French pension and promise not to aid Yorkists.
• The pretenders were imposters not true blood Yorkists.