Perkin Warbeck is believed to have been a native of Tournai in Belgium. In 1491 he went to Ireland and made claims he was Richard, the Duke of York. One of the royal houses of high standing in the English Monarchy. He claimed he was the second son of Edward IV. Richard and his elder brother were imprisoned in the Tower of London by their Uncle King Richard III,  they were both believed to have been murdered whilst being held captive in the Tower in 1483.

 Upon their fathers death the two boys, Edward and Richard, were just 12 and 9 years old. Edward should have been King with his uncle overseeing things until he came of age. Their uncle threw the two boys into the tower claiming they were both illegitimate sons of his brother and therefore not allowed to rule, he then declared himself to be King.

On his arrival in Ireland he found support from the enemies of the now King, Henry VII. Henry VII had seized power in 1485 and was the first Tudor King of England. In 1497 Warbeck landed in Cornwall in the extreme south west of England and had soon raised an army of 6,000 men ready to fight against the King. He was faced facing the Kings superior army, he fled without a fight but was soon captured and imprisoned in the Tower of London. In November of 1499 he was hanged for his alleged attempting to escape from the Tower. A feat accomplished successfully by a select few.

Warbeck’s story remains a mystery to this day, it is not known if he was actually who he claimed to be, the actual missing Duke of York. Or was he just an imposter from the Belgian city of Tournai.

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