At some point the young King Edward V and his brother Richard disappeared. Whether they were murdered in the Tower of London and by whom is not known, but they were not seen of again. Later, in 1491, a man called Perkin Warbeck appeared in Ireland and claims were made that he was really Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, one of the princes in the Tower.

Perkin Warbeck, the pretender to the English throne landed at Cork.

Treaty of Etaples was the peace treaty signed by Charles VIII of France and Henry VII of England. Charles agreed not to support Perkin Warbeck and Henry agreed not pursue his claim to the French throne. Charles also had to pay Henry a large sum of money to be paid over several years.

Perkin Warbeck and an invasion force of around 200 to 300 men approached England at Deal on the south coast. Warbeck did not get off his ship but his small army did. The local people did not accept Warbeck's claims to the English throne and turned on his army killing many and taking the rest prisoner. The invasion had been financed by Maximilian, the Holy Roman Emporer. Warbeck then turned his attention to Ireland. ¹

Warbeck arrived in Scotland near the end of November and was greeted by the Scottish king James IV. The king gave the pretender money and arranged a marriage to Lady Catherine Gordon, daughter of the earl of Huntley. ¹

In support of Perkin Warbeck, who had taken refuge in Scotland, King James invaded England in an attempt to remove king Henry VII. The invasion quickly failed and the Scots returned home.

One of the conditions of a seven-year peace treaty between England and the Scots had meant Perkin Warbeck had to leave Scotland. With a small army Warbeck landed on the south coast on England at Whitsand Bay, Cornwall. It was a favourable location as Cornwall was home to a good number of rebels.

Perkin Warbeck was hiding in Beaulieu Abbey where he was found by Henry VII's army and captured. He was taken to Taunton Castle where the king was staying. Warbck confessed that he was not Richard, the son of King Edward and that he had been used by others to try and remove Henry from the throne. ¹

Perkin Warbeck was able to escape from captivity but was recaptured at Shene, Richmond. He gave himself up on condition of being spared and confessing that he was an imposter. After a public disgrace he was taken to the Tower of London.

Plans were formed to free the Earl of Warwick from the Tower of London and put him on the throne of England. The plans could have also included or been assisted by Perkin Warbeck. The plot was uncovered and both Warbeck and Warwick were accused of treason.

Perkin Warbeck executed at the Tower of London. ¹

Both Perkin Warbeck and Edward, Earl of Warwick were executed at the Tower of London, found guilty of treason. Edward had been held captive in the Tower since the age of ten when Henry VII became King of England after defeating Edward's uncle Richard III at the battle of Bosworth. Perkin Warbeck had claimned to be one of the two Princes in the Tower who had mysteriously disappeared during the reign of Richard III.