William Stanley (knight)

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Sir William Stanley coat of arms

Sir William Stanley KG (* around 1435 in Lytham ; † February 16, 1495 in Tower Hill , London ) was an English knight of the Order of the Garter and the younger brother of Thomas Stanley , an English statesman. Stanley fought with his troops in several battles of the Wars of the Roses .

Life

He was born in Lytham, Lancashire, the younger son of Thomas Stanley, 1st Baron Stanley . In 1465 he married Johanna, daughter of the first 1st Viscount Beaumont , and widow of the 8th Lord Lovel . He married Elizabeth Hopton , daughter of Thomas Hopton with whom he had a daughter, Jane Stanley, around 1471 . They lived in Holt , Norfolk .

Career

He originally supported the House of York during the Wars of the Roses and over time became a celebrated general. He fought alongside the House of York at the Battle of Blore Heath in 1459. In 1465 the estates and castle of the expropriated Cliffords at Skipton were fiefdom . After the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471 it was he, Queen Margaret of Anjou , wife of Henry VI. , who ran the House of Lancaster , and was then made Knight Banneret by the King . In 1483, he was appointed Chief Justice of North Wales ( Chief Justice of North Wales ) be appointed. After Richard III in 1483 . came to the throne, he was given more lands in North Wales for his loyal service.

From 1485, however, Stanley had decided to switch sides and supported the claim to the throne of the House of Lancaster, i.e. Heinrich Tudors . Stanley is best known for his defection at the Battle of Bosworth , where he defeated the Yorkists under Richard III. was decisive and thus helped to secure Heinrich Tudor's claim. In gratitude for his timely intervention, the new King Henry VII bestowed him with many titles, including the new office of Lord Chamberlain . In 1487 Stanley was accepted into the Order of the Garter.

Ten years later Stanley was accused of treason for his support for the pretender to the throne Perkin Warbeck , convicted and beheaded a few days later on February 16, 1495. He had willingly admitted the act, although there was only circumstantial evidence against him, since he thought he would avoid execution by making a full confession. The king could have shown mercy, but feared that doing so would put himself in danger, as it might encourage others to commit a similar act of folly in the hope of getting away with it afterwards.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ James Tait :  Stanley, William (d.1495) . In: Sidney Lee (Ed.): Dictionary of National Biography . Volume 54:  Stanhope - Stovin. , MacMillan & Co, Smith, Elder & Co., New York City / London 1898, pp. 81 - 82 (English).
  2. ↑ Michael J. Bennett: Stanley, Sir William (c.1435-1495). In: Henry Colin Gray Matthew, Brian Harrison (Eds.): Oxford Dictionary of National Biography , from the earliest times to the year 2000 (ODNB). Oxford University Press, Oxford 2004, ISBN 0-19-861411-X , ( oxforddnb.com license required ), as of Jan 2008 (not viewed).
  3. ↑ a b Sir William Stanley on thepeerage.com , accessed July 14, 2011.
  4. ↑ William Stanley - A Yorkist ( Memento July 3, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) by Richard A. McArthur, with references on richard111.com, in the Internet Archive at archive.org, as of July 3, 2008, viewed July 14, 2011 (English)
  5. ^ Royle, Trevor: The Wars of the Roses; England's first civil war. Abacus, London, 2009, ISBN 978-0-349-11790-4 , p. 455
personal data
SURNAME Stanley, William
BRIEF DESCRIPTION English knight and general of the Wars of the Roses
DATE OF BIRTH around 1435
PLACE OF BIRTH Lytham , Lancashire
DATE OF DEATH February 16, 1495
Place of death Tower Hill , London