BattlefieldsPerkin Warbeck — Battle at Taunton 1497
Tudor

Perkin Warbeck — Battle at Taunton 1497

1497
Somerset, England
Also known as: Warbeck's defeat 1497 · Perkin Warbeck Taunton
Era
Tudor
Battle Type
Skirmish
Location
Somerset, England
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Perkin Warbeck
Forces
Warbeck party c.500–2,000; brief engagement, Warbeck routed.
VS
Victor
England (Henry VII)
Forces
Henry VII forces c.2,000–5,000
Outcome
Warbeck fled before his army could engage; captured shortly after at Beaulieu Abbey seeking sanctuary; imprisoned and later executed
The Battle

History & Significance

Perkin Warbeck's final landing in Cornwall — exploiting Cornish anger after Deptford Bridge — briefly attracted several thousand followers. But when Henry VII's army appeared, Warbeck's nerve broke and he fled before battle was joined, seeking sanctuary at Beaulieu Abbey. His capture ended the Yorkist pretender threat for over a decade. Warbeck was imprisoned in the Tower, where his presence eventually led to the execution of the genuine Earl of Warwick in 1499.

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