William de la Pole (1478–1539)

Sir William de la Pole (1478 - sometime between October and November 1539),^[1] was an English lord, and Knight of Wingfield Castle in Wingfield, Suffolk. He was the son of John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk (1442 - 1492) and Elizabeth Plantagenet (Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk) (1444 - 1504).^[2]

Around 1497, he married Katherine Stourton, daughter of William Stourton, 2nd Baron Stourton and Margaret Chidiocke, but they had no issue.^[1] Katherine, twice widowed and aged about 42, was more than 20 years older than William, so the motive for the marriage was probably financial, as her second husband, Lord Grey, had left her much of his property.

He was brother to John de la Pole, 1st Earl of Lincoln, Edmund de la Pole, 3rd Duke of Suffolk and Richard de la Pole. As nephews of Edward IV the de la Pole family had a much stronger hereditary claim to the throne than Henry VII, who was descended from an illegitimate son of John of Gaunt.^[3] Even if William, unlike his brothers, had no personal ambition to seize the throne, his ancestry would have made it impossible for Henry to trust him.

He was held prisoner in the Tower of London for 37 years till his death, longer than anyone else in history, for allegedly plotting against King Henry VII with his brothers Edmund and Richard, who fled the country in 1501, after their conspiracy was detected. The fact that William did not flee with them might have been seen as evidence that he was blameless, but the King was clearly taking no chances.^[4]

Ancestors

Ancestors of William de la Pole (1478–1539)

16. Michael de la Pole, 1st Earl of Suffolk               8. Michael de la Pole, 2nd Earl of Suffolk                       17. Catherine Wingfield               4. William de la Pole, 1st Duke of Suffolk                             18. Hugh de Stafford, 2nd Earl of Stafford               9. Katherine de Stafford                       19. Philippa de Beauchamp               2. John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk                                   20. Geoffrey Chaucer               10. Thomas Chaucer                       21. Philippa Roet (sister of 31.)               5. Alice Chaucer                             22. Sir John Burghersh               11. Matilda Burghersh                       23.               1. William de la Pole                                         24. Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York (brother of 30.)               12. Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge                       25. Isabella of Castile               6. Richard of York, 3rd Duke of York                             26. Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March               13. Anne de Mortimer                       27. Alianore Holland               3. Elizabeth of York                                   28. John Neville, 3rd Baron Neville de Raby               14. Ralph de Neville, 1st Earl of Westmorland                       29. Maud Percy               7. Cecily Neville                             30. John of Gaunt, 1st Duke of Lancaster (brother of 24.)               15. Joan Beaufort                       31. Katherine Swynford (sister of 21.)

References

1. Alison Weir, Britain's Royal Family: A Complete Genealogy (London, U.K.: The Bodley Head, 1999), page 135
2. http://www.royalist.info/execute/tree?person=2539
3. Chrimes, S.B. Henry VII Eyre Methuen Ltd. 1972 p.92
4. Chrimes p.93