John de la Pole - Earl of Lincoln

John de la Pole was an English nobleman and Yorkist leader in the Wars of the Roses. He was among the last Yorkist military leaders who nearly toppled Henry VII before the Tudors consolidated power.

Born around 1460-1464, John was the eldest son of John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk, and Elizabeth of York, who was the daughter of Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York. As a result, John was the nephew of Edward IV and Richard III.

John de la Pole received the title of Earl of Lincoln (6th creation) from King Edward IV on March 13th, 1467.

In the late 1470s, John married Margaret FitzAlan, the daughter of Thomas FitzAlan, 10th Earl of Arundel, and Margaret Woodville, sister of Elizabeth Woodville.

Further marking his status, in 1475, John was knighted as a Knight of the Bath, alongside other relatives.

After Edward IV died in April 1483, John supported his uncle Richard III. He received 500 pounds a year and became president of the Council of the North to improve justice in Northern England, overseeing administration from Sandal Castle in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.

When Richard III's son and heir, Edward of Middleham, died on April 9, 1484, John was appointed King's lieutenant in Ireland, a nominal role since Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare, governed over Ireland.

In the last year of Richard's reign, John received the Duchy of Cornwall's revenues, traditionally given to the heir to the throne. John may have been Richard's chosen heir, though never proclaimed. Edward, Earl of Warwick, had a stronger claim but was attainted after his father's treason.

At the Battle of Bosworth Field on August 22, 1485, John fought with Richard III, who was killed, allowing Henry Tudor to become King Henry VII. John initially reconciled with Henry and was made justice of Oyer and Terminer in 1486, but by 1487, he led a Yorkist rebellion.

After joining forces with pretender Lambert Simnel, who claimed to be Edward, Earl of Warwick, John de la Pole secured support from his aunt, Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy. Backed by her influence, the rebels assembled an army of Irish supporters and 2,000 German mercenaries under Martin Schwartz. Landing at Piel Island in Lancashire, they intended to overthrow Henry VII.

The rebels fought Henry VII at the Battle of Stoke Field on June 16, 1487, the final major battle of the Wars of the Roses. Henry's forces, led by John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford, defeated the Yorkists, and John de la Pole was killed in the front ranks. After the battle, Lambert Simnel was captured, pardoned, and made a spit-turner in the royal kitchen, before later being promoted to falconer.

No records exist of John de la Pole's burial after the battle, though he was likely buried in an unmarked grave on the battlefield or in a local churchyard. He was posthumously attainted in November 1487.