Southampton Plot facts for kids
The Southampton Plot was a secret plan to remove King Henry V of England from his throne. This plot was discovered in 1415. At that time, the King was just about to sail to France for a major war. The people behind the plot wanted to replace King Henry V with Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March.
Contents
What Was the Southampton Plot?
The Southampton Plot was a secret plan to change who was king of England. It happened in 1415, just before King Henry V was going to lead his army to France. The people involved wanted to put someone else on the throne instead of King Henry.
Who Was Edmund Mortimer?
Edmund Mortimer, 5th Earl of March, was a very important person. He was a great-grandson of King Edward III. This meant he had a strong claim to the throne. Some people thought his claim was even better than King Henry V's. This was because Edmund's family line came from an older son of King Edward III.
Edmund Mortimer's father, Roger Mortimer, 4th Earl of March, was once seen as the next in line to the throne. This was during the time of King Richard II, who had no children. So, Edmund Mortimer himself was considered a possible future king when he was very young.
Who Were the Plot Leaders?
Three main people led this secret plan:
- Richard of Conisburgh, 3rd Earl of Cambridge: He was Edmund Mortimer's brother-in-law. He was also a grandson of King Edward III.
- Henry Scrope, 3rd Baron Scrope of Masham: His uncle had been punished for being part of another rebellion in 1405.
- Sir Thomas Grey: His son was going to marry Cambridge's daughter.
How Was the Plot Discovered?
The person who was supposed to become king, Edmund Mortimer, told King Henry V about the plot. He said he had only just found out about it himself. This happened on July 31st.
Right away, Richard, Scrope, and Grey were arrested. Their trial happened in Southampton. Grey was punished on August 2nd. The other two, Richard and Scrope, were punished on August 5th. All of this happened in front of a place called the Bargate. After this, King Henry felt safe enough to sail to France on August 11th.
Why Was Scrope Involved?
Many people were surprised that Scrope was part of the plot. He was a favorite of the King. Some historians still wonder why he joined.
One historian, Ian Mortimer, thinks Scrope was pretending to be part of the plot. He believes Scrope wanted to tell the King about it later. But Edmund Mortimer told the King first. Other historians disagree. They think Scrope was truly involved in the plan.
What Happened Next?
Later that year, the Duke of York, who was Cambridge's older brother, died in a big battle called the Battle of Agincourt. Because of this, Cambridge's son, Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York, became the next Duke of York.
Richard Plantagenet also inherited Edmund Mortimer's claim to the throne when Mortimer passed away. Much later in his life, Richard used this claim. He tried to take the throne from King Henry VI, which led to a big war called the Wars of the Roses.
The Plot in Plays and Movies
The Southampton Plot has been shown in many stories:
- It is in Shakespeare's play, Henry V. In the play, it's shown as a plan paid for by the French to stop King Henry's invasion.
- It's also in an old play called The History of Sir John Oldcastle from around 1600.
- It appears in a play called Falstaff's Wedding by William Kenrick from 1760.
- The plot is also shown in the movie The King (2019 film) from 2019.
