Sir William de la Pole

Sir William de la Pole, born in 1478, was an English nobleman and Knight of Wingfield Castle in Suffolk. He was the progeny of John de la Pole, 2nd Duke of Suffolk, and Elizabeth Plantagenet, also known as Elizabeth of York, Duchess of Suffolk, who was the sister of kings Edward IV and Richard III. His maternal lineage placed him in the line of succession to the English Crown, which ultimately had severe repercussions for him.

In 1497, he entered into matrimony with Katherine Stourton, but the union did not produce any offspring. William was detained in the Tower of London for 37 years on suspicion of conspiring against King Henry VII with his brothers. Despite his long imprisonment, he did not share the same ambitions as his brothers, who had a stronger claim to the throne than Henry VII and had fled England following the discovery of their plot in 1501.