Lieutenant of the Tower of London in 1424 during the reign of Henry VI. During the reign of Edward IV, Richard Haute (died 8 April 1487) was Lieutenant from 1471 to 1473. John de Vere, 13th Earl of Oxford was Constable in the reign of Henry VII, at which time Sir John Digby was his Lieutenant. According to some sources, in the reign of Henry VIII Sir Thomas Lovell (died 25 May 1524) served as Lieutenant from Michaelmas 1512; however according to other sources, he was Constable of the Tower. Among the prisoners of state in Lovell's custody was the Pretender to the Crown, Lambert Simnel.
French history in the English-speaking theatre 1471, Philip II of France, king from 1180 to 1223, Charles VI of France, king from 1380 to 1422, and Charles VII of France, king from 1422 to 1461. In the first scene of "King John", John of England receives a message from Philip II of France, demanding that he abdicate his throne to his nephew, Arthur I of Brittany, believed to be the rightful heir. When John refuses, war is declared. But to obtain a stronger claim to his throne and to appease the French (act 2, scene 1), John agrees to a marriage contract between Blanche of Castile,