Originally published on November 3rd 2024
For over 400 years, the mystery of the Princes of the Tower has fascinated historians and enthusiasts worldwide. In this tale of tragedy involving two boys and one young King deposed on the grounds of illegitimacy, their disappearance continues to be surrounded by mystery and has become one of the most infamous cold cases in history.
Although I've completed a first blog post on Edward V, this post internally focuses on the story's summary and shares my views on why the Princes of the Tower interest me. As well as the post, there is a timeline of the events on the site, which can be viewed here.
What Happened Before 1483?
The story of the Princes in the Tower began with an event that shook the House of Plantagenet by breaking feudal power and the stability of the English monarchy. However, the infamous Wars of the Roses didn’t start to begin with a disagreement on who would be regent for an “insane King”. The real origins of the Wars of the Roses came from the abdication of Richard II in 1399. Richard’s rule had a vile record of tyrannical acts involving unfair decision-making, revoking promises to his people (especially during the Peasant’s Revolt), and falsely imprisoning, exiling or executing nobles. By 1399, the people had enough and as a result, Richard was overthrown by his cousin Henry Bolingbroke who later became Henry IV. By the time Henry’s grandson came to the throne, royal family members were divided into two separate groups - the House of York (through Lionel of Antwerp) and the House of Lancaster (through John of Gaunt).
In 1453, Henry IV’s grandson, Henry VI was going through lapsed into ‘insanity’ though in today’s medical terms, he would have been diagnosed with schizoid personality disorder. During this time, a disagreement arose on who was to become regent. From the House of Lancaster, Henry’s wife Margaret of Anjou believed she had the right to become regent. However, Richard the Third Duke of York from the House of York was determined to seize power as he had a stronger calm to the throne. A succession crisis hung over the two families and soon, war had been declared after the Duke of York was forced into exile by the King upon his stability.
In 1455, the First Battle of St Albans began and this led to York capturing the King and becoming Lord Protector by the English Parliament. However, this battle would lead to thirty years of political manipulation and shaky grounds. For a brief period, there was peace though one event stood out which would lead to a disappearance twenty-eight years later.
What Happened in the Spring & Summer of 1483?
In 1483, King Edward IV, a Yorkist descendant of Richard, the 3rd Duke of York was taken ill abruptly. He died on the 9th of April at the age of 40, leading to a new reign of a twelve-year-old boy. It was through this new rule that England began to experience another succession crisis. In his will, Edward IV proclaimed his younger brother Richard, Duke of Gloucester would be Lord Protector reigning in his son’s name until he came of age. However, the news of the death of Edward IV travelled at a slow pace and it wasn’t until nearly a week later that both Edward V and Richard of Gloucester learnt of the news. This was because the King's mother Elizabeth Woodville kept her husband’s death a secret for days to ensure that the Woodville’s were sure about the family’s position within the new reign. While the King and Lord Procter were making their way to London after learning the news, Elizabeth had already made plans to retrieve Edward for his coronation under the protection of his material family. By this time, Edward and his maternal uncle, Anthony Woodville, the Earl of Rivers made their way to the capital from Ludlow Castle.
However, Richard Duke of Gloucester intercepted the royal entourage in Northampton before making their way to London on the 3rd of May. Before meeting his nephew, Gloucester was in Stony Stratford where it is believed that he and a few members of the new King’s family stayed at the Rose and Crown Inn. It was here that Earl Rivers and the King’s stepbrother Richard Grey were deposed, arrested and later executed for treason. Gloucester, Edward V and the royal entourage would begin a further stretch before arriving at the Tower of London on the 19th of May where Richard placed the King in the royal apartments before the coronation.
It was while he was in the Tower that the coronation was arranged for the 22nd of June.
In Westminister Abbey, Elizabeth Woodville and her children fled to sanctuary upon the death of two of her family members. The children that were with her were all of her daughters, her elder son the Marquees of Dorset and the youngest prince, Richard the Duke of York. In June 1485, upon orders from the Duke of Gloucester, the Duke of York was handed over to the Archbishop of Canterbury so he could join his brother in the Tower of London. Both boys would never be seen by their families again.
Although preparations were underway, the coronation was postponed when some shocking news came to light that would change everything. On the day that the coronation was supposed to take place, a person came forward with a confession. Ralph Shaw, an English theologian who, during a sermon, confessed that Edward IV already married a lady and had a possible child with her before his marriage to his regent Elizabeth Woodville. But because of this calm, this calm meant that Edward V was illegitimate and could not inherit the throne. With this news, the English Parliament immediately proclaimed Richard, the Duke of Gloucester as King Richard III.
This must have come as a shock to Edward V though he and the Duke of York began forming a sibling bond. Eyewitnesses who saw the boys in June 1483 said that the boys were seen shooting arrows and playing in the Tower’s gardens. It was also during this time when servants were mysteriously dismissed. The last person to see the boys was their physician Dr John Argentine. In an account by an Italian monk named Dominic Mancini who wrote an account saying that during Argentine’s visit, he saw a nervous Edward V taking confession and penance. The deposed young King believed that death was drawing near. This occurred between June and July 1483 before the princes disappeared from history. After that, nothing.
Why The Interest?
What happened to Edward V and Richard, Duke of York? Or maybe just Edward V?
We don’t know. Until there is permission for DNA analysis of the bones inside the urn, the mystery will remain unsolved. The famous urn inside Westminster Abbey holds a guarded secret the world wants to know. Still, historians, authors and enthusiasts continue to guess what the boy's lives could have been like after the summer of 1483. Enthusiasts especially have the thirst to speculate, debate and look for clues that could hold the key to the mystery. However, an enthusiast like me could have many interests, including how the story is presented in culture. In many ways, the story of Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury, the Duke of York, still moves me. Since I developed my love for history at nine years old, the mystery thirsts my brain, particularly when it comes to the who-done-it scenario or what their lives would be like if the boys survived. If anyone thinks of this question, then no. I'm not a Ricardian or a Henrician but I am an enthusiast who wants to understand the near-adolescent King and the little Duke. I do have my theory, which I want to share in another post. However, I want to focus on other topics involving the boys including how they are portrayed in the modern arts, in books and more. And that's what I would like to do.
What do you think of the story of the Princes? Please share your thoughts in the comments section and I will respond to them when I can. I'm looking forward to reading your thoughts.
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