Princes in the Tower facts for kids
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The Princes in the Tower refers to a famous mystery from English history. It's about what happened to two young brothers, Edward V of England and his younger brother Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York. They were the sons of King Edward IV of England and were next in line to the throne.
In 1483, their father, King Edward IV, died. Edward V was only 12 years old, and Richard was 9. Their uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was made their protector. He placed the boys in the Tower of London, supposedly to get ready for Edward V's crowning as king. However, before Edward could be crowned, he and his brother were declared not rightful heirs to the throne. Their uncle, Richard, then became King Richard III.
No one knows for sure what happened to the boys after they were last seen in the Tower. Most people believe they were murdered. A common idea is that Richard III ordered their deaths to make sure he stayed king. Their deaths might have happened in 1483. But there is no clear proof, only clues. Because of this, many other ideas have come up. Some think they were killed by their uncle, the Duke of Buckingham, or even by King Henry VII, who later became king. Others think one or both princes might have escaped. For example, a young man named Perkin Warbeck later claimed to be Richard, Duke of York, saying he had escaped.
In 1674, workers in the Tower of London found two small human skeletons under a staircase. Many people at the time thought these were the bones of the princes. But this has never been proven. King Charles II had the bones buried in Westminster Abbey, where they are today.
Contents
What Happened Before?
King Edward IV Dies Suddenly
On April 9, 1483, King Edward IV of England died unexpectedly. He had been sick for about three weeks. At that time, his son, the new King Edward V, was at Ludlow Castle. His uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was far away in Yorkshire. Richard heard the news around April 15. He then went to York Minster to promise his loyalty to the new young king. Before he died, King Edward IV had named his brother Richard as the Lord Protector. This meant Richard would help rule the country until Edward V was old enough.
The Princes Travel to London
Edward V and Richard, Duke of Gloucester, both started their journeys to London. They met on April 29. The next morning, Richard arrested Edward's helpers. This included the boys' uncle, Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers, and their half-brother, Sir Richard Grey. These men were sent to Pontefract Castle and later killed. Richard then took charge of young King Edward V. This made Edward's mother, Elizabeth Woodville, worried. She took her other son, Richard, Duke of York, and her daughters to a safe place in Westminster Abbey.
The Tower of London and Richard Becomes King
Edward V and Richard arrived in London together. Plans for Edward's coronation (crowning) continued, but the date was moved. On May 19, 1483, Edward was moved to the Tower of London. This was a common place for kings to stay before their coronation. On June 16, his younger brother Richard, Duke of York, joined him there. Richard, their uncle, then put off Edward's coronation for good.
On June 22, a speech was given saying that Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was the only true heir to the throne. On June 25, a group of important people asked Richard to become king. Both princes were then declared not rightful heirs by Parliament. This was made official in 1484 by a law called Titulus Regius. This law said that Edward IV's marriage was not valid. Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was crowned King Richard III of England on July 6.
The Disappearance
Last Sightings in the Tower
Dominic Mancini, an Italian visitor to England in 1483, wrote about the princes. He said that after Richard III became king, Edward and his younger brother Richard were moved deeper into the Tower. They were seen less and less until they disappeared completely. Mancini wrote that Edward was visited by a doctor. The doctor said Edward believed he was going to die.
There are reports of the two princes playing in the Tower grounds after Richard joined his brother. But no one saw them after the summer of 1483. An attempt to rescue them in late July failed. What happened to them after that is still a big mystery.
When Did They Disappear?
Many historians believe the princes were killed. Some think it happened around the end of summer 1483. It's thought that a rebellion against Richard in 1483 first tried to save Edward V and his brother. But when the Duke of Buckingham joined, the rebels started supporting Henry Tudor instead. This might mean Buckingham knew the princes were already dead.
Some historians suggest a specific date, like September 3, 1483. However, there is no clear proof for this. Other ideas suggest the princes might have been alive as late as July 1484. But it's not certain if this refers to the princes or other children in Richard's care.
Clues and Rumors
No Direct Proof
Other than their disappearance, there is no direct proof that the princes were murdered. There are no reliable, unbiased sources from that time. However, after they disappeared, rumors quickly spread that they had been killed. These rumors even reached France. In January 1484, a French official warned his own country to learn from the princes' fate. Early reports from France and Germany said Richard killed the princes before he became king. But one French account from around 1500 named the Duke of Buckingham as the one who killed them.
Only Mancini's account was written while these events were happening. Other accounts were written years later, after Richard III had died and Henry VII became king. These later stories might have been influenced by the new king's side.
Bodies Found in the Tower
On July 17, 1674, workers fixing the White Tower found a wooden box. It contained two small human skeletons. The bones were found buried under a staircase. The location partly matched a story written by Thomas More years earlier. He said the princes were buried under a staircase. The bones were found with pieces of cloth, possibly velvet, which could mean they belonged to important people.
Four years later, King Charles II ordered the bones to be placed in a special container. They were buried in Westminster Abbey. A monument there says: "Here lie interred the remains of Edward V, King of England, and Richard, Duke of York."
Examining the Bones
In 1933, the bones were taken out and looked at by experts. They measured the bones and teeth. They concluded the bones belonged to two children around the right ages for the princes. However, many bones were missing or broken. The examination has been criticized because it assumed the bones were the princes'. It didn't even try to find out if the bones were male or female.
No further scientific tests have been done on the bones. DNA analysis has not been tried. Even if DNA tests proved the bones were the princes', it wouldn't tell us who killed them.
Bones in St George's Chapel
In 1789, workers at St. George's Chapel, Windsor, found another small vault. It was next to the tomb of Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth Woodville. This vault held the coffins of two unidentified children. But no one examined them, and the tomb was sealed again. Later, two lead coffins clearly labeled as George Plantagenet and Mary Plantagenet (two other children of Edward IV) were found elsewhere and moved into this vault.
Today, royal permission is needed to open any royal tomb. So, the mystery of these bones remains unsolved.
Who Might Have Done It?
The lack of clear proof has led to many ideas about what happened to the princes. The most common idea is that they were murdered soon after they disappeared. And most historians who believe they were murdered think Richard III ordered it.
Richard III as the Main Suspect
Many historians believe Richard III, the princes' uncle, is the most likely person responsible. Here's why:
- Threat to his power: Even though the princes were declared illegitimate, they were still a threat. People could use them to start a rebellion against Richard.
- No public appearance: Rumors of their death spread by late 1483. But Richard never showed them in public to prove they were alive. This suggests they were dead by then.
- No investigation: Richard never started an investigation into their disappearance. This would have helped him if he was innocent.
- Control of the Tower: The princes were held in the Tower of London, which was controlled by Richard's men. Access to them was very limited. It's unlikely they could have been killed without his knowledge.
Historians Thomas More and Polydore Vergil both wrote that Sir James Tyrrell killed the princes on Richard's orders. Tyrrell was a knight who worked for Richard. More wrote that Tyrrell confessed to the murders before he was executed in 1502. He said the princes were smothered in their beds. However, the only record of this confession is from More, and no official confession has ever been found.
Many people at the time believed Richard was guilty. Even the princes' mother, Elizabeth Woodville, later supported Henry Tudor against Richard III. Most modern historians, like David Starkey and Helen Castor, also think Richard is the most likely culprit.
Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham
Some people think Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, Richard's close helper, might be responsible. This idea works if the princes were already dead by the time Buckingham was executed in November 1483. Buckingham was related to the royal family and might have wanted the throne himself.
A document found in 1980 said the murder was "by the advice of the Duke of Buckingham." This led some to think Buckingham might have killed the princes on his own, without waiting for Richard's orders. However, this is not widely accepted. If Buckingham had acted alone, Richard would likely have blamed him to clear his own name. Also, Buckingham would have needed Richard's help to get to the princes in the Tower.
Henry VII
Some suggest Henry VII (Henry Tudor) could be the killer. He became king after defeating Richard III in 1485. Henry was not in England when the princes disappeared. So, he could only have killed them after he became king.
The year after becoming king, Henry married the princes' older sister, Elizabeth of York. This helped strengthen his claim to the throne. Before the marriage, he canceled the law that said the princes (and Elizabeth) were illegitimate. Some think Henry might have killed the princes to remove any other claims to the throne. However, Henry was never accused of the murder by anyone at the time, not even his enemies. Also, it's unlikely Richard would have kept the princes alive in secret for two years while rumors of his guilt spread.
Other Ideas
Other people have been accused, like John Howard, 1st Duke of Norfolk, Margaret Beaufort (Henry VII's mother), and Jane Shore (Edward IV's mistress). But historians say these ideas are not serious. It would have been very hard for them to get to the princes in the Tower without Richard knowing.
Some historians, like David Baldwin, suggest that at least one of the princes might have survived. He thinks Richard might have sent them away to keep them safe from enemies. But then he couldn't bring them back without them becoming a threat again.
During Henry VII's rule, two people claimed to be Richard, Duke of York, saying they had escaped. One was Lambert Simnel, and the other was Perkin Warbeck. Warbeck was even supported by Richard III's sister, Margaret of York, Duchess of Burgundy. Many historians believe Warbeck was an imposter, and his supporters used his claim for political reasons.
Recently, some researchers claimed to have found clues that Edward V lived in a village in Devon. They linked him to a man named John Evans. This man arrived in the village around 1484 and was given an important position. The researchers noted symbols linked to Edward V in a chapel built by Evans.
Why It Matters
The disappearance of the princes had a big impact on English history. Whether Richard III killed them or not, people believed he did. This made him responsible for their safety in the eyes of others. The belief that they were murdered made him seem guilty.
An uprising in September 1483 tried to remove Richard and put Edward V back on the throne. When rumors of Edward's death spread, the rebels then supported Henry Tudor. This shows that people were willing to fight against Richard. Many wealthy and powerful people who had been loyal to Edward IV turned against Richard. They were shocked by Richard taking the throne and the belief that he had killed his nephews. This greatly weakened Richard's power. The belief that he murdered his nephews made it very hard for Richard to stay on the throne.
Images for kids
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King Edward V and the Duke of York (Richard) in the Tower of London by Paul Delaroche. Edward V is shown wearing the emblem of the Order of the Garter.
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The sons of Edward IV of England by Pedro Américo.
