England
The Princes in the Tower
Richard III has not fared well among historians. He is portrayed as evil and cunning and scheming and treacherous. In the first few weeks of his rule as Lord Protector, none of this was evident, nor had it been while Edward IV still lived. But disturbing indications appeared early.
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| The Princes in the Tower, a Romantic 19th century depiction |
On 13 June, barely two months after Edward IV died, Richard had William Hastings arrested for practicing sorcery and witchcraft on the Lord Protector. And he had him executed the same day. Arresting rivals was one thing, but executing them out of hand was more like murder.
Prince Edward V was already living in the Tower. The Tower of London began as a Norman castle, but over the centuries it had grown to be a whole complex of buildings, some of which were comfortable apartments. The entirety was enclosed by walls, though, and could be well defended, as we have seen during the Wars of the Roses. So it coud and did serve as both residence and prison. The exact status of the young prince was somewhere between the two.
During these months, the Duke of Buckingham, Richard's staunchest ally, was behind a campaign of rumors that claimed that both Edward and George (Richard's elder brothers) had been illegitimate. Only Richard was the true son of Richard, Duke of York. Since the claim to the throne came only from that branch, this effectively said that Edward had never been king.
These rumors became the official story when, on 26 June, Parliament proclaimed the young prince illegitimate and the Lord Protector as Richard III, King of England. No one dared rebel, for Richard could put into the field armies much greater than anyone else's, and he had proven his fighting skills in the Wars of the Roses.
On 16 July, Richard and Buckingham persuaded the Queen (Edward's widow) to hand over the younger prince, who was also then taken to the Tower. For his own protection, of course. As the weeks went by, people began to realize that no one had seen the princes. Rumors flew, but there was still no word. The rumors quickly began to say that both the princes were dead.
They disappeared. Richard never stated publicly what happened to them, and no bodies were ever found. Well, not for a long time, anyway. In 1674 a staircase was demolished in the White Tower (one of the many buildings within the Tower of London) during a remodel. Workmen found a wooden chest containing the bones of two children of around the right age. Twentieth century forensic scientists lent further evidence that these were very likely the remains of the young princes. Very likely, as rumors of the day said, they were smothered to death, as there are no signs of violence on the remains.
But maybe they both just got sick. . . .