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( Source: Christine_Kohler / iStockphoto )
The story of the two young princes allegedly murdered in the Tower of London is one of Britain’s most iconic legends. Despite its widespread acceptance, direct evidence is still lacking. And now it seems that things could have been very different indeed.
After the death of King Edward IV in 1483, his son, the then twelve-year-old Edward V, was to succeed to the throne. Given his young age, his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was appointed as the young king’s protector. He had the boys placed with his brother Richard in the Tower of London, ostensibly for their protection, so it occurs to anyone that protecting the two boys may not have been the real reason for their internment.
Especially as shortly afterwards Richard declared that their father’s marriage was invalid and therefore illegitimate, and the princes themselves logically lost their claim to the throne. He then declared himself king on 26 June 1483 as Richard III.
That Richard would get rid of the two princes who could later claim the throne sounds very logical. However, his motive is really the only “evidence” of the murder. It is also true that the last time the two princes were seen in the Tower was in the summer of 1483, but that is all. Even so, the murder theory is taken at face value by reputable historians. The fact that the story was later developed by William Shakespeare in one of his most famous plays undoubtedly contributed to this.
━━ Illustration of Prince Edward V and his uncle Richard in the tower.
( Source: duncan1890 / iStockphoto )
British history is full of legends. Another is that Richard III’s remains eventually ended up in a river. Even that was taken as historical fact. However, thanks to an initiative by historian and writer Philippa Langley called “Looking for Richard”, it was not only possible to prove that Richard III did not end up in the river, but even to find his remains, which could then be reburied in Leicester Cathedral.
The next logical step was to search for the fate of Richard’s two nephews. In collaboration with dozens, or rather hundreds, of historians, linguists and other experts, they followed the methods used by the police in searching for missing persons. Contemporary documents from all over Europe were examined, and it was outside Britain, specifically in Holland, that clues were discovered suggesting that the princes were not murdered in the Tower in 1483, but were split up and transported to different locations.
According to documents, at least one of them was still alive in 1495. It has also emerged that the murder theory was started by Richard’s rival for the English throne, Henry Tudor, and coincidentally before the Battle of Bosworth in which the two were to clash. The theory that he was responsible for their disappearance suddenly makes good sense too.
So everything takes on a whole new dimension, and it seems that the centuries-old theory of princes being murdered on the orders of Richard III may not be valid. Still, there are reasons to think that Richard III was the murderer. The search continues, of course, with the ultimate goal of charting the full fate of the two princes, ideally including finding their final resting place.
