Mystery 2 of 15
2. Who Killed the Princes in the Tower?
<
When King Edward IV of England died in 1483, his 12-year-old son was expected to become Edward V. Edward and his younger brother Richard were placed in the Tower of London while preparations were supposedly made for the new king’s coronation.
The coronation never happened.
The boys’ uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, became King Richard III instead. The two princes gradually disappeared from public view, and there is no confirmed record of either boy being seen alive after 1483.
The obvious suspicion is that they were murdered.
Richard III has traditionally received most of the blame because the boys represented a direct threat to his throne. But other figures have been accused over the centuries, including men associated with Richard and supporters of the future Henry VII.
Then, in 1674, workers at the Tower of London reportedly found the skeletons of two children beneath a staircase. The remains were eventually placed in Westminster Abbey.
Why It Is Still a Mystery
The bones have never been conclusively shown to belong to Edward and Richard. More importantly, even if the princes were murdered, there is no surviving evidence that proves who ordered their deaths. Richard III may remain the most famous suspect, but the case against him is largely circumstantial.
Add Comment