The Princes in the Tower

The History of the Mysterious Disappearances of King Edward V and the Duke of York

By: Charles River Editors

Narrated by: Colin Fluxman

When England’s King Edward IV fell ill at Easter 1483 after coming back from a fishing trip and died shortly after on April 9, it threw a country that had already suffered a series of wars into a state of chaos. What exactly killed him is unclear, and though some people would later speculate that he had been poisoned, there is every reason to believe that he died of natural causes. Disease was common in medieval England, and doctors lacked much of the medical knowledge now taken for granted. The king's spectacular lifestyle had taken its toll, and he was significantly overweight, so it seems the lifestyle which he thought he had earned as king, and which he used to remind everyone of his status, was probably his undoing.

Recognizing that death was coming, the 40-year-old Edward IV had tried to make arrangements for how the kingdom would be ruled during his son's minority. His aim was for Rivers to continue running the young king's household while Richard, Duke of Gloucester, became protector and took responsibility for running the country until Edward V was old enough to do so for himself. It was an arrangement designed to prevent any one person from gaining total authority during his son's childhood reign, and thus to protect the young king.

Richard was the only realistic candidate to become Protector in a royal minority. The late king's only surviving brother and one of his most effective and loyal lieutenants, he was also third in line to the throne after his young nephews. Of course, it was an arrangement that clearly appealed to the 30-year-old Duke of Gloucester. At the time of his brother's death, he was busy defending the north of England, work which had made him popular in the region. He went to York for a ceremony to mourn his brother, but did not immediately travel south to join the royal councillors debating the future of the realm. Instead, he wrote to have them make him protector, and he had Lord Hastings campaign on his behalf.

At first, everything seemed to be going smoothly, but behind the scenes Richard was scheming. As Edward V and his guardian Rivers were travelling toward London, Richard and his substantial military retinue met them on the road. After setting Rivers and another adviser at ease through a pleasant dinner on April 29, Richard showed his true colors the next day by taking them captive and taking control of the teenaged king. His justification was the old classic of protecting a king from evil advisers, this time in the form of the Woodvilles, but even his 12-year-old nephew could see through the charade.

Arriving in London on May 4, 1483, Richard was made Protector five days later, and he had Edward’s coronation postponed until June 22. The queen withdrew, effectively going into hiding, while Gloucester tried unsuccessfully to make a case for Rivers and others among the king's retinue to be tried for treason. Those associated with the Woodville cause were scattered, arrested and in some cases executed, with Gloucester's former representative Hastings being among those to die after he wavered in his support.

All the while, Richard of Gloucester was backing himself into a corner. Whether or not his initial intention was to become king, his efforts to protect his family fortunes and follow his brother's will had now left him in a difficult position. When his nephew officially became king, the young Edward V was likely to punish Gloucester for his actions, thus ensuring the victory of the Woodvilles. In other words, coronation day held more threat than promise, so Gloucester had Edward V imprisoned in the Tower of London, where he was joined by his brother Richard on June 16.

The chain of events also contributed to one of England’s most enduring mysteries, because Edward and Richard never emerged from the Tower of London.

©2022 Charles River Editors (P)2022 Charles River Editors