Edward V – The Boy Who Never had a Chance

The Tower of London - Summer 1483

During Henry VI's brief reinstatement as King 1470-71, Elizabeth Woodville gave birth to a son named Edward on 2 November 1470. Elizabeth took sanctuary at Westminster Abbey while the boy's father, Edward IV, and his brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, escaped to the Netherlands. According to one source, Henry VI refused to slay the infant, an heir-apparent to the Crown, a testament to Henry's character. By 1471, Edward IV returned to England and reestablished control. He bestowed the title, Prince of Wales, on the infant Edward in June 1471. Edward sent the young Prince and his mother to Ludlow Castle, where the child served as the nominal head of state for Wales. Young Edward remained at Ludlow during most of his father's reign. Edward IV died suddenly and unexpectedly on 9 April 1483. Twelve-year-old Prince Edward became next in line to reign as King Edward V. After his brother's death, Richard Duke of Gloucester, the Lord Protector of the young Prince, hastened to escort the lad to his coronation in London scheduled for 4 May 1483. On the pretext of the boys' safekeeping, the Lord Protector housed Edward and his brother, Richard, in the Tower of London. At the time, the Tower served as both a royal residence and a prison. During the return trip to London, the Lord Protector arrested and executed several of Queen Elizabeth Woodville's influential family members. Edward V protested but was powerless to deter the Duke of Gloucester. Shortly thereafter, the Duke seized the opportunity to have Edward IV's marriage to Elizabeth Woodville annulled, thus declaring Edward V and his younger brother Richard illegitimate. The convenience of the boys' illegitimacy placed the Duke of Gloucester next in line for the Throne. The Duke of Gloucester canceled Edward V's 4 May 1483 coronation. Edward V's reign ended on 26 June 1483. Parliament accepted Gloucester's claim of the boys' illegitimacy, and on 26 June 1483, the Duke of Gloucester received the Crown as King Richard III of England. Richard III held the two Princes, Edward and Richard, captive in the Tower of London. The boys soon disappeared, never to be seen alive again. The fate of the Princes in the Tower continues to be the source of speculation. Richard III, the erstwhile Lord Protector, remains a most likely suspect. The story goes, Richard III ordered two minions to suffocate the boys with pillows as the boys slept, their bodies buried at the foot of the White Staircase in the Tower. Some pointed to Henry Tudor (1457-1509), the future Henry VII, as the possible culprit who ordered the twelve-year-old Edward and nine-year-old Richard murdered. Still, others proposed Henry Stafford (1453-1483), Duke of Buckingham, as the potential culprit. Stafford had a legitimate, albeit remote, claim to the Crown; he descended from Thomas of Woodstock (1355-1397), an earlier Duke of Gloucester and the fifth surviving son of Edward III (1312-1377). There was no doubt in Elizabeth Woodville's mind who killed her young sons. By August 1483, convinced the boys were dead on Richard III's orders, Elizabeth sought an alliance with Margaret Beaufort (1443-1509), Henry Tudor's mother. She conspired to assure Henry Tudor becomes king if he agreed to wed Elizabeth's and Edward IV's eldest daughter, Elizabeth of York (1466-1503).

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