What really happened to the 'Princes in the Tower'?

The foundation of the mystery surrounding the Princes in the Tower can be traced back to the Wars of the Roses, a series of dynastic conflicts that raged between 1455 and 1487.

These wars saw the rival houses of Lancaster and York vying for control of the English throne.

The name "Wars of the Roses" is derived from the emblems associated with the two houses: the red rose for Lancaster and the white rose for York.

The conflict began in earnest on May 22, 1455, at the First Battle of St Albans, when the Yorkists, led by Richard, Duke of York, clashed with the Lancastrian forces of King Henry VI.

Over the next three decades, the crown would change hands multiple times, with both sides experiencing victories and defeats.

The Yorkists gained the upper hand in 1461 when Edward IV, the eldest son of the Duke of York, was proclaimed king after the decisive Battle of Towton.

Edward IV's reign, which spanned from 1461 to 1483 (with a brief interruption between 1470 and 1471 when Henry VI was restored to the throne), included periods of stability and economic recovery, but also witnessed serious unrest. 

Beneath the surface, courtly intrigues and factionalism continued to simmer.

Edward's marriage to Elizabeth Woodville in 1464 was a contentious issue. The Woodville family, previously supporters of the Lancastrian cause, were viewed with suspicion by many Yorkist nobles.

This union produced several children, the eldest of whom was Edward V, born on November 2, 1470.

Upon Edward IV's sudden death on April 9, 1483, his 12-year-old son, Edward V, was designated to become king.

His uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was named Lord Protector due to Edward's minority.

Edward V and his younger brother, Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, were the sons of King Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth Woodville.

Edward's birth strengthened Edward IV's position and the Yorkist line of succession.

Edward's early years were shaped by the ups and downs of his father's rule, including a brief period in 1470-1471 when the Lancastrians, under the leadership of Margaret of Anjou and with the support of the previously deposed King Henry VI, reclaimed the throne.

During this time, Edward and his mother sought sanctuary in Westminster Abbey.

However, Edward IV's eventual triumph at the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471 ensured his son's position as the heir apparent.

Richard of Shrewsbury was born on August 17, 1473, and was the second son of the royal couple.

He held the title of Duke of York, a title long associated with senior members of the Yorkist family. 

Richard's life, like that of his elder brother, was shaped by the political alliances and enmities of the time.

In 1478, at the tender age of four, he was betrothed and ceremonially married to Anne de Mowbray, the 8-year-old heiress to the vast Mowbray estates, a union that further consolidated the Yorkist power base.

When Edward IV passed away suddenly, the 12-year-old Edward V was in Ludlow, a stronghold of the Prince of Wales.

As he journeyed to London for his impending coronation, the political landscape shifted dramatically.

With the young Edward V set to inherit the throne, his own uncle emerged as a challenger for the throne.

Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was Edward IV's younger brother and a formidable figure in the Yorkist faction.

Richard's initial role was to act as Lord Protector for his nephew, given Edward V's tender age of 12.

However, as Edward V made his way to the capital from Ludlow, Richard joined him and intercepted the young king's allies at Stony Stratford.

He arrested key Woodville supporters, including Anthony Woodville the Earl Rivers and Richard Grey, Edward V's half-brother.

This act was a clear indication of Richard's intentions to curtail the influence of the Woodville family, who he viewed as a threat to the traditional Yorkist establishment.

With Edward V now under his control, Richard escorted the young king to the Tower of London, ostensibly a traditional residence for monarchs before their coronation.

Soon after, Richard also had Edward's younger brother, Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, join him in the Tower.

With both princes secured, the stage was set for Richard's next move.

In June 1483, a cleric named Dr Ralph Shaa (also spelled Shaw) preached a sermon declaring that Edward IV's marriage to Elizabeth Woodville had been bigamous, thereby rendering their children, including Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury, illegitimate.

This claim was based on the assertion that Edward IV had previously been betrothed to Lady Eleanor Butler, making his subsequent marriage to Elizabeth null and void.

Whether this claim was true, or a convenient fabrication, remains a matter of debate.

However, its implications were clear: Edward V had no legitimate claim to the throne.

Seizing upon this revelation, Richard moved swiftly. On June 26, an assembly of lords and commoners endorsed Richard's claim to the throne.

By July 6, 1483, Richard was crowned King Richard III at Westminster Abbey.

His ascension marked the culmination of a rapid and ruthless power grab, one that sidelined the rightful heirs and placed the crown firmly on Richard's head.

The last confirmed sighting of the princes was in the summer of 1483, while they were staying at the Tower of London. 

The Tower of London, with its imposing stone walls and iconic White Tower, has stood as a symbol of royal power and authority for nearly a millennium.

Founded by William the Conqueror in the late 11th century, it served as a royal residence, treasury, armory, and, most infamously, as a prison for high-profile captives.

By the time Edward V and his brother Richard of Shrewsbury were brought to the Tower in 1483, the fortress had already witnessed centuries of political intrigue, treachery, and bloodshed.

Its reputation as a place of confinement for those who posed a threat to the crown was well-established.

While the Tower was traditionally used as a residence for monarchs in the days leading up to their coronation, by the late 15th century, its association with imprisonment and execution was more pronounced.

Thus, the decision to house the young princes there was laden with ominous undertones.

The princes' time in the Tower is shrouded in mystery. Initially, they were seen playing on the grounds and within the Tower's walls.

Their presence was not a secret; they were, after all, the royal heirs, and their activities were noted by several contemporary observers.

However, as the summer of 1483 wore on, sightings of the princes became increasingly rare.

By the time Richard III was crowned king, the boys had all but vanished from public view.

Rumors and speculations about their fate began to circulate. Were they kept in isolation, away from prying eyes?

Were they sent abroad, hidden in a remote location? Or, as the darkest rumors suggested, were they murdered on the orders of their ambitious uncle, King Richard III?

The latter theory gained traction, especially among Richard's detractors, who saw it as evidence of his ruthlessness.

The Tower's reputation as a place of doom was further cemented in 1674 when a wooden box containing two small skeletons was discovered beneath a staircase during renovations.

The immediate speculation was that these were the remains of the lost princes.

King Charles II, recognizing the significance of the find, ordered the bones to be reinterred in Westminster Abbey.

Subsequent examinations in the 20th century could not conclusively identify the remains as those of the princes, leaving the mystery intact.

The most prevalent and controversial theory points the finger at their uncle, Richard III.

Many historians and contemporaries of the era believed that Richard, in his quest for unchallenged power, ordered the murder of the princes.

Sir Thomas More, in his History of King Richard III, written in the early 16th century, claimed that the boys were smothered to death on Richard's orders.

Shakespeare's portrayal of Richard III further popularized this narrative, painting the king as a malevolent usurper willing to commit fratricide for the throne.

However, concrete evidence linking Richard to the crime is scant, and many argue that the vilification of Richard was politically motivated, especially during the Tudor era.

Another theory implicates the Duke of Buckingham, a once-loyal ally of Richard III who later turned against him.

Buckingham had access to the Tower and a motive; by eliminating the princes, he could strengthen his own position and possibly even have a shot at the throne himself.

However, like the accusations against Richard, definitive proof against Buckingham is lacking.

Henry VII, the founder of the Tudor dynasty, is also a potential suspect. While he ascended the throne after Richard III's death, eliminating the princes would have solidified his claim and removed potential Yorkist threats.

Some speculate that the princes might have been killed after Richard III's death, during the early years of Henry's reign.

There are also theories that challenge the notion of murder altogether. Some believe the princes were not killed but were instead secreted away to a remote location, possibly abroad, where they lived out their days in obscurity.

This theory, while less sinister, is also without substantial evidence.

In more recent times, the discovery of Richard III's remains in a Leicester car park in 2012 reignited interest in the mystery.

While the discovery shed light on Richard's life and death, it did not provide any new clues about the princes' fate.

Their vanishing not only ended the Yorkist line but also paved the way for the rise of a new dynasty that would shape the course of English history for over a century.

With Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury out of the picture, Richard III could solidify his claim to the throne.

However, his reign was short-lived. The shadow of suspicion regarding the fate of the princes loomed large over his rule, undermining his legitimacy in the eyes of many.

Richard's reign was filled with unrest, with several rebellions challenging his authority.

The most significant of these was led by Henry Tudor, a distant Lancastrian claimant with a tenuous link to the throne.

The culmination of these tensions was the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. Here, Richard III met his end, and with it, the Yorkist dynasty came to a close.

Henry Tudor emerged victorious, ascending the throne as Henry VII and establishing the Tudor dynasty.

The Tudors, while initially weak in their claim, would go on to rule England for 118 years, overseeing a period of immense change, including the English Reformation and the establishment of the Church of England.

Henry VII's reign was focused on efforts to legitimize and strengthen his position.

One of his first acts was to marry Elizabeth of York, the elder sister of the Princes in the Tower.

This union symbolically merged the warring houses of Lancaster and York, represented by the emblematic Tudor Rose, which combined the white rose of York and the red rose of Lancaster.

The marriage was not just a political maneuver; it was a statement of unity and a promise of a more stable future.

The specter of the Princes in the Tower, however, did not fade away. Throughout the Tudor era, pretenders claiming to be one of the lost princes, or representing their cause, emerged to challenge the Tudor claim.

The most notable of these was Perkin Warbeck, who in the 1490s claimed to be Richard of Shrewsbury.

While these challenges were eventually quelled, they underscored the lasting impact of the princes' disappearance on the English monarchy.