Did King Richard III Kill His Nephews In Their Sleep? | Britain's Bloody Crown | Timeline

Almost 600 years ago England was torn apart by a series of

bloody

battles for the throne in just 30 years the

crown

changed hands seven times tens of thousands were massacred it is one of the most turbulent and violent periods in British history known as the Wars of the Roses, the most infamous story of the entire blood-soaked era, occurs 20 years after the Wars of the Roses began with the murder of two innocent young men, the princes, in the tower in the late summer of 1483, the 12-year-old King Edward V and his 9-year-old brother, Prince Richard, were murdered here at the Tower of London.

It causes such outrage and hatred that it overthrows a

king

that overthrows the longest ruling dynasty in the history of England. The man responsible was almost certainly the uncle of Prince Richard, the third. This is a controversial and

bloody

story in which Richard is usually portrayed as the evil homicidal hunchback bent on stealing the

crown

. I'm going to show you a very different version of the story, one in which the prince's death is much less simple and much less comical. story of pure evil because the truth is that these deaths were the result of a violent clash of events and personalities that took place over a six month period in which the litter options were narrowed down to just one because in this world and in this moment the princes had to die the heir to the throne is Edward the fourth eldest son Prince Edward aged 12 his guardian and Tudor is his uncle the Queen's brother Anthony would fill Earl Rivers a bright and erudite night the young hero Prince Edward would worships there is close as father and son on April 14, 1483, five days after the event, Rivers finally receives the terrible news that the prince's father, with the fourth, has died, the burden of ruling England now falls on the shoulders of a twelve-year-old boy, although he hasn't done it yet. be formally crowned

king

of the day the young prince is now king edward v long live the king but edward will never have a coronation in less than 4 months he and rivers will be

kill

ed the man who will

kill

them is

richard

's brother, duke of gloucester Edward IV and also the new king's uncle, but in the spring of 1483, Richard is the complete opposite of Shakespeare's evil hunchback we've all heard of.

Yes, he has a slightly curved spine, but he is also an English hero and a brilliant soldier. the rebellious north and crushed the Scots by his brother Edward the fourth. His men and the king of England admire and trust him. He is in his lands in the north when news reaches him of the death of his brother. When Ricardo finds out about the death of his brother. He arrives in York he puts on his black morning clothes and attends a memorial service here at the Cathedral where he mourns for his dead brother. Richard now sees it as a duty of loyalty to carry out his brother's dying wishes, according to a contemporary source, Edward the Fourth Waste appointed Richard Protector of England, this would give him control of the country until the 12-year-old king reaches adulthood. .

Richard's only goal now is to follow the instructions of his brothers and make this happen in the days after the king's death. The country is temporarily in charge of the former King's Council in London made up of some of the most powerful nobles in the country. Lord Hastings is a high-ranking member of the Council and is also intensely loyal to the late king, so Richard writes to Hastings immediately and trusts Hastings to ensure that Edward Se follows the fourth garbage. Richard must be confirmed as England's protector immediately for Richard. This seems perfectly reasonable. He is the highest ranking royal adult.

He is acting according to his brother's last wishes. He is an experienced decision maker and warrior. He can see what he must be. done and he is quick, decisive and ruthless in achieving it, but that attitude will also prove to be his fatal weakness. Unfortunately for Richard, there is another source of royal power in England, one that doesn't mind stubbornly sticking to the old king's final wishes. Wood Fills Queen Elizabeth Woodville and her family had a meteoric rise from second-class nobility to national leaders under the former king. They currently run the Navy, the Treasury and the Armory but Richards is unlikely to do favors for the Wood Fills with the same enthusiasm as his dead brother if he becomes Protector the Woodvilles will be left with nothing my Lords Hastings do

their

best to do what Richard asks of them, but the Woodvilles aren't stupid, they have a majority on the London council and they use it instead of handing over the keys. of England to Richard as protector they decide that young Edward will begin to rule immediately with the advice provided by the council or in other words by them Richard will be powerless and the Woodvilles are appalling with Lee smog about overcoming him, they are real men who have such importance that even without the terrible kings we can make decisions as we want from Richards' point of view, the Woodvilles are disrespecting the authority of

their

royal blood, these are not the type of people who should be in charge of the new king, for which he has two options: he could absorb the disrespect or he can do something about it now Richard is brilliant, he solves a problem decisively, that's what makes him a great soldier and now he has a problem to solve.

Richard of Woodville makes a fateful decision. He writes to Rivers. suggesting that they all gather on the way to the coronation in London to show the unity of the entire royal family, that seems fair enough, but remember that Rivers is a Woodville to Richard. Now they are the enemy. Richard is waiting for them in Northampton with his right hand. The man by the hand of Lord Buckingham, his Excellency, on April 29, 1483, leaves the young king and the nearby lodgings. Rivers meets with Richard. We all must at some point seek guidance and help from others. He finds him with his friend Buckingham in a very pleasant mood.

Rivers. he has good reason to feel comfortable in Richard's company Richard had recently settled a complicated dispute over river land. My lord, I am very pleased to be able to promote your course. Everything is going well. Gentlemen, you agreed to pick up the young king in the morning and head to London together for the coronation until tomorrow, but Rivers will never arrive in London. Richard believes that he is trying to do the right thing by following the wishes of his dead brother, Edward IV, in effect by arresting the new king's uncle, Lord Rivers, one of the hated ones.

Richards of Woodville began the road to disaster along with his henchmen Buckingham Richard meets his nephew Edward the Fifth at Stony Stratford His Excellency when dealing with his nephew Richards in uncharted territory spent most of his time taming the North for his brother , but Edwards spent much of the last ten years in Ludlow, so when they came here to Stony Stratford they may be uncle and nephew, but in reality they are like strangers, we are all very saddened by the passing of our right and Noble King I. bring more serious news, your excellency, it is about your uncle and his company and their dirty responsibility in the death of your father.

Richard claims that Rivers and his allies had something to do with the death of the young king's father, Edward IV. The rivers of the Lord and Gray cannot bear it. set free in the face of his great betrayal this argument does not sit well with the young prince my uncle is not a traitor Edwards loyalty clearly lies with the forests and rivers in particular towards the young king it is not the actions of the rivers that seem dangerously treasonous It's Richards, it's easy to look at Richard's behavior and see the seeds of tyranny, Rivers' arrests and Gray taking control of the young king, but in reality it turns out it's not that simple, the truth is revealed in an extraordinary book unearthed 80 years ago here in the Leal library in France and this is the only contemporary copy of a book by an Italian scholar called Dominic Man Chaney and when it was discovered in the 1930s it profoundly changed the way we think about Richard because Man Cheney is in England during 1483, so this is more or less an eyewitness account and it is an incredible privilege to be able to read it.

The really interesting part is here because Cheney says that according to the common report, Hastings, who he calls stinky, had advised Richard to come to the capital. with a strong force for Team Arnhem, he said that if he did so he could avenge the insults that had been done to him by his enemies and said that this would be easy if before coming to London, Richards took the young King Edward under his wing. protection of him. purring and under his authority, Hastings is basically telling Richard to imprison Rivers and Gray and snatch the young king of the Woodvilles away and that's big because far from secretly plotting to become a tyrant, he's actually following the advice of one of the most respected. and the highest ranking nobles in the land and the best power of his dead brother Edward IV, of course, it is unlikely that the young king knows any of this, it must appear that Richard is committing treason for your protection, we must return with you to London, Richard undermines his case even further by claiming that River's terrible crime was that he encouraged Head with the quarters to drink excessively and this killed him, basically Rivers committed treason because he got the old king drunk.

That's a pretty pathetic argument. Richard doesn't really care about his explanations. are just a façade for other people, he will do what certainly needs to be done if other people are too stupid to realize that well, he didn't bother that much, unfortunately for Richard the young king, understand clearly: Edward Richards' entire argument thats false. he has complete faith in the integrity of the rivers and absolutely none in Richard. This unwavering loyalty will ultimately seal the young King's fate, but right now, whether he likes it or not, he is in Rich's care. Richard and Buckingham take Edward.

Richard knows that he has to restore some sense of security. normality particularly because May 4, the day they all arrived in London, was the day originally scheduled for the young Edwards' coronation. Well, Richard's actions have clearly ruined all that, so on May 10 at a council meeting here in Westminster, he has the council very publicly announced a new date for the coronation of June 22, seven weeks away? distance? The Cheney Man records that, sensationally, Richard also forces the council to proclaim him protector and regent of the King and the kingdom. He has exactly what he wants. Richard has virtually all the powers of a king, which, after all, is only what he believes his brother Edward IV will demand that he send the young king to the Tower of London.

His excellence, under my protection, will be safe. Now it is certain that the tower is real. palace, but in reality the young king is under house arrest. He can't do anything. Richard doesn't want the pain of him, for example, helping Woodville. Young Eduardo will never set foot outside the tower again. Keep it free of damage. The excellence of him. However, there is a catch to Richard's new powers, the council put a seven-week time limit on them, they cease at Edwards' coronation, they clearly have serious reservations about Richards' behavior, this is the core of Richards' problem. , his total confidence in himself has made him very effective in taking power, but that's it.

This trait prevents him from realizing that other people do not see the world the same way he does. The clock is ticking for Richard to carry out what he believes are the wishes of his dead brother. He must neutralize any opposition in the next seven weeks. Richard needs to move quickly against the wood. Phil starts with the family patriarch. Earl Rivers. Rivers is the man closest to young Edward and that makes him Richard's most dangerous adversary. Now, fortunately, Rivers is locked up in Sheriff Hutton's castle in Yorkshire, but as soon as Edward's land is secured. Freeing Rivers Rivers will ensure that Richards' protector ends, so what began as a mission to secure his brother's legacy has turned into a grim and bloody fight for survival.

He must now do whatever it takes to prevent the Woodvilles from returning to power and directly sweeping him away. to the scaffold, of course, most of Richard's property would disappear if Rivers were to die for any reason, my Lords, I urgently ask that Lord Rivers be charged with the most heinous crimes against royal authority. Richard demands that the council try Rivers and his allies for treason because they were preparing to kill him, the Lord Protector, is another of Richard's fine arguments for this crime, they should be treated as traitors and suffer the death of the fate of traitors.

What do you say, my Lords? He doesn't care much if the council believes it, as long as they do what he wants and he has Hastings and Buckingham fighting in his corner, yes, yes, but the council points out that since the ambushes would have taken place before Richard was Protector, it wouldn't be treason even if it were true. Hey, but it's obvious that many on the council just don't believe him, that's not surprising after all, Richards locked up a high ranking Nobel, snatched the king and forced the council to give him a protectorate, no wonder sinceYour point of view is starting to seem a little dangerous.

The young king's mother, Elizabeth Woodville, is certainly afraid of Richard. She has fled to the sanctuary of Westminster Abbey with her children, including Edward's little brother. She relies on the fact that the religious sanctuary is a boundary that no one dares to cross and no one has crossed it yet. June 9 Ricardo has spent five weeks trying to force the council to support him. He has been blocked at all times. He only has two weeks left. If he can't get rivers, he will go after someone more vulnerable. He loves Edward, the fifth little brother, Richard, nine years old.

My Lords, Prince Richard, Duke of York, must be placed under the protector's care so that he may attend the coronation. Richard has the King, what does he need with his younger brother? I think this whole thing about wanting the Coronation Prince just feels like one of Richard's flimsy excuses to do something else, what do you say, my Lords? I think he realizes that the wood fillers could use the prince's status to launch a new challenge to Richard's authority, but if Richard controls the young prince, that problem will go away. No, no, hey, name, Hastings has been totally loyal to Richard, but this is starting to feel like a betrayal.

Richards' difficulties with the council fuel a growing paranoia. His henchmen, Buckingham, stop the fire. He says Hastings is in secret meetings with Richards' opponents. He suggests that Buckingham is telling the truth, but that no longer matters to Richard from Richard's point of view. Hastings, one of a dwindling number of allies, has now betrayed him. The walls are closing in on anyone, no matter who they are or how important they seem. He could threaten his survival. Now he will be treated as an enemy. It doesn't matter if it's true or not. If Richard thinks you've crossed him, you're a dead man.

No, no, no. June 13, when there are only nine days left until Richard's coronation. attends a council meeting here at the Tower of London now, for most people the coronation will mark the point at which normality is finally restored, but not for Richard, for him the coronation will mark his fall from power and a opportunity for the forests to chase him. So, unlike everyone else, Richard comes here with the mission to stop the coronation and his first step is to eliminate anyone who can stop him. My lords, God give you a good day, please join us, take a seat.

Richard has called a very small council meeting. He is included. his staunch ally Hastings, which is surprising considering Richard now suspects Hastings of working against him, the meeting starts well, but Richards is about to make another terrible decision, gentlemen, I must briefly ask your permission. Hastings is left wondering what the hell is going on, he doesn't have to wait long My Lord Buckingham take Lord Hastings with nothing My Lord Buckingham has become Richards' devious Lackey willing to do anything Richard asks Hastings is executed in the outer courtyard This is nothing less than a choreographed act of terrorist execution without a trial by his companions it is a violation of basic English law Richard claims that Hastings committed treason by plotting to kill him treason is abroad in this country we will not suffer more before the rest of the world the idea that the honest and basically honorable Hastings was doing something so vile is just ridiculous, but Richards has his back against the wall and doesn't think like the rest of the world as far as Richard is concerned.

Throughout this whole mess, he's made a series of inevitable decisions to save the monarchy and save himself, and in his mind that's probably what he's still doing, but in reality Richards crossed a line and isn't coming back, regardless. What people really think of his false excuses, now cowed by fear, Richard and his remaining ally, Buckingham, can now do pretty much whatever they want, but time is running out. Richard, the coronation is just days away. Hastings' death doesn't change the reality that the Woodvilles will still be coming for Richard, so what's next? Well, really, there's only one scenario in which Richard isn't destroyed and that's if Edward never takes the throne, but if young Edward isn't crowned king then who is he from Richard's perspective?

That's an easy question. As far as he's concerned, he's just been trying to do what his brother wanted and, of course, stay alive. I don't think Richards will take the throne from him. The throne was inevitable from the beginning. I think it stemmed from a combination of his own personality, his close loyalty to his brother, and the rapidly blossoming hatred between him and the Woodvilles, and all of that drove him to make one decision at a time to the point of No return. On June 16, six days before Edwards is crowned, Richard moves against the king's young mother, Elizabeth Woodville, who is still sheltering in Westminster Abbey under the powerful laws of the sanctuary.

Richard sends the voucher from the eight-year-old Archbishop of Canterbury Thomas to persuade her. to hand over her youngest son to Richard Elizabeth who is staying at the Abbott home here in Westminster Abbey, the Archbishop visits her to assure her that Richard is simply fulfilling his duty as Protector and that her youngest son will play a pivotal role in the coronation, but it must be It is made very clear to Elizabeth that if she does not obey, Richard will not hesitate to violate the sanctuary and snatch the Prince anyway, after all, he has just murdered one of the most important nobles in the country.

I think you come with good intentions, but is there really any assurance that you can do it? give me for the protection of my son Elizabeth's dilemma is serious she not only has her little son with her but also her daughters if she continues to resist it is very possible that Richard will kill them all but if she gives up her son there is at least one possibility that all survived until the coronation of her eldest son Elizabeth withdraws and hands her son over to Richards' care Richard immediately sends the little prince to join his brother in the city the next morning, June 17 Richard postpones Edwards' coronation four months after weeks of banging his head against the wall Richards finally gets the people to do what he wants mainly because they are terrified of him, everyone is living in fear after Hastings' murder and there are rumors that Richards is leading 20,000 men south of London and no one dares stop, but his plan to seize the throne is quite obviously illegal, so Richard seeks out his best friend to sell another flimsy and scandalous justification to the country.

On June 25, Richard's ally Buckingham boldly arrives at the Guildhall in London and behind him comes a group of lords and gentlemen that he himself has clearly assembled. He walks to the east end of the room and mounts a raised platform to address his audience and repeats a sensational and very convenient rumor that has been circulating for the past few days. Edward the Fort's marriage to Elizabeth Woodville was invalid. Buckingham claims that Edward IV was already contracted to marry someone else before Elizabeth Woodville, if that is true under English law. Edward IV's children are illegitimate, no one can rule England.

Buckingham claims that only Richard has the legitimacy and integrity to take the crown, which is a pretty tough sell. After all, we're talking about a man who imprisoned two young children, threatened to violate the sanctuary, raised a army against the capital, murdered a high-ranking noble and is now clearly a user of the throne, but bokkeum is effectively Rich's chief of staff and he's oily. Unreliable man in the making, if he does this right, he'll end up being the Kings' new best friend on the same day Richard finally deals with Lord Rivers, one of his most dangerous Woodville opponents, after more than two months in prison, He is found guilty of treason, but it's a sham trial, of course, Rivers isn't even allowed to speak.

He was executed the same day. His body was thrown into a mass grave with his main opponents dead or neutralized. The throne is Richards to take. This is the site of Baynard Castle, a fabulous riverside mansion where Richard stayed literally the day after Rivers was murdered. Buckingham's clues are hastily assembled and I think a rather frightened delegation of nobles, bishops and Londoners here to meet Richard meekly accept his claim to the Princess of Bastards and formally offer her the crown. Richard theatrically doubts whether he accepts. Is he the right man? Seriously, the group heads to Westminster Hall where Richard is declared king in just 13 weeks.

Richard has descended from a noble defender of his dead brother's last wishes to a murderous tyrant and probably believes that every rash and violent decision was entirely justified. to save himself and the crown, but of course Richards is not the only one who claims the crown, his rule will never truly be secure as long as his young

nephews

are still alive on July 6, 1483, just three months after the death of his brother Edward IV, Richard. The Duke of Gloucester is crowned King Richard the Third of England after repeatedly breaking the law. Richard now pulls the handbrake and starts trying to spin the image of a noble king.

Everything is done by the book. Buckingham's unwavering loyalty to Richard earns him a place of honor as master of ceremonies, but the most attentive observers cannot miss one notable absence - none of his

nephews

, the printers in the tower of the two princes, have been seen. playing here in the tower grounds, but on July 9, three days after his coronation, Richard dismisses all his servants. He is never seen again outside these walls. Richard has them under arrest, but he doesn't seem to have decided what to do with them. He rigidly embarks on a tour of the country to calm tensions and prove that there is a safe and reliable way. monarch on the throne, but while he is away, Richard receives news that there has been an attempt to remove the princes from the tower.

The plan was to set buildings on fire throughout the city and send the children away in the confusion. Richard's men beat up the conspirators before they can. act, but it is a stark reminder of how dangerous challenges for the throne are, sooner or later someone will manage to free the princes and there is a good chance that person will kill Richard and replace him with Edward, so the truth is that if Richard wants to keep his crown the princes have to die. Sightings of the princes in the tower windows persist for some weeks after the plot to free them is discovered.

Edward's doctor visits the princess and reports that the young king is preparing himself as a victim for sacrifice and is confessing daily. believing that death is approaching because he is right in early autumn the princes have simply disappeared there is no reliable record of their death no bodies are found and no one is put on trial but in September almost no one believes they are still alive rumors circulate that the children They have been suffocated in their

sleep

, poisoned, even drowned in a vat of wine. The truth is that no one knows. The only thing we can say with certainty is that the person who benefits the most from their deaths is Richard, even though he started with the best of intentions. believe. he almost certainly had them murdered Richards had not yet done so in October 1483 his loyal sidekick Buckingham rebels against him Richard executes him Richard will be the last of the Plantagenet kings who have ruled England for over 300 years Richard's nephews were practically The last of the line is now truly alone.

Most of the previous Plantagenet kings had an important royal family around them. Brothers, uncles, cousins, nephews, someone to maintain the royal line, but apart from his own son, the third, the fourteenth, Plantagenet practically knew of his misguided attempts. to secure the power of his own dynasty, he ended up annihilating them and, along the way, transformed from an English hero into a paranoid child killer, all in just six months, the next time the Wars of the Roses come to a bloody end. As Richard the Third meets his fate: he is brought down not by a king or nobleman, but by a brilliant and politically astute woman, Margaret Beaufort.