Figure 1.-- There are no authentic contemporary portraits of Edward V, the Yorkist boy king during the Wars of the Roses in the 15th century. There are, hiwever, numerous often sentimental paintings. These images are of course not of the same historical importance as contemporary portraits. Nonetheless they are interesting. They are Of course influenced by the legend of the Princes in the Tower as it comes down to us in Shakespeare's famous play, Richard III. The painting here is the work of Sir John Everett Millais. Click on the image to see the color version.

Edward was one of the murdered Little Princes. He was born at the Sanctuary in Westminster Abbey in 1470. He was the son of Edward IV (1442- ) and Elizabeth Woodville (about 1437- ), He became king at age 12 in 1483 upon the death of his father. His uncle Richard became the regeant. He and his younger brother Richard were murdered in the Tower of London a few months after he became king. It is generally assumed that their uncle Richard ordered the murder, although the exact circumstances are unknown. As Richard as regent enginered his seizure of the throne, he is commonly seen as the culprit. The story of Richard III, the Little Princes, and Henry Tudor is addressed in Shakespere's Richard III".

Parents

Edward was the son of Edward IV (1442- ) and Elizabeth Woodville (about 1437- ). Prince Edward was the eldest son of Edward IV, whose reign was interrupted (1461-70 and 1471-83) because of the ongoing civil war and the competing Lancastrian king, Henry VI (1422-61 and 1470-71).

Brother

Childhood

Edward was born at the Sanctuary in Westminster Abbey in 1470. We know very little about his childhood or the clothese he wire as a boy. One report suggests he was dressed in blue velvet when his uncle confined him to the Tower. Millais as, however, drawn the princes in blacl tunics, presumably to create a more forbidding image.

Assesion

Edward, Prince of Wales, became Edward V at the age of 12 upon the death of his father in 1483 upon the death of his father. His uncle Richard became the regeant. He reigned for only 3 months (April-June 1483), his uncle seeing to it that he was not crowned. Only months after Edward V became king, he and his younger brother, Richard, Duke of York, were housed in the Tower of London by their uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, who had become the young king's Protector. The two boys were never seen alive again.

Murder

Edward was one of the murdered Little Princes. He and his younger brother Richard were murdered in the Tower of London a few months after he became king. It is generally assumed that their uncle Richard ordered the murder, although the exact circumstances are unknown. As Richard as regent enginered his seizure of the throne, he is commonly seen as the culprit. The story of Richard III, the Little Princes, and Henry Tudor is addressed in Shakespere's "Richard III".

Richard III

Gloucester was crowned as Richard III. The "official" version of history, promulgated by the Tudor propagandists who were eager to discredit Richard III, was that Gloucester had had his two young nephews smothered in the Tower of London so that he could ascend the throne. But Richard III became king officially because of a claim that Elizabeth Woodville's marriage to Edward IV was invalid and that therefore the two princes were illegitimate. Parliament went along with this story, perhaps a mere fabrication, and Richard III was officially crowned in Edward V's place. The mystery of what happened to the two princes and who was responsible for their death has never been solved, although some historians believe that the first Tudor king, Henry VII, engineered their death. The supposed actual murderer of the two boys, Sir James Tyrrell, was beheaded in 1502 after he had confessed under torture to being Richard III's agent. We shall probably never know the real truth of the matter. Some bones of two children were discovered beneath a staircase in the Tower in 1674. Charles II had these transferred to Westminster Abbey. The bones were medically examined by Professor William Wright in 1933, who concluded that they were those of two boys of corresponding age to the two princes but that it was impossible to establish their identity beyond question.

John Everett Millais

Victorian artists were motable for their sententality and few of them could match the sentimentality of Sir John Everett Millais. The illustration of "The Princes in the Tower" shown here is a sentimental Victorian rendition of the two boys after a painting by Millais (figure 1). Notice howcMilais has captured the drama and the look of fear and bewilderment on the boys' faces. Also notice the shadow--presumably of their murderer. The boys are correctly dressed in 15-century garb--in black velvet belted tunics with black hose (tights) and pointed cloth covered shoes. Notice that Edward, the boy king, wears a gold chain around his neck and the Order of the Garter around his left leg. The staircase in the background suggests the location of their supposed burial.

Created: March 26, 2004
Last updated: 6:38 AM 8/30/2008