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"The Princes in the Tower" is an expression frequently used to refer to Edward V of England and Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York. The two brothers were the only sons of Edward IV of England and Elizabeth Woodville surviving at the time of their father's death in 1483. Then 12 and 9 years old, they were lodged in the Tower of London by the man appointed to look after them, their uncle, the Lord Protector: Richard, Duke of Gloucester. This was supposed to be in preparation for Edward's coronation as king. However, Richard took the throne for himself and the boys disappeared. It is unclear what happened to the boys after they disappeared in the Tower. It is generally assumed that they were murdered and the most common theory is that they were murdered by Richard in an attempt to secure his hold on the throne. The murder may have occurred some time around 1483, but apart from their disappearance, the only evidence is circumstantial. As a result, a number of other theories about what happened to them have been put forward, including the suggestion that they might have been murdered by Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham or Henry VII, among others. It has also been suggested that one or both princes may have escaped assassination. In 1487, Lambert Simnel initially claimed to be Richard, Duke of York, but later claimed to be Edward Plantagenet, 17th Earl of Warwick. From 1491 until his capture in 1497, Perkin Warbeck claimed to be Richard, Duke of York, having supposedly escaped to Flanders. Warbeck's claim was supported by some contemporaries (including the aunt of the princes, Margaret of York). In 1674 workmen at the Tower dug up a wooden box containing two small human skeletons. The bones were found in the ground near the White Tower, which is close to one reported site of their burial. The bones were widely accepted at the time as those of the princes, but this has not been proven. King Charles II had the bones buried within Westminster Abbey. ==Background== On 9 April 1483 Edward IV of England died unexpectedly, after an illness lasting around three weeks. At the time Edward's son, the new King Edward V, was at Ludlow, and the dead king's brother, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was at Middleham in Yorkshire. The news reached Richard around 15 April, although he may have been pre-warned of Edward's illness.〔 It is reported that he then went to York Minster to publicly "pledge his loyalty to his new king".〔 The Croyland Chronicle states that, before his death, Edward IV designated his brother Richard as Lord Protector.〔''The Crowland Chronicle Continuations, 1459–1486,'' Nicholas Pronay and John Cox (eds.), (Richard III and Yorkist History Trust, Gloucester: 1986), p.153.〕 Edward's request may not have mattered, however, since "as the precedent of Henry V showed, the council was not bound to follow the wishes of a dead king".〔 Edward V and Richard, Duke of Gloucester, set out for London from the west and north respectively, converging at Stony Stratford on 29 April. The following morning, Gloucester arrested Edward's retinue including the boys' uncle, Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers, and their half-brother Sir Richard Grey.〔(Chalmers' Biography, vol. 32, p. 351 )〕 They were sent to Pontefract Castle in Yorkshire where, on 25 June, they were beheaded.〔 Richard then took possession of the prince himself, prompting Elizabeth Woodville to take her other son, Richard, Duke of York, and her daughters into sanctuary.〔 Edward V and Richard, Duke of Gloucester arrived in London together. Plans continued for Edward's coronation, but the date was postponed from 4 May to 25 June.〔 On 19 May 1483 Edward was lodged in the Tower of London, the traditional residence of monarchs prior to their coronation.〔 On 16 June he was joined by his younger brother Richard, Duke of York, who was previously in sanctuary.〔 At this point the date of Edward's coronation was indefinitely postponed by their uncle Richard. On Sunday 22 June, a sermon was preached at St Paul's Cross claiming Richard to be the only legitimate heir of the House of York. On 25 June, "a group of lords, knights and gentlemen" petitioned Richard to take the throne.〔 Both princes were subsequently declared illegitimate by Parliament; this was confirmed in 1484 by an Act of Parliament known as ''Titulus Regius''. The act stated that Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville's marriage was invalid because of Edward's pre-contract of marriage with Lady Eleanor Butler.〔 The Duke of Gloucester was crowned King Richard III of England on 3 July.〔Peter Hammond and Anne Sutton, ''The Coronation of Richard III: the Extant Documents'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 1984)〕 The declaration of the boys' illegitimacy has been described by Rosemary Horrox as an ex post facto justification for Richard's accession.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Princes in the Tower」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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