4

According to Sir Thomas More and William Shakespeare, Edward IV's sons were murdered by their uncle, King Richard III. But I've heard (in song) that this was a "Tudor propaganda" lie.

If King Richard III didn't kill them, then who did? Are there any credible theories about the princes surviving after their disappearance?

Improve this question
2
  • In Tudor days, people could die in prison for any number of reasons besides murder, even a nice prison like the Tower could be.
    – Oldcat
    May 23, 2014 at 22:47
  • It is overwhelmingly likely that Richard was behind their deaths as he was openly accused of it (in France) and widely suspected in England. An innocent man would have produced them to quell the rumours. The great Tudor historian A L Rowse followed Sir Thomas More in blaming Richard and in the absence of evidence to the contrary I'm happy to follow them.
    – TheMathemagician
    Jan 8, 2015 at 10:17

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
6

The Wikipedia article sets out the main suspects, including Richard III himself and various allies of his.

There were a number of people who claimed, after Richard had died, to be one of the Princes in the Tower, the most famous being Perkin Warbeck, who fought Henry VII for the throne. after Warbeck was captured he confessed under torture that he had made this up. Another pretender, Lambert Simnel, initially claimed to be one of the Princes but changed that for the Earl of Warwick, who had another claim on the throne.

Improve this answer
2
  • 4
    Under torture, I suspect most of us here could be induced to confess to being advanced scouts for the Xinu invasion fleet. That doesn't mean a whole lot.
    – T.E.D. ♦
    May 22, 2014 at 13:18
  • Lambert Simnel was treated quite well afterwards and ended up working for Henry VII.
    – Francis Davey
    Feb 14, 2020 at 6:04

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge that you have read and understand our privacy policy and code of conduct.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.