Prompt Cast
The Unsolved Mystery of the Princes in the Tower
TLDR The disappearance of the two young princes in the Tower of London remains a great unsolved mystery in British history, with theories suggesting that they were murdered by Richard III or that they may have actually survived. Recent corroboration and Henry VII's actions indicate that there may be more to the story than previously believed.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
The King of England Edward V and his brother disappeared after being taken into custody by their uncle Richard the Duke of Gloucester and placed in the Tower of London, making it the greatest unsolved mystery in British history.
01:39
In 1483, Edward IV died and his 12-year-old son, Edward V, ascended to the throne with his uncle, Richard the Duke of Gloucester, serving as regent.
03:03
Richard, the Duke of Gloucester, arrested Edward V's retinue and took him to the Tower of London, where he was joined by his younger brother Richard, and despite pressure to have Edward coronated quickly, Richard as the regent kept delaying the coronation.
04:21
Richard III was proclaimed King of England after a theologian claimed that Edward V's birth was illegitimate due to a prior contract between Edward IV and Lady Eleanor Butler, and Richard III later confirmed his own legitimacy as king through a law in Parliament.
05:46
The disappearance of the princes in the Tower is widely believed to be the result of Richard III ordering their murder, with Sir James Terrell being identified as the murderer, and the discovery of a wooden box containing the bones of two boys under the stairs at the Tower of London further supporting this theory.
07:03
Despite the lack of hard evidence, recent corroboration suggests that Sir Thomas More's account of the princes' disappearance may have been based on actual testimony, and Henry VII's actions, such as repealing the Titulus Regius Act, indicate that he wanted to legitimize the children of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, suggesting that the princes may have survived.
08:20
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