Edward V (c.1470 - 1483)

Edward V ©

The eldest surviving son of Edward IV, he was born when his father was in brief exile in Holland after being deposed by the Earl of Warwick. After Edward IV had reclaimed his crown, young Edward was made Prince of Wales in June 1471. He was sent with his mother to Ludlow in 1473 to be titular ruler of Wales and the Welsh Marches, staying there for much of the rest of his father's reign.

Upon Edward IV's death in April 1483, Edward became King, aged 12. His uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was appointed protector. Conflict between Gloucester and the Woodville nobles who dominated Edward V soon led the Duke to arrest the Woodvilles and gain possession of Edward and his younger brother, Richard. The two princes were housed in the Tower of London, then a royal residence as well as a prison.

Edward V's brief reign came to an end on 26th June, when Parliament accepted Gloucester's claim that Edward IV's marriage was invalid and his children illegitimate. It proclaimed Gloucester King Richard III and, soon afterwards, the two princes disappeared from the Tower. It is possible they were murdered by Richard's agents in August 1483, but responsibility for the crime has also been attributed to Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, and to Richard's successor, King Henry VII. Skeletons found in the Tower in 1674 are thought to be those of Edward and his brother.