The Background of the Princes
Edward V, born in 1470, was the eldest son of King Edward IV and Queen Elizabeth Woodville. Upon the death of his father in April 1483, Edward V was just 12 years old and thus was not yet of age to rule on his own. According to English succession law, his reign was to be overseen by a regency until he reached maturity. The situation was complicated by the political instability that followed Edward IV’s death, as factions within the court jostled for power.
Edward’s younger brother, Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York, was only about nine years old when their father died. As the younger of the two brothers, Richard was less likely to inherit the throne directly, but as the son of Edward IV, he still played an important role in the royal line of succession.
With Edward IV’s death, the two young princes found themselves in a precarious position. Edward V was declared king, but the real power in the kingdom lay with the regent, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, the youngest brother of the late Edward IV. Richard had been appointed as the protector of the young king, but his actions in the months that followed would spark a chain of events that would change the course of English history. shutdown123