Portrait of King Edward V by John Swaine (1775 - 1860)
The Royal Collection © 2006, Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II
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KING EDWARD V
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Date of birth: |
4 November, 1470.
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Place of birth: |
Westminster Abbey, London. |
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Dynastic house: |
King Edward was the second king in the House of York, sandwiched between his father, King Edward IV, and his uncle, King Richard III.
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Parents: |
King Edward IV and Elizabeth, daughter of Richard Woodville. |
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Titles held: |
King of England, Prince of Wales, Earl of Chester, Duke of Cornwall, Earl of March and Earl of Pembroke.
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Length of reign: |
11 weeks at a total of 77 days between 9 April and 25 June, 1483. |
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Age on accession: |
Edward was a boy king on his accession at the age of 12. This was to cause all sorts of problems as regards his hold on the throne.
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Marriage and family: |
As Edward died aged 12, he never married, nor had any children to his name. He did have one younger brother though, Richard, Duke of York, who disappeared along with Edward as part of the 'Princes in the Tower' mystery. |
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Career highlights: |
King Edward V had no time to make an impact upon England as king. He is remembered best for his death, which has done more to mark his place in history than anything he actually achieved while on the throne.
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Low points: |
Edward's death and that of his younger brother Richard, is one of more tragic episodes in English history. He came to the throne as a 12 year old boy left to rule the country on the death of his father and was murdered months later for a birthright for which he never asked.
Edward and his brother are probably best known as the 'Princes in the Tower'. When Edward came to the throne in April 1483, his uncle Richard (brother of King Edward IV) declared himself 'Lord High Protector' of the realm and removed the two young boys to the Tower of London for, or so he claimed, their protection.
Richard then took steps to persuade parliament that Edward was not legally king because his parents had not been officially married, and that he himself should be crowned. His plan succeded, Edward was declared desposed and Richard ascended the throne as King Richard III. The two Princes never left the Tower again. |
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General: |
What actually happened to the 'Princes in the Tower' is still a matter of some mystery. People at the time did not know what to think, as no bodies were ever seen. It was widely suspected that the Princes' uncle, Richard (who became King Richard III) had the boys murdered so that he could claim the throne for himself and that is certainly the majority view among historians today.
In 1674, the bones of two young children were discovered at the Tower of London and it seems that these may well be the bones of King Edward V and his younger brother Richard, Duke of York.
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Death and burial: |
The date of Edward's death is uncertain, as his final days are not clear. He was deposed in June 1483, and never seen again. Whether he was murdered immediately or not is open to debate. Some historians think that he was murdered some months later. Others that he was perhaps kept alive for longer.
The bones found at the Tower of London in 1674 were buried in an urn at Westminster Abbey. |
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