Princes in the Tower murders
E48883
The Princes in the Tower murders refer to the mysterious disappearance and presumed killing of the young Edward V of England and his brother Richard, Duke of York, in the Tower of London in 1483, a historical controversy long associated with Richard III.
Observed surface forms (4)
| Surface form | As subject | As object |
|---|---|---|
| Princes in the Tower | 0 | 4 |
| Bloody Tower | 0 | 1 |
| The Princes in the Tower | 0 | 1 |
| deposition of Edward V of England | 0 | 1 |
Statements (46)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
alleged royal murder case
→
historical mystery → unsolved disappearance → |
| allegedPerpetrator |
Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham
→
Henry VII of England → Richard III of England → |
| alsoKnownAs |
Princes in the Tower murders
→
surface form:
Princes in the Tower
|
| associatedWith | Richard III of England → |
| burialPlaceOfRemains |
Westminster Abbey, London
→
surface form:
Westminster Abbey
|
| context |
Wars of the Roses
→
end of the House of York → |
| country | Kingdom of England → |
| date | 1483 → |
| evidenceStatus |
bodies of the princes not conclusively identified
→
no contemporary proof of the princes’ deaths → |
| forensicEvent |
1674 discovery of child skeletons in the Tower of London
→
1933 examination of the Tower skeletons → |
| historicalDebate |
whether Henry VII had the princes killed after 1485
→
whether Richard III ordered the murders → whether the princes were killed or secretly spared → |
| impact |
influenced Tudor legitimacy narratives
→
shaped popular image of Richard III as a villain → |
| involves | English royal succession crisis → |
| legalContext |
The Statutes of the Realm
→
surface form:
Titulus Regius
|
| location | Tower of London → |
| mainSubjects |
Edward V of England
→
Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York → |
| precededBy | death of Edward IV of England → |
| primarySource |
Croyland Chronicle
→
Dominic Mancini’s account of 1483 → Polydore Vergil’s "Anglica Historia" → Thomas More's History of King Richard III →
surface form:
Thomas More’s "History of King Richard III"
|
| relatedEvent |
Princes in the Tower murders
self-linksurface differs
→
surface form:
deposition of Edward V of England
usurpation of the throne by Richard III → |
| relatedTo |
Perkin Warbeck
→
surface form:
Pretenders Perkin Warbeck and Lambert Simnel
|
| resultedIn |
Tudor propaganda against Richard III
→
accession of Richard III of England → long‑standing historical controversy → |
| subjectOf |
Josephine Tey’s novel "The Daughter of Time"
→
Ricardian historiography debates → Shakespeare’s play "Richard III" → numerous historical studies → |
| uncertainty |
exact date of the princes’ deaths is unknown
→
identity of the killer is disputed → |
| victim |
Edward V of England
→
Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York → |
Referenced by (8)
Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.
this entity surface form:
Princes in the Tower
this entity surface form:
Princes in the Tower
this entity surface form:
Princes in the Tower
this entity surface form:
Bloody Tower
this entity surface form:
The Princes in the Tower
this entity surface form:
Princes in the Tower
Historic Doubts on the Life and Reign of King Richard the Third
→
questionsAuthorshipOfCrimes
→
Princes in the Tower murders
→
Princes in the Tower murders
→
relatedEvent
→
Princes in the Tower murders
self-linksurface differs
→
this entity surface form:
deposition of Edward V of England