0:01 [SPEAKER_00]: In 1647, laborers toiling away at the Tower of London uncovered two small skeletons, while clearing away rubble from a staircase, had the discovery been made today, scientists would have used a whole host of forensic tools, including genetic samples and family trees to determine the identities of the remains. 0:20 [SPEAKER_00]: None of these existed back in 17th century England, however, people still knew that the skeletons were, after a lifetime spent in the lap of luxury. 0:29 [SPEAKER_00]: Two young boys were declared illegitimate and thrown into the formidable tower of London from which they never emerged. 0:38 [SPEAKER_00]: A series of civil wars that took place in 15th century England, the War of the Roses, is undoubtedly one of the most fascinating events in English history. 0:48 [SPEAKER_00]: It was far between the House of Lancaster and the House of York, ultimately wiping out their entire male lines 0:57 [SPEAKER_00]: forever. 0:58 [SPEAKER_00]: In early 1461, Edward IV of the House of York, managed to defeat the Lancaster Enforces and deposed King Henry VI, which enabled him to take the throne for himself. 1:10 [SPEAKER_00]: A few years later, he married Elizabeth Woodville, and he had two sons together. 1:15 [SPEAKER_00]: Edward V, and Richard. 1:16 [SPEAKER_00]: As King of England, Edward IV was a handsome and charismatic leader who was respected for his feats on the battlefield. 1:23 [SPEAKER_00]: However much of his more than two decade reign was spent struggling to establish his power and authority, both of which were compromised by those who supported his main adversaries, the House of Lancaster. 1:35 [SPEAKER_00]: The numerous challenges that he faced didn't stop him from attempting to stabilize the kingdom, according to the website Historic UK, quote, perhaps ironically given that he came to power on the battlefield. 1:47 [SPEAKER_00]: Edward's greatest achievement as keen was Jewish story sense of order to a country and government 1:52 [SPEAKER_00]: which had lost its sense of purpose during the chaotic and undisciplined days of Henry VI rule. 1:58 [SPEAKER_00]: Indeed, his chosen royal motto was the Latin modus at Orno, which translates to method and order. 2:05 [SPEAKER_00]: Unfortunately Edward IV's reign ended too soon. 2:08 [SPEAKER_00]: His sudden death on April 9th, 1483, abandoned all that he had worked for, and left his entire family, particularly his two sons, in an extremely vulnerable position. 2:19 [SPEAKER_00]: His eldest son, Edward V, inherited the throne of England. 2:23 [SPEAKER_00]: However, at 12 years old, he was still far too young to rule the entire country. 2:29 [SPEAKER_00]: Despite having spent most of his life training for the role on the other hand, his younger brother, 10-year-old Richard was already a winner, having married Ann Day Maubre, the 8th Countess of Norfolk when he was four, and she was five, unfortunately she died three years later. 2:46 [SPEAKER_00]: While Edward V would one day become King of England, his brother was set to inherit the title, Richard of Shrewsbury, Duke of York. 2:54 [SPEAKER_00]: However, their fathers abrupt death left their lives 2:59 [SPEAKER_00]: Surrounded by their enemies, in both too young to fight for themselves, they had no want to turn to. 3:06 [SPEAKER_00]: At the time, child kings were considered near puppets of those closest to them. 3:10 [SPEAKER_00]: Given that they were easily swayed, and lacked the political know-how to have any real power, it was a widely accepted fact that whoever had the child kings' ear controlled the entire kingdom, which was why two rival factions were born out of Edward 3:26 [SPEAKER_00]: His wife, Queen Elizabeth Woodville, and the rest of her family, desperately tried to secure themselves as the proxy rulers of England, until young Edward V became of age. 3:37 [SPEAKER_00]: However, their efforts were hampered by Edward IV's brother, Richard, Duke of Galchester, whom, unsurprisingly, desired the throne for himself, things initially seem to be against the Duke of Galchester. 3:50 [SPEAKER_00]: With ten-year-old Richard, under Queen Elizabeth's care and protection, while his older brother was with their uncle, Anthony Woodville, in the town of Ludlow. 3:59 [SPEAKER_00]: Due to these circumstances, modern-day historians largely believed that King Edward IV had attempted to force peace between the two worrying factions. 4:08 [SPEAKER_00]: It is possible that in his dying days Edward IV made efforts to balance the rivalries, perhaps even declaring that his son and heir should remain with Anthony Woodville, 4:20 [SPEAKER_00]: While the Duke of Glucaster, another uncle, served as Lord Protector until Abur the Fifth was old enough to rule for himself. 4:28 [SPEAKER_00]: That was not to be the case. 4:30 [SPEAKER_00]: As Edward IVs will, with missing and exactly what form of government he had hoped to establish, soon overtaken by events. 4:39 [SPEAKER_00]: Regardless of Edward IV's wishes, his death still meant that his eldest son would be crowned King of England. 4:45 [SPEAKER_00]: The coronation was set for June 22nd, 1483, however, rather than exciting preparations for the ceremony, the events that took place in the weeks that proceeded it were instead very tragic. 4:58 [SPEAKER_00]: on April 30th, and the town of Stony Stratford, Anthony Woodville, was arrested on orders of Richard Duke of Blowcaster, who had allied himself with the Duke of Buckingham. 5:09 [SPEAKER_00]: This triggered a coup, which spurred Queen Elizabeth Woodville to flee with her youngest son and five daughters to Westminster Abbey, where they sought sanctuary. 5:19 [SPEAKER_00]: Meanwhile, Edward the Fifth was escorted to the formidable tower of London, where Monarchs traditionally recited before the coronation. 5:26 [SPEAKER_00]: His own ceremony was repeatedly delayed, though, which led many to suspect that his uncle was planning something nefarious in order to take the throne for himself. 5:35 [SPEAKER_00]: A few weeks later, on June 13, the Royal Council held a meeting to determine the fate of Edward V, an England. 5:42 [SPEAKER_00]: However, it didn't take long before Chaos erupted, with the Duke of Glarkaster denouncing several individuals, and claiming that they were all conspiring against him. 5:51 [SPEAKER_00]: As he was the appointed Lord protect right the time, this offense was considered treason of the gravest kind, which meant that they accused faced the death penalty. 6:00 [SPEAKER_00]: Following a series of arrests, many were executed, including William Lord Hastings, who have worked as the late Kings Chamberlain. 6:08 [SPEAKER_00]: Meanwhile, Anthony Woodville, the second oral rivers, was beheaded on June 25th, a mere two days after accusations of treason had been leveled against him. 6:21 [SPEAKER_00]: After his arrest, he and his half-brother, Sir Richard Gray, had been taken to Pontifact, Castle, and the town of Yorkshire, where they would eventually meet their end. 6:30 [SPEAKER_00]: This sudden turn of events sent shockwaves across London with the public living in fear and anxiety. 6:36 [SPEAKER_00]: Whispers were rife that the lives of Edward V, the Duke of Glowcaster, were at risk which promoted the latter to send for his supporters in the north, who came to his aid with weapons and soldiers. 6:48 [SPEAKER_00]: Before Anthony Woodville was executed though, Richard, a young son, of late King Edward IV, and his wife Queen Elizabeth, had already been released into the Duke of Black Hustlers' custody after his mother saw no other way to save the family and the throne. 7:07 [SPEAKER_00]: The brothers were united in the Tower of London, with Edward V's coronation being postponed until the winter. 7:14 [SPEAKER_00]: In prison, living in fear, and cut off from the rest of their family, the two princes of the House of York, did all they could to keep each other spirits up, however, even worse things lay in store for them. 7:28 [SPEAKER_00]: A week after the two princes were brought together in the tower, a sermon was preached as St. Paul's crossing, stating that, to the astonishment and indignation of the assembled Londoners, the princes had no claim to the throne. 7:42 [SPEAKER_00]: They were, the preacher insisted, the offspring of an invalid marriage. 7:47 [SPEAKER_00]: for Edward IV had been secretly contracted to another woman named Eleanor Butler. 7:52 [SPEAKER_00]: At the time of his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville, this sermon might have been shocking. 7:57 [SPEAKER_00]: However, many at the time shared the preacher's sentiments regarding Elizabeth Woodville. 8:02 [SPEAKER_00]: Despite being regarded as the most beautiful woman in Britain, she had been deemed an unsuitable match for King Edward IV mainly because of her family's lack of titles and political allies. 8:13 [SPEAKER_00]: While they were well-respected, they weren't considered to be in the same league as the rest of the English nobility, which meant that they were tolerated, but not welcome. 8:23 [SPEAKER_00]: These lukewarm feelings toward them were exacerbated by the fact that they were laying castry in supporters. 8:30 [SPEAKER_00]: In fact, Elizabeth Woodville's first husband, Sir John Gray, of Grosby, had died on the battlefield while fighting under the banner of the House of Lancaster. 8:40 [SPEAKER_00]: All this meant that Elizabeth Woodville wasn't even considered as a potential bride for Edward IV. 8:47 [SPEAKER_00]: Instead, his cousin Richard Neville, the Earl of Warwick, negotiated a marriage between him and a French princess as a way to increase the house of York's allies while also bolstering their claim to the throne of England. 9:00 [SPEAKER_00]: However, Edward IV married Elizabeth Woodville instead, he decision that appalled so many people, because he had done it out of love and blind affection rather than a sentiment to a foreign alliance, which rulers were supposed to do. 9:13 [SPEAKER_00]: As the daughter of a lowly knight, she brought nothing to the table, and thus had no purpose whatsoever. 9:20 [SPEAKER_00]: Even worse was the fact that Elizabeth Woodville was no longer a virgin, having given birth to two sons by her first husband before his death. 9:29 [SPEAKER_00]: Given all this, Edward IV knew that his advisors would never agree to a marriage between him and Elizabeth Woodville, which was why they chose to hold the ceremony and secret instead. 9:41 [SPEAKER_00]: This may have allowed him to marry the woman whom he actually loved, but his two sons would ultimately pay the price. 9:48 [SPEAKER_00]: for his decision. 9:50 [SPEAKER_00]: The sermon held at St. Paul's Cross spread like wildfire, and it didn't take long for people to begin believing that Edward V was a legitimate and had no claim to the throne of England. 10:01 [SPEAKER_00]: Among those who supported this idea was the Duke of Buckingham, who gave an impassioned speech in public, denouncing the two young princes in the woodville. 10:11 [SPEAKER_00]: as well as reiterating his support for the Duke of Glockeaster. 10:15 [SPEAKER_00]: These rumors combined with the news that in Northern Army was faster approaching to help further Richard's cause prove to be catastrophic for Richard the fifth and his younger brother, nearly everyone in England. 10:27 [SPEAKER_00]: The noble men, the clergy, and the commons alike turned against them, declaring their illegitimacy and throwing their full support behind the Duke of Glowcaster. 10:37 [SPEAKER_00]: From then on, Edward V was no longer known as the future king of England, but rather, as Edward Bastard, his uncle, on the other hand, was crowned King Richard III on July 6, 1483. 10:54 [SPEAKER_00]: After spending their entire lives as royalty, the two brothers found it challenging to transition into life as the illegitimate children of the former King of England. 11:03 [SPEAKER_00]: The former princes were once seen by an Italian clerk named Dominic Mincini, who visited London and witnessed the coronation. 11:12 [SPEAKER_00]: In his report titled, The Usher Patient of Richard III, he wrote that the young boys had quote, with drawn from the inner apartments of the tower proper. 11:21 [SPEAKER_00]: In day by day, began to be seen more rarely behind the bars and windows. 11:25 [SPEAKER_00]: Until at length, they cease to appear altogether, as time went on. 11:30 [SPEAKER_00]: Edward 5 and his younger brother Richard simply disappeared from the tower of London, leaving behind a lingering unease about the fate that they had been dealt with. 11:39 [SPEAKER_00]: There were whispers that they had been smothered to death, a poisoned, with Dominique Mansini, including in his report, the words of a physician, who allegedly said that, quote, the young king, like a victim, prepared for sacrifice, sought remission of his sins by daily confession and penance, because he believed that death was facing him. 12:02 [SPEAKER_00]: King Richard III managed to claw his way to the throne of England, by declaring his nephew's illegitimate. 12:08 [SPEAKER_00]: However, this ultimately proved to be his downfall, many believe that he was behind their purported murders, and this idea fueled the rebellion against him, and 1483. 12:19 [SPEAKER_00]: Two years later, he was slain and battle by his relative and rival in retutor who went on to ascend the throne of England as King Henry VII, officially ending the war of the roses. 12:31 [SPEAKER_00]: With all the turmoil that England was experiencing at the time, the two princes of the House of York were largely forgotten, that is, until over two centuries later, in 1674, when work been rebuilding the Tower of London on Earth two small skeletons at the base of a staircase. 12:49 [SPEAKER_00]: Many immediately assumed that the remains belong to 12:58 [SPEAKER_00]: But given the absence of forensic evidence, no one can say for sure, whether these skeletons were really that of the two princes in the tower. 13:06 [SPEAKER_00]: While history has long regarded King Rich of the Third, as the mastermind behind his nephew's alleged murders, others claimed that his rival, King Henry VII, could have been involved too. 13:17 [SPEAKER_00]: After all, the tutor claimed to the throne of England, was incredibly weak, and those who opposed it, could have easily exported the existence of the two brothers. 13:26 [SPEAKER_00]: To quote Britain Express, if the princes lived, they both had a better claim to the throne. 13:32 [SPEAKER_00]: For Henry to become king, he needed the princes to disappear. 13:36 [SPEAKER_00]: That, in the eyes of many modern historians, they came a prime suspect. 13:41 [SPEAKER_00]: We may never know the truth about what really happened, with the two princes in the tower. 13:45 [SPEAKER_00]: But perhaps this is the reason why the uncertainty of their faiths continue to be an endless source of fascination. 13:52 [SPEAKER_00]: Even though,
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