I’m Not Feeling the New Princes In The Tower Evidence
There’s been a kerfluffle in medieval studies: The Richard III Society has commissioned a whole bunch of people in various European countries to comb the archives for mentions of King Edward V and his little brother, Richard, Duke of York (also known as the princes in the tower.) This is known as ‘The Missing Princes Project.’
They have managed to dig up three or four papers that they think suggest that the princes were not murdered by their uncle but rather were squirreled away somewhere else and tried to get their thrones back later. These consist of a receipt for weapons sent for the supposed King Edward V’s invasion of England to get his throne back, at least one testimonial, and one translated diary bit telling the story of smuggling the prince’s out.
Can Someone Else Look At This, Please?
The Richard III Society was founded in 1924 with the brief: ‘In the belief that…traditional accounts…are not supported by reasonable evidence…the society aims to secure a reassessment of the material relating to the role of this monarch.’
That is their words, not mine. My words would be ‘we’re Richard III fanboys devoted to the notion that the Tudors did our boy dirty.’
They are not disinterested historians who happened to stumble on some interesting documents. They are enthusiasts with a bee in their bonnets. Their biases might be blinding them to mitigating circumstances.
I hope that someone not part of the Richard III fan club gets a chance to examine the archived papers and where they were discovered. Someone who isn’t prone to jumping to the ‘the princes have survived the tower’ conclusion.
No One Has Ever Heard of Political Machinations, Apparently
A lot of weight seems to be put on the idea that some of the prince’s relatives are supporting some people aiming to take the British throne back from Henry Tudor.
These relatives of the princes who may benefit politically if Henry Tudor was given the boot. Who might just really want their long-lost relatives to be alive. Being royalty doesn’t make you foolproof.
I won’t say I’m an expert on the European politics in the late 1400’s, but I will say that people can be conned into supporting pretenders. I will say that people who are motivated to find a certain answer can manufacture the answer they want.
Let’s say I will reserve judgement for the moment.