Edward V

Edward V was King of England for a brief period from 9 April to 25 June 1483. Born on 2 November 1470 at Cheyneygates, he was the eldest son of King Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville. He grew up in a tumultuous period marked by the Wars of the Roses, a series of civil wars for control of the throne of England. His upbringing was carefully managed by his uncle, Anthony Woodville, 2nd Earl Rivers, with a focus on education and morality. He was betrothed to Anne, the daughter of Francis II, Duke of Brittany, in a prestigious match that never came to fruition due to his untimely fate. His reign as king was never solidified by a coronation and was cut short when his uncle, the Duke of Gloucester, assumed the throne as Richard III after declaring Edward and his siblings illegitimate.

Edward and his younger brother Richard were housed in the Tower of London, historically known as the Princes in the Tower, and their subsequent disappearance has been shrouded in mystery. The responsibility for their presumed deaths has often been attributed to Richard III, though definitive evidence has never been found. Edward’s life and reign were brief and overshadowed by political machinations, ultimately leading to his deposition and the ascension of his uncle to the throne.