Edward V

Edward V (1470– c. 1483), uncrowned king of England (1483). Eldest son of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville, Edward was brought up at Ludlow under his maternal uncle Earl Rivers. On the death of his father in April 1483, the 12‐year‐old prince of Wales left Ludlow to be proclaimed king in London, but at Stony Stratford his attendants were arrested by his paternal uncle Richard of Gloucester, claiming a conspiracy to deprive him of the protectorship. Edward was transferred in mid‐ May to the royal apartments at the Tower as part of the coronation preparations. He was joined by his younger brother Richard in mid‐ June, when they were seen playing in the garden, but at length they ceased to appear altogether. The rumours that ensued have been followed by continued controversy over the reliability of contemporary accounts, the manner of the presumed death of the princes, and the degree of involvement of Richard of Gloucester, who had declared himself king as Richard III.