Eldest son of the Yorkist king Edward IV, Edward V was only twelve years old when his father died and he became King of England. His uncle, Richard Duke of Gloucester, had been nominated as the Protector during his minority. Richard kept delaying Edward V's coronation, and within three months of his accession, he had produced evidence that Edward IV had already been contracted into another marriage when he married Lady Elizabeth Woodville, making Edward V and his brother illegitimate. In June 1483, Richard of Gloucester declared himself the rightful king, and ascended the throne as Richard III. Edward V and his brother, Richard of Shrewsbury, who were staying in the Tower of London at the time (it was then a fortified royal residence rather than the prison it later became), were seen less…

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