Two Princes Trivia Quiz

Answer: Duke of Gloucester

When King Edward IV died in April 1483, there were only two remaining sons from his marriage to Elizabeth Woodville. The two sons were Edward and Richard and it was the oldest of these two brothers who was supposed to be crowned king. The brother of Edward IV, the Duke of Gloucester, had other plans. Gloucester had their uncle, Anthony Woodville and their half-brother, Sir Richard Grey, arrested and beheaded.

He also went after the young boys, ultimately keeping them in the Tower of London.

Answer: Edward

Young Edward was twelve years old when his father, King Edward IV died. Young Richard was only nine at the time. As Edward was the oldest, he had the claim to the throne.

Answer: Westminster Abbey

Neither the Duke of Gloucester nor young Edward were in London at the time of the death of King Edward IV. Gloucester sought out Edward and escorted him back to London, where he was lodged in the tower. This was customary at the time for future monarchs before their coronation.

However, following the arrest of her brother, Anthony, Elizabeth Woodville, took her youngest son Richard and her two daughters and sought sanctuary at Westminster Abbey. Some time between May and June 1483, young Richard was also brought to the tower.

Answer: A precontract of marriage by Edward IV

By an Act of Parliament known as Titulus Regius, the boys' claim to the throne was confirmed as illegitimate. Titulus Regius states that the marriage of Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville was not valid because Edward IV had a pre-marriage contract with another woman, Lady Eleanor Butler.

A pre-marriage contract is a legal contract that was quite common at the time. Because of this, the boys were considered illegitimate. This paved the way for the boys uncle, Duke of Gloucester, to take the throne, crowned as Richard III.

Answer: Summer 1483

When the boys were lodged in the tower, it was believed they lived in the inner rooms of the tower and as the spring turned to summer 1483, they were seen less and less. The last known sightings of them were in the summertime when the boys were seen playing outside. There was a rescue attempt in July that was not successful. That summer, they completely disappeared.

Answer: They were murdered

It was widely believed right from the beginning that the two young princes were murdered. Rumours that they were murdered spread immediately following their disappearance and have persisted throughout history. There was a rebellion against Richard III in 1483 which is believed to have taken place as a result of an attempt to rescue the boys, believing their lives were in imminent danger. Early reports by Rochefort, Philippe de Commines (French politician), Caspar Weinreich (a German chronicler), and Jan Allertz (a recorder of Rotterdam) all point to Richard III having murdered the boys so he could take the throne.

Answer: False

In 1674 there were workmen who dug up a wooden box from under a stairwell. The box contained the skeletons of two young human bodies. The bones were buried in Westminster Abbey and widely believed to be the bones of the princes. This was never proven, though, and they weren't the only skeletons to turn up that might have a connection to the mystery. Two unidentified bodies were also found at Windsor Castle. None of the four bodies were DNA analyzed.

Answer: Executed

Henry Stafford, 2nd Duke of Buckingham, was Richard III's right hand man and there are some historians and writers who suggest he could've been behind the assumed murder of the two young princes. Stafford was a descendant of Edward III and could've hoped to have a shot at the throne himself. Or he could've been working for Richard III to carry out the deed. Stafford rebelled against the king in October 1483 and was executed in November 1483.

Another assumption about this whole mystery is that Stafford learned what Richard III had done to the boys and rebelled because of his shock and distaste. All conjecture in this fascinating and tragic tale.

Answer: Henry VII

Henry VII seized the crown in 1485 and married the oldest sister of the princes in order to firm up his claim to the throne. Prior to the marriage, he repealed the Titulus Regius which had declared the princes illegitimate. He needed to do that in order to reinforce his claim to the throne through the sister.

Answer: Philippa Gregory

So many writers and documentarians have tackled the subject of the two princes in the tower. Philippa Gregory wrote a whole series about the mystery and the families impacted by it. The books in the series include "The White Queen" which tells the story of Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV.

Other writers who have been inspired by the subject include William Shakespeare and George R. R. Martin.