Page 31 - All About History - Issue 28-15

Murder in the Tower

Could Richard III
have sent his faithful
servant James Tyrell
to kill his nephews?

Did Richard III already know the fate
of the young princes as he prized
them away from their mother?
Suspect 01
Richard III

Motive Secure his hold on the throne
portunity Full control of and access to the
Tower of London
reasons why Richard would murder his
hews are rather straightforward. After serving
brother loyally for years, upon his death,
jealous and ambitious Richard seized the
ortunity to claim the throne as his own.
e first did this by dismissing, arresting and
ntually murdering many of the ministers
ointed to his nephew, Edward V, claiming
t he did so for his protection. He then placed
ard and his brother in the Tower of London
delayed his coronation ceremony. Two weeks
r they were declared illegitimate and Richard
ended the throne. Although they had been
nfranchised, keeping the princes alive when nothing of the sort. When faced with the vicious For Richard to be innocent, at least one other
y had such a strong claim was too dangerous, so rumours that threatened to destroy his reign man had to have been lying – Sir James Tyrell.
had them murdered. and certainly lessened the public’s support of his Tyrell was a loyal servant of Richard III and
f the events were this clear-cut, there would claim, he avoided even acknowledging the boys’ was bestowed with an array of titles and grants
no question as to who was responsible, but disappearance. If his motive was to strengthen his once he was in power. When Henry VII was
ortunately they are not. Strictly speaking, grip on the throne, he failed to take advantage of crowned, Tyrell was initially pardoned for being a
hard didn’t take the throne illegally, he was the opportunity he created. supporter of Richard, but in 1501 he was arrested
ed to by a parliamentary committee. The only Most crucially, there is no solid evidence that for treason and executed. According to Thomas
t played by Richard in the bill that declared the the princes were murdered at all. If people can More, upon ‘examination’, Tyrell admitted that he
s illegitimate, Titus Regius, was accepting it, disappear in the modern day, then it is certainly had murdered the princes. Although we only have
haps indicating that Richard instead was a man likely that they could in the 15th century. It More’s word for this, the fact that both King Henry
o had no choice but to accept his role of king, is entirely possible that Richard had the boys and his wife attended Tyrell’s trial – a very unusual
face a crisis of royal succession. transported out of the country, and this is the event – indicates Tyrell did make this confession.
f Richard did indeed murder the princes to reason why he was unable to easily present them Whether this was forced by torture or was actually
ure his own hold on the throne, then why when he faced accusations of their murder. It would true, we may never know – but it had huge
he not publicise their deaths? He could easily also explain the uncertainty that surrounded their implications for his master, Richard, firmly placing
e claimed they died of illness, but he did fate and the lack of evidence. the murders at his feet for the next 500 years.
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