Edward V

Edward’s Story

Edward’s father was in exile when Edward was born, so his first five months were obscure but by no means uncomfortable. His father’s restoration changed that. The last months of his life were also obscure, shrouded in mystery, with no one to save him. Between those times, he lived two lives – that of a Prince and King with high exposure and acclaim and that of an earnest schoolboy in Shropshire, the center of an administration operating in his name.

A Promising Boy

Edward didn’t have much time to make an impression, but he was a Prince and King of England, who managed, even at a young age, to win admiration for his promise.

Too Important to Talk About

Edward V and Richard, Duke of York, were cast into obscurity by Richard III and Henry VII because Edward and Richard were the Gold Standard to their brass, and they knew it. Therefore, Richard and Henry had reason to bury their memory; they wanted to make sure that the real heirs to the throne were forgotten. Thus, these two usurper kings intentionally contributed to the mystery of Edward’s and Richard’s disappearance.

First Strike Against the King

The coup at Northampton and Stony Stratford on April 30, 1483, was an act of aggression against the King. As Richard’s first act of lawlessness, Edward was captured, his household officers were arrested, his escort was dismissed, Woodville property was taken without due process, and the Queen fled to Sanctuary with her remaining children. And yet, the moderates on the King’s council took satisfaction in this.

Sentiment and History

Sentiment is the weapon of the young and powerless, which is why Richard III’s supporters want to take it out of Edward V’s and Richard, Duke of York’s hands by invalidating any source or any historian that appeals to it. Sentiment has always been a factor in human events and in the reporting of human events. Ricardians’ attempts to direct the sentiment toward Richard III don’t change that.

Sentiment and the Writing of History

Edward V and Richard of York had two weapons in their favor: the loyalty of those who stayed true to their father and their oaths and the sentiment that children naturally evoke. Richard III’s supporters are often unhappy to see that these children continue to evoke sentiment in people who are unimpressed by the sentiments they use to gain sympathy for the man who destroyed them.

The Manly Gown

Richard III’s supporters try to explain away Richard’s exploitation of the child he had sworn to the project by insisting that Edward, at 12 years old, was considered nearly a man by medieval standards. The manly gown is a reference to an episode of “I Claudius,” where the Roman soldiers force a boy into a man’s apparel so they feel less guilty about killing him.

Ripeness

Edward V’s age and his influence on the events that took place after his father’s death are well-debated issues. His powerlessness against the forces opposing him magnifies his youth and vulnerability, but was he more of a player in affairs than what history might suggest? Plays predating Shakespeare’s shed some light on this.

Three-Year-Old Edward Visits Coventry

Little Edward’s first trip to Coventry was received with gifts and an impressive pageant that included elegant speeches and as many visual wonders as 15th-century technology could create. One can only guess how this pageantry was received by the toddler so honored by the display.