What happened to the princes in the tower? Did Richard III murder them?

LO: To investigate who murdered the princes in the tower. Learning Outcomes

To be able to analyse sources to gain understanding about the princes in the tower.

To be able to assess the reliability of evidence.

To be able to judge to what extent Richard III is to blame for the events. Background

• When the King Edward IV died in April 1483 the rightful heir to the throne was his 12 year old son, Edward. • As he was so young his uncle Richard helped him to rule. Edward and his younger brother Richard were taken to live in the Tower of London. • Soon after the boys moved to the Tower, rumours began that they weren’t legitimate and two weeks later their uncle Richard was crown King Richard III. • In the summer of 1483 the boys were seen playing in the grounds of the Tower but day by day they were seen less and less... until they stopped appearing altogether. Guilty or not guilty?

• History has painted Richard as a wicked uncle who killed his nephews to secure the throne for himself. • Many of the ‘facts’ about Richard were produced during the reign of Henry VII to justify his claim to the throne (Henry VII defeated Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485) • Richard was extremely loyal to his family but was he blinded by the possibility of power? If he didn’t do it, who did?

Henry VII? Duke of James Tyrell Henry VII became Buckingham An servant and the first Tudor King defeating Richard III Richard III’s brother knight of Richard at the Battle of in law and cousin to III. When he was Bosworth. Henry VII – he in prison for There is no evidence publically treason against to directly connect supported Richard’s Henry VII he the death of the claim to the throne supposedly boys to HenryOur jobbut if is butto secretlyreach plotted a judgment confessed to the the boys had lived with Henry. boys murders of the Henry’sabout claim to who the Didwe he think kill the murderedboys the throne would be boys. But why? weak. to frame Richard? Use the sources to investigate the murder. Draw out and complete the table

To be able to analyse sources to gain understanding about the princes in the tower.

To be able to assess the reliability of evidence. The history department think……

….Richard III was in no way responsible for his nephews murder. Do you agree?

To be able to judge to what extent Richard III is to blame for the events. Learning Outcomes

To be able to analyse sources to gain understanding about the princes in the tower.

To be able to assess the reliability of evidence.

To be able to judge to what extent Richard III is to blame for the events.

Why do we look at this? What can you do next?