Proposal: 

     In my research paper, I will be examining the theories and evidence revolving around what happened to the two princes imprisoned in the Tower of London during the reign of Richard III. To provide a brief background: In the year 1483 in England, King Edward IV died. He had two sons, the eldest Edward V (12) and his younger brother Richard Duke of York (9). Upon King Edward’s death, the King’s younger brother Richard III came to England and took control of the English Throne. Not too long after he declared that the two young princes were bastards and had no claim to the throne. He imprisoned them in the tower of London and they were never seen again. 

      There is an apparent divide between historians on this subject matter. Some believe that Richard had the princes murdered in their sleep, while others believe that they were allowed to live under aliases in the countryside as common folk. The more popular belief is that they were murdered in order to strengthen Richard’s claim to the throne, but my sources, and archaeological evidence allow me reason to agree with the opposing side that believes that they were in fact, not murdered.

Sources:

1 – Thornton, T. (2020a, December 28). More on a murder: The deaths of the ‘princes … – wiley online library. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/1468-229X.13100  

Background: This source I found on google scholar takes a deeper look into Sir Thomas More’s account of the murder of the Princes in the Tower and whether or not it holds any legitimacy. The source tells me that there were many written accounts of men who took the responsibility of murdering the princes, almost too many to follow the same story and for it to be accurate. Also the methods of murder are all different as well. Some say they were smothered in their sleep, other accounts from the time say they were poisoned. 

How I will use this: I will use this source to allow me to narrow down each and every “confession” and written account of how exactly the princes were murdered and by whom. Multiple different accounts with multiple different stories I believe can aid me in finding possible holes and mistruths in one of the greatest mysteries in history. 

2 – Leslau, J. (1988, December). The princes in the Tower | Moreana. https://www.euppublishing.com/doi/abs/10.3366/more.1988.25.2-3.7 

Background: This source, also found on google scholar, argues that the Princes were in fact not murdered at all. It evaluates historical primary sources such as an interpretation of Sir Thomas More’s manuscript. This source uses a NIET (Negative Intelligence Evaluation Theory) in order to support the claim that the princes were spared and allowed to live under false names.

How I will use this: This will be one of my key sources to aid in my research as the thesis is similar to the thesis that I am also trying to validate in my own research paper. I believe that this source will be able to provide me with a solid foundation in supporting my hypothesis. It will do so by showing me evidence that is, without deviation, correlated in the same direction as my own theory. 

3 – Weir, A. (1994). The princes in the tower. Ballantine Books. 

Background: My third source is a book that provides a different perspective into contemporary evidence and modern accounts pertaining to what actually happened to the princes. It discusses intangible motives and speculations such as rivalries, secret ambitions, and most importantly a struggle for power in the succession of the throne. It is stated that author Alison Weir reconstructs the entire chain of events that could have led up to the prince’s murders.  

How I will use this: This is the first source I have started to really dive into as it is the longest one sitting at a few hundred pages. In my research, I will use this book to compare evidence to my own hypothesis, and also use contrasting claims provided not to weaken my own hypothesis, but to strengthen my own claim. 

4 – Lewis, M. (n.d.). What if the princes in the tower survived into Tudor England?. The History Press. https://www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/what-if-the-princes-in-the-tower-survived-into-tudor-england/#:~:text=If%20Henry%20VII%20arrived%20in,the%20rule%20of%20Richard%20III. 

Background: This source looks into the possible relationship between the princes in the tower and Henry VII. It discusses how after Henry was victorious in the War of the Roses, and the princes were in fact not dead, he would have been met with a plethora of issues. Firstly, Edward V (the eldest prince) being the rightful heir to the throne would invoke Yorkist support for the princes and weaken Henry’s (Tudor) claim. This source also discusses Perkin Warbeck the supposed pretender claiming to be the surviving Richard Duke of York (the younger of the two princes).

How I will use this: I will use this source to evaluate what or if Tudor England would have survived or been like if the princes outed themselves as alive or if people knew of their survival. Analyzing how the two young boys would have affected Henry VII can provide me with logical standpoints to protect and defend my claim.

5 – Brigden, J. (n.d.). The mystery of the “princes in the tower”: What really happened? Sky HISTORY TV channel. https://www.history.co.uk/articles/the-mystery-of-the-princes-in-the-tower-what-really-happened 

Background: This source lists every supported theory as to what happened to the princes. There are about five theories it lists with a reasonable amount of following and support. The source, like many others, states how it is a mystery because no remains have been discovered of the two young princes. This source also uses the Shakespearean play Richard III to describe the history of events as well. This source provides convincing evidence for all five of the theories that are really just subsets of the two main theories I previously mentioned.

How I will use this: I will use this source to examine this mystery from every facet that I possibly can. I will analyze how much of a motive did any of the accused killers have and whether or not said motives are enough to incriminate them for the crime. Or perhaps much like my hypothesis states, was there even really a crime committed at all and is it plausible that the princes avoided such a tragic fate. 

6. Unwin, R. (2015). Westminster Bones: The Real Mystery of the Princes in the Tower. Richard Unwin. 

Background: This source provides useful information of the bones that were discovered that supposedly belong to the Princes in the Tower. This source also provides likely (and opinionated) theories as to what happened to the princes in the tower. This book also gives the reader a little bit of insight into Richard III.

How I will use this: I will use this source to provide myself with more information about the discovery of the bones of the princes in the tower and the theories that surround them. This book will aid in adding context to the theories I have thus proposed in my essay and it will also provide me with unique theories I can pull information from in assisting the strength of my thesis.

7. Hollman, G. (2021). Royal Witches: From Joan of Navarre to Elizabeth Woodville. The History Press. 

Background: This source is a book about witches/witchcraft in European royal history. The figure in this book that I will study is Elizabeth Woodville, the mother of the princes in the tower. It is said she was a witch and placed a curse on whoever was guilty of the murder of her sons. This book may gently touch on that subject and provide an interesting (although logically not true) insight into the mother of the princes.

How I will use this: I will use this source simply to learn more about the mother of the princes. It will provide me with a fun theory to possibly use that Elizabeth Woodville practiced witchcraft. I may try and incorporate this into my essay as her “witchcraft” could play a role in the prince’s fates.

8. More, T. (n.d.). The history of king king richard the third – thomas more studies. https://thomasmorestudies.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/Richard_III_English_glossed.pdf

Background: This source is a direct account written by Sir Thomas More. It gives a history of Richard III and his reign. This source will aid in my deep dive into Tudor propaganda, medieval court gossip, and political influences of figures such as Thomas More during this time.

How I will use this: Although this source contrasts my views on the subject matter, I will only use it to strengthen my thesis. Sir Thomas More’s accounts possess an inherent bias that I will use to my advantage to further perpetuate my claim that Richard III did not order the deaths of the princes in the tower.

9. Shakespeare, W. (1593). Richard III: Entire play. http://shakespeare.mit.edu/richardiii/full.html

Background: This source is an online link to the entire play of Richard III written by William Shakespeare. This source portrays Richard as a tyrant. It makes him seem power hungry, cruel, and devious. This source contrasts my thesis entirely but again, I will use this as an example of Tudor propaganda that holds a bias against the house of York.

How I will use this: I will use this source to contrast the dark history of Richard III. Although this source portrays Richard III in a negative way, it was written close to 100 years after he passed by a man who didn’t live under his reign. This will help me categorize it into Tudor propaganda that smears Richard III’s name for no good reason at all.

10. Brain, J. (2023, November 21). Lady Margaret Beaufort. Historic UK. https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/Lady-Margaret-Beaufort/

Background: This source provides me with information about Lady Margaret Beaufort. She was the mother of King Henry VII, the man who killed Richard III in battle and took the throne. She is a more likely suspect in the murder of the princes in the tower rather than Richard III.

How I will use this: I will use this source to further strengthen my analysis that Margaret Beaufort would have been more likely to murder the princes in the tower instead of King Richard III. This source will provide me with insights about her character and motives for a woman with such political influence during her time.

11. Ward, V. (14 Oct. 2022) Mystery of Princes in the Tower Could Finally Be Solved – with Help from King Charles. The Telegraph, Telegraph Media Group www.telegraph.co.uk/royal-family/2022/10/14/king-charles-rumoured-want-mystery-princes-tower-solved/

Background: This source provides more general information about the princes in the tower. This source also provides information about the current English Royal family and their stance on further exploration into the mystery of the princes in the tower. This source provides historians with hope that we may finally have a true answer with facts to support it as to what happened to the two princes.

How I will use this: I will use this source to support my claim that the royal family is hiding information regarding the fate of the princes in the tower. It is said that the late Queen Elizabeth II refused further exploration but current King Charles seems to be in favor of it. This correlates directly with one of my most prominent claims in my research paper.

12. The mystery of the princes in the tower. TheCollector. (2021, November 3).  https://www.thecollector.com/princes-in-the-tower-mystery/

Background: This source again provides me with more general information about the mystery of the princes in the tower. It gives a brief background of the princes and their lineage, how they were sent to the tower, suspects of the case, Perkin Warbeck the “pretender”, and the bones that were found.

How I will use this source: This source gives extremely useful and helpful information that support almost all of the claims I make in my research position paper. I will use the information about the bones that were found to support my claim that the bones did not belong to the princes and I will also use the list of suspects to rule out Richard III as the prime suspect in this case as well. This source provided me with helpful background information about the prince’s family I will use as well.

13. The Princes in the Tower. Historic Royal Palaces. (n.d.). https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/the-princes-in-the-tower/#gs.00nsg9

Background: This source provides exorbitant amounts of information about the princes in the tower in bite sized pieces. It gives information about important figures around the princes in the tower such as their parents and other family members. This source will provide me with direct quotes I can use in my essay as well.

How I will use this: I will use this source to model my essay. This source provides the story of the princes in the tower in an easy to understand way. This will make it easy for me to use facts I find to strengthen and uphold the claims I will make in my research paper. I will also use direct quotes from this source as well being it provides readers with a few quotes from figures alive during the timeframe of the princes in the tower.