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EDWARD V

Edward V was a King of England. He was born in 1470 and died in 1483. Edward V was the eldest son of Edward IV and reigned from April to June 1483, but was a minor, and his uncle Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was made Protector. Richard had been loyal throughout to his brother Edward IV including the events of 1470 to 1471, Edward's exile and their brother's rebellion (George Clarence, the Duke of Clarence, who was executed in 1478 by drowning, supposedly in a barrel of Malmsey wine). However, he was suspicious of the Woodville faction, possibly believing they were the cause of George Clarence's death. In response to an attempt by Elizabeth Woodville to take power, Richard and Edward V entered London in May, with Edward's coronation fixed for 22 June. However, in mid-June Richard assumed the throne as Richard III. Edward V and his younger brother Richard were declared illegitimate, taken to the Royal apartments at the Tower of London which was then a Royal residence, and never seen again.
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