The Princes in the Tower

by WEIR, ALISON

• ISBN13: 9780345391780
• ISBN10: 0345391780
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 1995-07-10
• Publisher: Ballantine Books

Summary

"A SURPRISINGLY FRESH AND TREMENDOUSLY THOROUGH CONTRIBUTION to the debate...Weir's book is, no doubt, not the last on this subject, but it might be the best....[She] constructs a devastating case...[and] brilliantly illuminates the nature of late-medieval political power." --The Boston Globe Despite five centuries of investigation by historians, the sinister deaths of the boy king Edward V and his younger brother Richard, Duke of York, remain two of the most fascinating murder mysteries in English history. Did Richard III really kill "the Princes in the Tower," as is commonly believed, or was the murderer someone else entirely? Carefully examining every shred of contemporary evidence as well as dozens of modern accounts, English historian Alison Weir reconstructs the entire chain of events leading to the double murder. We are witnesses to the rivalry, ambition, intrigue, and struggle for power that culminated in the imprisonment of the prince and the hushed-up murders that secured Richard's claim to the throne as Richard III. A masterpiece of historical research and a riveting story of conspiracy and deception, The Princes in the Tower at last provides a solution to this age-old puzzle. "Weir takes on this delicious mystery with a fearsome vengeance. The result is a fascinating and completely credible account." --Milwaukee Journal "Did Richard III do in his nephews or didn't he? How much of the evil-uncle legend was later Tudor propaganda and how much was true?...This is exciting reading." --The Denver Post "A fascinating historical whodunit in which truth is more sordid than fiction." --Kirkus Reviews A MAIN SELECTION OF THE BOOK-OF-THE-MONTH CLUB

Author Biography

Alison Weir is the New York Times bestselling author of Eleanor of Aquitaine, Mary, Queen of Scots and the Murder of Lord Darnley, and several other historical biographies. She lives in Surrey with her husband and two children.

Table of Contents

Author's Preface
Richard III and the Chroniclers	p. 1
The Sanctuary Child	p. 14
Richard of Gloucester	p. 27
Clarence and the Wydvilles	p. 37
'Deadly Feuds and Factions'	p. 52
'Those of the Queen's Blood'	p. 63
'An Innocent Lamb in the Hands of Wolves'	p. 77
The Lord Protector	p. 87
The Fall of Hastings	p. 97
'This Act of Usurpation'	p. 109
Richard III	p. 128
Conspiracies	p. 139
The Princes in the Tower	p. 147
The Wicked Uncle	p. 163
Rebellion	p. 179
An Especial Good Lord	p. 191
An Incestuous Passion	p. 202
A Dark Prince	p. 219
Pretenders	p. 231
Tyrell's Confession	p. 243
The Skeletons in the Tower	p. 249
Genealogical Table: Lancaster and York	p. 259
Select Bibliography	p. 261
Index	p. 273
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.