Product Description

The story of the death, in sinister circumstances, of the boy-king Edward V and his younger brother Richard, Duke of York, is one of the most fascinating murder mysteries in English history. It is a tale with profound moral and social consequences, rich in drama, intrigue, treason, scandal and violence. In this gripping book Alison Weir re-examines all the evidence - including that against the Princes' uncle, Richard III. She brilliantly reconstructs the whole chain of events leading to their murder and reveals how, why and by whose order they died.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11241 in Books
• Published on: 2008-06-05
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

About the Author
Alison Weir lives and works in Surrey. Her books include Britain's Royal Families, The Six Wives of Henry VIII, Children of England, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Henry VIII: King and Court, Mary, Queen of Scots and, most recently, Isabella.

Customer Reviews

Not up to Ms Weir's usual standard
I really like Alison Weir's non-fiction - especially the way she tends to focus on important yet neglected women in history (e.g. Kathryn Swynford, Eleanor of Aquitaine). Unfortunately, this book disappoints in that although her research is as painstaking as ever, her attempt to present almost a legal case for the guilt of Richard III in relation to the death of the princes falls down on several counts. I found myself disagreeing out loud with some of her statements and assumptions which, in some cases, were quite erroneous constructions on the words or acts of the protagonists. For an experienced historian, Ms Weir has unfortunately fallen into the trap of allowing her own beliefs to overpower the narrative, and she does not allow for any other possible scenarios/explanations. This lack of balance, exacerbated by her obvious dislike of Richard, taints what should have been an interesting and well-written book. My greatest discomfort however is with the conclusions she comes to regarding the skeletons found in the Tower in 1674 - all I will say to this is 'chain of evidence'.

Oh no Ms Weir!!
Alison Weir's barely concealed antipathy towards Richard III ruins this book. I felt that I had no choice other to agree with Ms Weir that Richard III was a crouch backed monster who was definitely the one who murdered the boys, and had no right to be presented with the facts and free to make up my own mind. I barely finished it. I wanted to read history, not venom spitting.
Big no no from me.

Lacking in objectivity
Alison Weir's book purports to give a true, unbiased account of the events leading up to and following the accession of Richard 111 to the throne of England. She quotes many sources, most of which she avers are 'contemporary' to the events in question. On further examination one discovers that these 'contemporary' accounts are all dated from after the death of Richard 111, indeed during the reign of Henry V11 to whose distinct advantage it was to besmirch and traduce the reputation of the man to whose throne he succeeded.
I found Ms Weir's obvious bias against Richard 111 annoying to say the least. She managed to twist the 'contemporary' evidence to such a degree on occasions that it appeared to be facing in entirely the opposite direction from its original meaning by the time she'd finished with it. She used conjecture, gossip and spiteful tittle tattle as many of her sources and interpreted the rest to fit the conclusion with which she had obviously clouded her historian's neutrality.
Her knowledge of human psychology seems to be quite limited if she can write that Elizabeth Wydville, the mother of the two princes allegedly killed by Richard 111, would openly sanction a proposed marriage between her daughter and the murderer of her two sons in order that she could gain wealth and influence once more. 'Pragmatic' is how Ms Weir describes Elizabeth Wydville!
I was disappointed by the definite bias that prevailed throughout the book. I would have prefered genuine arguement for and against both sides. This was lacking. It was a foreone conclusion that Richard 111 was a child murderer who got his just deserts. I would make this book required reading at universities on how not to write about history.