Product Description'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
Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
Rating: - It worked for me...
Clear, concise, and extremely readable, Weir's The Princes in the Tower clips along at a very agreeable pace, yet it seems some are eager to pan this book based on its conclusions. There are two options: either Richard III usurped the throne and murdered his nephews or he didn't. Weir is forthrightly in the tyrant camp as her conclusions drawn from source materials reflect. These are the same source materials used by those who champion Richard's innocence. Good books can emanate from either viewpoint, ... Read More
Rating: - Weir provides a watertight case of the guilt of Richard III
In this painstaking work of meticulous historical research Alison Weir thoroughly uncovers the facts behind one of English history's greatest murder mysteries.
Weir reconstructs the entire chain of events leading to the murders of the young princes, the 13 year old Edward V, and his brother the ten year old Richard, Duke of York.
She thoroughly disproves the claims of those whom she calls the 'revisionist' historians, those who favour Richard III and aim to exonerate him of ... Read More
Rating: - Sad
It sure won't answer the centuries old question of the demise of Edward IV's boys, but surely will sway you in the direction of one culprit...Detailed, and well researched, albeit somewhat biased, it gives a perfect picture of the era, prevailing conditions, backrounds etc etc..If you like history, you'll enjoy this. Bottomline though, whoever the guilty party may be, two young kids were murdered horridly by some power hungry monster..My heart goes to the kids...Sad...
Rating: - The Princes in the Tower recounts the murders of King Edward V and his brother the Duke of York in the Tower of London
Alison Weir has written countless popular histories about medieval and Tudor England. In this 1992 book she explores the murders of King Edward V who was 12 and his younger brother the Duke of York who was 10 years old. The saying from Sir Walter Scott goes, "What a tangled web we weave when first we plan to deceive!" How true this maxim is in the complicated spider's web of conspiracy, usurpations and dark plotting which occurred in fifteenth century England!
When the Lancasterian King of England ... Read More
Rating: - Case against Richard III Laid out Clearly
Alison Weir's thorough research is evident in every chapter. She first summarizes the events and the dispute between the Houses of York and Lancaster. Then using obscure documents and letters, she develops a detailed timeline of events following Edward IV's death. She adds to it her historian's sensibility. There is no doubt in her mind, that Richard III was directly responsible for the Princes' deaths. I must read other opinions as well, but her case is convincing.
- It worked for me...
- Weir provides a watertight case of the guilt of Richard III
