1483: : A Game of Kings
Josephine Wilkinson

The year 1483 was a year of three kings. As the year opened, Edward IV wore the crown. Upon his death in April, the new king was to be his eldest son and heir, now Edward V. The young Edward, however, would never be crowned.

   Edward IV had left a court riven by conflicts among overmighty subjects he himself had created. Jealous of their status and the influence and wealth it brought them, they now entered into a bitter and bloody power-struggle. While Edward IV was still alive, these factions had been controlled. Upon his death, however, and with the throne now to be occupied by a twelve-year-old boy, the simmering conflicts were given free rein. The tension between the houses of York and Lancaster would now enter a new phase.

   During the spring and of summer 1483, events moved at a frightening pace as each side vied for supremacy. The vital first step was to gain custody of the new king, a struggle that was won by his uncle, Richard, duke of Gloucester. The second was to neutralise the boy’s supporters, and this Richard did with brutal efficiency.

   In July 1483, Richard was crowned as King Richard III. However, the story did not end there. Even those who had supported his rise now began to turn against Richard. Conspiracies and rebellions marked the early months of his reign. The main driver of these remained the desire for power, but underlying it all was the presumed fate of Richard’s nephews, the two little boys known to history as the Princes in the Tower.

   As the year drew to a close, Richard continued to wear the crown. However, his position was uncertain. The action he had taken that year would have serious consequences for him and his dynasty.

The book 

• revisits the original sources and offer new interpretations to tell the story of what took place in 1483.
• is the first to look at this year as a whole since Giles St Aubyn tackled the subject in 1983.
• present the events as a narrative, showing how and why events played out as they did.
• revisits the mystery of the Princes in the Tower using new research by modern scholars.
• offers an explanation of the fate the Princes as well as the actions of those involved in the events of the year.