Why did Richard III of England succeed Edward V of England?
Deposition: the young king's legitimacy was declared void and Parliament's petition (Titulus Regius) offered the crown to Richard. Uncle — Richard was Edward IV's brother and Edward V's Protector.
The short answer
In June 1483 Richard's supporters declared Edward IV's marriage invalid and his children illegitimate. An assembly of lords and commons petitioned Richard to take the throne; he was crowned on 6 July 1483. Edward V and his brother, the 'Princes in the Tower', disappeared that summer. What happened to them has never been established.
Who they were
How power passed
The petition was later enacted as Titulus Regius (1484). Henry VII had it repealed and destroyed unread after Bosworth. Historians still disagree about Richard's responsibility for the princes' fate; the app records the deposition, not a verdict.
Key points
- Edward IV's children declared illegitimate in June 1483
- Richard crowned 6 July 1483
- Edward V and Richard of Shrewsbury disappeared; their fate is unproven
Sources
- Richard III of EnglandAccession of 1483
- Princes in the TowerThe disappearance and the open historical question
Explanation written and reviewed by HistorIQly · reviewed 2026-09-18. Part of the House of York family tree. Background on Wikipedia.
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