Historical Background

On these pages you will find links to a wide variety of sites on the internet related to the era depicted in The Sorcerer’s Letterbox . Please be sure to let me know if any of these links are no longer operative.

Who was who in late medieval England

The following link contains good biographical detail on all British monarchs. Kings of England in the fifteenth century at the end of the Middle Ages were Henry VI, Edward IV, Edward V, Richard III and Henry VII.
http://www.britannia.com/history/h6f.html

The Wars of the Roses , often a very complicated topic in history, are covered in detail here

Bosworth Field This was the battle in central England, which effectively ended the Wars of the Roses. Henry Tudor was victorious over Richard III and took the throne as Henry VII. These sites have some interesting details about the battle itself and the historical background.
http://www.r3.org/bosworth/
http://www.pomian.demon.co.uk/bosworth.htm

The legends about the fate of Richard III's body after the Battle of Bosworth are covered here

Pretenders and Imposters

After the death of Richard III, there were always rumours that the Princes in the Tower had survived or escaped and imposters appeared claiming to be them. The most famous were Lambert Simnel and Perkin Warbeck, who both appeared in the reign of Henry VII.

Perkin Warbeck’s story can be found at several locations on the internet, including this one http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perkin_Warbeck

Lambert Simnel is dealt with at this site http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambert_Simnel

Some details about the supposed bones of the Princes in the Tower in the urn in Westminster Abbey are covered at this site

This is a good general site about The Princes in the Tower and has quite a few pictures.

While Richard III remains the most likely culprit in the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower, there are many other suspects. You can read a little about the various personalities at these websites http://www.r3.org/bookcase/whodunit.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princes_in_the_Tower

The Tower of London

This site is a great source of information on the Tower of London http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_London

Another Tower of London website can be found here, including a virtual tour.

Maps

Maps of London at the time of Richard III and the Princes in the Tower are hard to find. However, the following web pages give a general idea what the city may have looked like in 1483.

Medieval London is featured on this one, although but it doesn’t have an exact date.

This map is from the Elzabethan era http://elizabethan.org/compendium/map-london.html from 1558 to 1603. A little later than the time the Sorcerer’s Letterbox is set, but it does show the location of London Bridge in relation to the Tower.

Medieval England and Wales are depicted on this map

You can view maps of Europe at various points in the medieval period at this location

The Medieval Era

Medieval London is covered at this location and is a good general view of the city in the Middle Ages.

You can read about the Tudor City of London at this site http://elizabethan.org/compendium/27.html This describes the city around 100 years later than the era of Richard III and The Princes in the Tower, but gives a good impression of what life would have been like.

The History of the English Language is the subject of this site. It will give you a good idea of just how different English would have been in 1483 from the way the language is spoken today.

Bibliography

There are many books on the period depicted in The Sorcerer’s Letterbox , but here a few of my recommendations.

The Princes in the Tower by Alison Weir

This is a fascinating account of the events of 1483, filled with detail and exceptionally researched. This is from the back cover:

“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 Prince’s 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.”

The Chronicles of the Wars of the Roses Edited by Elizabeth Hallam

This book is a detailed study of the turbulent years of the last Plantagenet Kings of England from Richard II in 1377 to Richard III in 1485. It has over 230 illustrations in colour and black and white, detailed maps and accounts of the events of the time by the original medieval chroniclers

The Tower of London: The Official Illustrated History Edward Impey and Geoffrey Parnell

This book contains over 200 historical views and plans, along with reconstructions of the Tower of London at key points in its history. It tells the story of the Tower from its foundation by William the Conqueror to the present day

These books may or may not still be available, but you can check their details with on-line booksellers in your part of the world.