The year is 1483 and England is reeling from decades of dynastic civil war. Lancaster and York, two cadet branches of the same royal family, have all but wiped each other out in the devastating spasms of battle. But now, a fragile peace is beginning to settle over the realm. A peace made all the more fragile as it is presided over by a boy king, Edward V, not yet in his teens. A boy King who has already had to face down challenges to his right to rule and even an open rebellion from his own uncle, Richard Duke of Gloucester.
Imprisoned in the Tower of London along with his younger brother, almost declared illegitimate and cut off from the rest of his family, Edward’s reign had a painful start. He only managed to survive his uncle’s bloody coup after the powerful Henry Stafford, Duke of Buckingham, rebelled against Gloucester, freed the Princes from the Tower and restored them to their rightful place. But even that has come at a cost, for now the Duke of Buckingham rules as regent while Edward is in his minority.
Meanwhile, the Lancastrian forces are gathering overseas and out of Yorkist reach. Henry Tudor, who is openly talked about as an alternative to the meek and powerless boy king, is growing more powerful by the day. Those who had been loyal to the Duke of Gloucester, who favoured a stronger, Yorkist King, remain at court and barely pacified.
Thus, England is far from settled and all must decide whose side they’re on.
