2 November – The birth of King Edward V and the beginning of the end for Catherine Howard

On this day in history, 2nd November 1470, the feast of All Souls, King Edward V was born at Westminster Abbey, London. Young Edward was King of England for just 2 months in 1483 before he disappeared.

The events of his short life, his short reign and how it ended, are linked to the Tudors because Henry Tudor returned from exile to challenge King Richard III, who had, of course, taken the throne from Edward V.

Find out about Edward V's life and how he came to be one of the famous Princes in the Tower, in this talk...

Also on this day in Tudor history, 2nd November 1541, Archbishop Thomas Cranmer gave King Henry VIII a letter that would spark off the beginning of the end for Queen Catherine Howard, Henry VIII's fifth wife.

What was in this letter and how did it bring about this queen’s execution?

Find out more in this video...