Brackenbury and The Princes in The Tower
As Constable of the Tower of London, Brackenbury inevitably figures into any account of the fate of Richard III's nephews, the Princes in the Tower.
For example, in Thomas More’s version of the life of Richard III, More says that after the coronation on 6 July 1483 and while on his way to Gloucester, Richard sent John Green to Brackenbury with written orders for Brackenbury to kill the princes. Brackenbury, says More, replied “that he would never put them to death, though he should die therefore”. So Richard then ordered Sir James Tyrrell to go to Brackenbury with a letter by which he was commanded to deliver to Sir James all the keys of the Tower for one night, "to the end he might there accomplish the King’s pleasure". According to St Thomas “gentle Brackenbury”, who had resisted the demands of the King, now meekly complied.
Read more about this topic: Robert Brackenbury
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