Tarot Spread: The Princes in the Tower

 

This reading shall be a little different than normal. Not only am I looking into a mystery that is over five hundred years old, but I shall look at astrology using www.theplanetstoday.com.

The Princes in the Tower is one of the England's most fascinating mysteries. It could also be considered England's oldest missing persons case. Ever since I was a small child I have adored history. As I have also been annoyed at mysteries I cannot solve, I spent hours pouring over my theories regarding the two boys.

Writing a full summary of the two Princes would take far too long, so I have to assume that you already know their history. If not, I recommend these websites.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Princes_in_the_Tower
https://www.historic-uk.com/HistoryUK/HistoryofEngland/The-Princes-in-the-Tower/
https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/did-richard-iii-really-kill-princes-in-tower-debate-historians/
https://www.hrp.org.uk/tower-of-london/history-and-stories/the-princes-in-the-tower/#gs.2wtut6

1.       Page of Pentacles, reversed. Prodigality, liberality, luxury, unfavorable news, closing yourself off from others.

Could the unfavorable news that is mentioned be that knowledge that the boys were illegitimate? By medieval standards at any rate; King Edward IV had been engaged to somebody else by the time that he married Elizabeth Woodville, the boys’ mother. Engagement was considered just as important as marriage in those days.

Pages also refer to children and the two princes would have been considered to be children both then and now. The Page of Pentacles also covers the period between March 21^st and June 20^th. King Edward IV died on April 9^th 1483, Prince Edward arrived at the Tower on May 19^th and was joined by Prince Richard on June 16^th. Not only are these important dates in the timeline, but they are the three events (prior to the boys being declared illegitimate) that definitely happened.

2.       Ace of Cups, reversed.  House of the false heart, instability, revolution, loss of love, feeling unhappy, feeling unloved.

The revolution mentioned here might have been a fear of revolution against Richard III. I am certain that the boys would not have wished to take part in any way. They were just children, after all. Any ‘caretakers’ that might have been responsible for them while they were in the Tower might have lied to them or even plotted against them.

The Ace of Cups covers the period between September 23^rd and December 20^th. There was an initial uprising in September 1483, although I am not sure of the exact date. Most people who believe that the princes were murdered suggest September or November 1483. But remember, the Tarot picks up on anything that surrounds the Querent – the Princes – and this includes rumors.

3.       Eight of Cups, reversed. Questioning your decision not to leave, not being able to move on, fear of the unknown. Travelers, night shift workers, solitary workers, maintenance workers.

Keep in mind that ‘night shift workers’ and ‘maintenance workers’ would not have been referred to as such in the fifteenth century. The card shows something walking away from the Cups that are depicted. Perhaps the boys wished to leave the Tower. There would have been advantages to this; if the boys’ enemies did not know where they were then they would be safe, even if it meant rumors of their deaths.

Guards who worked during the night might have been involved somehow. It makes the most sense to smuggle the boys out at night, whether this was on the orders of Elizabeth Woodville or someone else. Something of note is that Elizabeth Woodville had her daughters sent into Richard III’s care in spring 1484, which would have kept them safe, especially since her eldest daughter would marry Henry Tudor if he took the throne (which she did). Why would she do this if she believed that her sons were dead? True, females had a slightly weaker claim to the throne than their male relatives, but they would still have been seen as threats to Richard III if they opposed him.

The most likely answer is that she knew what had happened to her sons.

4.       The Emperor. Stability, power, protection, aid, reason, authority, responsibility.

It seems as if the boys – or whoever was looking after them – had to work with power, either for or against them. SOMEONE wished to protect the boys.

The Emperor can be seen as fathers, senior politicians, heads of family or heads of state. Richard III would have fit three of these four categories. Some people believe that King Richard had the boys – or at the very least Prince Richard, as his older brother had been ill when he was housed at the Tower – hidden away, due to the fact that they might have been illegitimate but considered a threat nonetheless and planned to announce their survival once he had defeated Henry Tudor.

Of course, this did not happen, but if Henry Tudor had known that the two children were alive then he would have targeted them. This is something we tend to forget due to Tudor propaganda.

If King Richard HAD ordered the boys’ deaths then I believe that this card would have been reversed. But as this is not the case – and I believed anyway that he had no reason to wish them dead if they had been declared illegitimate – I swing towards this theory.

5.       Three of Pentacles. Work, a new job or career, trade, skilled labor, gifts, legacy, inheritance. Architects, builders, bricklayers and stonemasons, master craftsmen, carpenters.

The message of this card is that to reach success then you must take action.

Someone managed to get the boys out of the Tower. The passage could have been paid for – or helped by – a merchant or a laborer. The card shows a stone building, which reminds me somewhat of a church or perhaps even the Tower itself. Could someone from the church have offered to hide the boys? Before Henry VIII and the Dissolution of the Monasteries, the Catholic Church had a lot of power and was considered second only to the king. If word had somehow got out that the boys were being hidden by the church then if someone tried to kill them, they would at best have been seen as a fool, or at worst a menace that had to be punished by execution in public.

Being in the church also makes sense if you know anything about Welsh history. In 1282 AD Princess Gwenllian of Wales was just an infant when her father, the last king of Wales, was defeated in battle by Edward I of England. She was placed in a nunnery in Lincolnshire – as were her female cousins – so that she would never marry and therefore would no longer be a threat. Perhaps something similar happened with the Princes in the Tower.

(Something I would like to mention is that although I am now a Wiccan, I was brought up a Catholic. Attitudes have changed in the 500 years since, but I still respect the religion of my ancestors and if I see any horrid comments, I will not tolerate them.)

This card also covers any time that Mars is in Capricorn. I had to do some research, but I think that the next time that Mars was in Capricorn was between 6^th February and 17^th March 1484. It might be possible that someone managed to get the boys to safety during this time.

6.       King of Swords. Something rises from judgement. Power, command, low, offices of the crown, authority, intellectual but enigmatic, trustworthy and reliable.

The princes had some power and command when they were last known to be alive, in the summer of 1483. The fact that this card is of a king suggests that these two children gained power somehow. Could this possibly be in the church, under false names? Or even abroad?

This card covers any time that Venus is in Cancer. Venus was in Cancer between 19^th May and 12^th June 1484. The sixth card covers the future, so we need to keep that in mind.

7.       Two of Cups, reversed. Separation, the end of a relationship, arguments, distrust, business deals gone awry.

The seventh card represents the Querent, so I believe that this might have been a reminder that the boys did not trust anyone. This card can also signify friendships and caregivers. Were they afraid of the people who were looking after them? If so, were they right? Something of interest is that this card covers the period between June 21^st and July 1^st, during which point they would have been declared illegitimate. The arguments mentioned might have been whether the boys were legitimate, or whether they still posed a threat.

8.       Eight of Swords. Fear of failure, bad luck, being held back, unforeseen obstructions, being outmaneuvered, being outplayed.

This card represents the environment around the Querent, or in this case Querents. I am not sure if this is what definitely happened to the brothers – the Tarot can never provide definite answers – although I personally believe that this could represent their worries, or even the worries of those looking after them.

Something else that I think is interesting is that this card also covers anytime that Jupiter is in Gemini. Jupiter entered Gemini was on 1^st May 1491; eight years after the boys were last seen. Could it be possible that the brothers managed to outlive King Richard? The King of Swords also rules the Eight of Swords, so their environment links to what they wanted to work towards.

9.       Four of Wands, reversed. Obstacles causing delay, disruptions, problems at home, mishaps and small accidents.

The ninth card links with the Querents’ hopes and fears. The problems at home could be a reference to the brothers’ living situation. The disruptions might have been that their whereabouts had to stay secret due to the constant fighting. The card shows two young people underneath a banner outside of castle walls, so I truly believe that they somehow managed to get out of the Tower, although whether before or after Richard III died in battle I am not sure.

This card also covers any time that Venus is in Aries. Venus was in Aries between 8^th March and 31^st March 1484. Maybe they left the Tower during this period?

10.   King of Pentacles, reversed. An old and vicious man, an exploiter or harsh employer, weakness, perversion, corruption, opinionated, cruel, wasteful, greed.

The last card indicates the overall outcome and is the most important card of the reading. If this card had represented King Richard then I believe that it would have been listed as the obstacle (the second card in the reading). In addition, as King Richard died when he was 32 years old, the ‘old and vicious man’ could mean Henry Tudor, who died in 1509 aged 52, which would have been considered old by the standards of the day.

This card covers the period between 12^th August and 11^th September, which includes the date of the Battle of Bosworth Field (22^nd August 1485 AD). King Henry was certainly a greedy man, as he hoarded vast amounts of money (his son Henry VIII would go on to waste all of this attempting to conquer France and Scotland). When Henry Tudor became king, he asked a fortune-teller where they would spend Christmas. When the fortune-teller replied that they would be at home, Henry Tudor called them a fraud and said that they would spend Christmas in prison as he would have them locked up. Henry Tudor was not a very nice man, despite all of the Tudor propaganda.

I think back to the eighth card, with Jupiter in Gemini. If the brothers’ ‘atmosphere’ came to an end sometime after the beginning of May 1491, then it must be sometime after this that Henry VII learnt that they were alive. Whether or not they would have been abroad or in the church, they still remained a threat. Jupiter began to enter Cancer on 15^th May 1492 and Venus entered Cancer four days later – remember, ‘something rises from judgement’.

If Henry VII learned that the brothers were still alive during this time period then it would have spelt danger for them. Either way, something important happened to the brothers if they were still alive in 1491.

Nevertheless, considering the treacherous world that the Princes lived in, surviving for at least eight years after everyone said they had died is quite impressive. Or perhaps it was even later. If the King of Pentacles refers to an old man (Henry VII turned fifty in January 1507) and the hopes and fears of the boys is connected to a time when Venus is in Aries, the boys could have been alive as early as 5^th May 1507 (at which point they would have been 37 and 34).