This Day in History: 1484-05-02

On 2nd May 1484, Niclas Von Popplau was granted an audience with Richard III, ‘in the presence of the princes, earls, councillors and all his nobility, in front of which I spoke Latin’. This meeting was held at York and Popplau delivered to Richard letters from His Imperial Majesty the King and the Duke of Burgundy. We do not know the content of these letters but, after Popplau left the king’s court on that day, he was conducted to a nearby inn by a gentleman of the Royal Chamber, quickly finding they were not alone as they were followed by many women and maidens. It is at this meeting that Richard III mentioned to Popplau that the castle he had passed or visited on his way from Doncaster to York, ‘is called in Latin pons fractus, which was confirmed to me later by the word of the king himself, whose name is Richard King of England…..’  Again, as per our entry for the 1st May 1484 it is intriguing to consider the possibility that Popplau’s travel-diary comment ‘the king’s children and sons to the princes just like you keep prisoners’  may refer to the two ‘Princes in the Tower’ supposedly murdered in 1483. We would invite any comments, evidence or discussion upon this fascinating mystery through the ‘Contact Us’ button to the right of this page.