King Edward V

He was born on 4 November 1470 at Westminster, the oldest son of King Edward IV, at a time when his father was in exile in Burgundy. A few months later, his father returned and was back on the throne. When the King died quite unexpectedly on 9 April 1483, his son set out for London, to be met on the way by his uncle Richard, the Duke of Gloucester. In London, they were met by the Lord Mayor, who escorted them to the Tower (a Royal residence then, not only a prison for traitors). A few weeks later, the validity of Edward IV´s marriage (and his son´s claim to the throne) was questioned, and on 25 June 1483 Edward V was deposed, his uncle Richard became King Richard III. The fate of the 12 year-old Edward and his younger brother (who was with him in the Tower) remains unclear, they were never seen again after June 1483. In 1674, the bones of two children were found beneath a staircase in the Tower. King Charles II ordered that they were placed in an urn and deposited in Westminster Abbey. Reportedly, either their uncle Richard or the future King Henry VII were responsible for the murderers of the two Royal boys.

As you can imagine, the signature of this young King is extremely rare, here as "R Edwardus quintus".