What went on with Stillington and the previous betrothal, and what

I just started properly researching whether Richard
III killed his nephews. I read Josephine Tey's novel
some time ago and forgot everything in it, and I am
now in the middle of Kay Penman's novel on the
subject. So I'm not yet knowledgeable enough for
intelligent discussion. But I could use some help
finding some of the facts.

The mystery fascinates me because neither the facts
nor any of the theories appear to make any logical
sense.

To be convincing, the argument that Richard III did
not kill his nephews has to counter in particular two
questions. First question is, what went on between
when the boys went missing and when Henry VII took the
throne? Elizabeth Woodville seems to have been very
strange, and I don't know that she wasn't allied with
the Tudor party! But since she and I think Margaret
Beaufort (I'm not that far along in the story but I've
been doing some searching on the web) raised a
rebellion partly on the grounds of suspicion that
something had happened to the princes since noone had
seen them, clearly the Lancaster forces didn't dream
it up later as propaganda. Winston Churchill said
all of England was wondering what had happened to the
princes, but I don't know the truth of that.
Certainly the disappearance of the princes before
Richard III was killed is one of the weak links in the
argument that he didn't disappear them. And
Elizabeth Woodville didn't kill her own sons!

The other question that needs answering is what went
on with Stillington and the allegation that Henry was
previously betrothed and therefore his children were
illegitimate? Penman is at the point where I am in
the story building the case that Stillington was
simply a nervous and hyperscrupulous cleric doing what
such people do at an inopportune moment, but I can't
accept that since it appears to be speculation on her
part. Who was he? Was he already a supporter of
Richard? Waht is the evidence that such a betrothal
ever took place? Is there any evidence that George
blabbing about it in his cups or discovering the
matter got him executed?

I am wondering for that matter what was really up with
such an issue out made of a previous betrothal. If
betrothals were the equivalent of marriage in church
law, it must be the only time in history anyone ever
remembered that! The king of France had just broken
his betrothal to Elizabeth of York, and noone said a
word about church law! Penman in her earlier books
writes of one broken royal betrothal after another,
with no bones made about it save injured dignity and
broken relations. Where did this really come from?

Yours,
Dora

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