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Remains of King Richard III Found Under a Parking Lot After Missing for Centuries

Feb. 4, 2013 7:20am

LEICESTER, England (AP) — Scientists say they have found the 500-year-old remains of England’s King Richard III under a parking lot in the city of Leicester.

University of Leicester researchers say tests on a battle-scarred skeleton unearthed last year prove “beyond reasonable doubt” that it is the king, who died at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485, and whose remains have been missing for centuries.

“Richard III, the last Plantaganet King of England,” has been found,” said the university’s deputy registrar, Richard Taylor.

Osteologist Jo Appleby said Monday that the study of the bones provided “a highly convincing case for identification of Richard III.”

And DNA from the skeleton matches a sample taken from a distant living relative of Richard’s sister.

The last English monarch to die in battle, Richard was depicted in a play by William Shakespeare as a hunchbacked usurper who left a trail of bodies – including those of his two princely nephews, murdered in the Tower of London – on his way to the throne.

Many historians say that image is unfair, and argue Richard’s reputation was smeared by his Tudor successors. That’s an argument taken up by the Richard III Society, set up to re-evaluate the reputation of a reviled monarch.

“It will be a whole new era for Richard III,” the society’s Lynda Pidgeon said. “It’s certainly going to spark a lot more interest. Hopefully people will have a more open mind toward Richard.”

Richard III ruled England between 1483 and 1485, during the decades-long tussle over the throne known as the Wars of the Roses. His brief reign saw liberal reforms, including introduction of the right to bail and the lifting of restrictions on books and printing presses.

His rule was challenged, and he was defeated and killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field by the army of Henry Tudor, who took the throne as King Henry VII.

For centuries, the location of Richard’s body has been unknown. Records say he was buried by the Franciscan monks of Grey Friars at their church in Leicester, 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of London. The church was closed and dismantled after King Henry VIII dissolved the monasteries in 1538, and its location eventually was forgotten.

Then, last September, archaeologists searching for Richard dug up the skeleton of an adult male who appeared to have died in battle. There were signs of trauma to the skull, perhaps from a bladed instrument, and a barbed metal arrowhead was found between vertebrae of the upper back.

The remains also displayed signs of scoliosis, which is a form of spinal curvature, consistent with contemporary accounts of Richard’s appearance, though not with Shakespeare’s description of him as “deform’d, unfinished,” hunchback.

Researchers conducted a battery of scientific tests, including radiocarbon dating to determine the skeleton’s age. They also compared its DNA with samples taken from a London cabinet-maker identified as a 17th great-grand-nephew of the king’s older sister.

The mayor of Leicester, Peter Soulsby, said the monarch would be interred in the city’s cathedral.

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Comments (75)

1 2
  • zenjak
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 12:27pm

    500 years? Dang, I hope he got a reduced rate for parking in one of the subterranean levels.

    Report this comment

    zenjak  
    • Mooneyes1
      Posted on February 4, 2013 at 4:41pm

      very funny, glad someone still has a light heart and funnybone these days.

      Report this comment

      Mooneyes1  
  • The_Cabrito_Goat
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 12:15pm

    Not an anglophile in the least, but fossils fascinate me. Mostly when they’re bad a$$ dinosaurs

    Report this comment

    The_Cabrito_Goat  
  • Big Media Bias
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 12:04pm

    Maybe 500 years from now they will find King Obama’s skeletal remains in someone’s septic tank.

    Report this comment

    Big Media Bias  
  • b@man
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 12:01pm

    This should be required reading for would be kings, dictators and tyrants… soon you will be a pile of bones under a parking lot too.

    Report this comment

    b@man  
  • toto
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 11:57am

    It is amazing to see the results of gum disease and the calculus that remains on his teeth so clearly.

    Report this comment

    toto  
  • G-WHIZ
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 11:12am

    “Oh—Nooooo! my peace-and-quiet has been shattered!!” or: “Maybe I can now Vote for King-O’ in his 3rd-term!”

    Report this comment

    G-WHIZ  
  • ARSILHOUETTE
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 10:38am

    It just reaffirms the old adage, ” If you tell a (false) story often enough it will become fact”. IE Robinhood, The Three Musketeers. Check the real story about the villans in the stories. Just wonder how the “story” of BO will be told for generations to come.

    Report this comment

    ARSILHOUETTE  
  • woodyee
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 10:27am

    Boy, some folks are so desperate for real Leadership, that they’ll dig up the old ones and see if they can fix them!

    Report this comment

    woodyee  
  • samnjoeysgrama
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 10:05am

    A great book showing how the victors record history is “Truth is the Mistress of Time”. All the facts point to Henry the VII actually killing the two princess after he killed Richard III. So in 500 years will we know about election fraud and Obama’s birth certificate? We can hope, but I’m a little more impatient than that.

    Report this comment

    samnjoeysgrama  
  • huey6367
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 10:03am

    Don’t care. Next story of interest, please

    Report this comment

    huey6367  
    • EgoLacuna
      Posted on February 4, 2013 at 10:24am

      That’s just like saying, “I’m stupid so please don’t give me any extra information.” How could you not care?! Knowledge is knowledge, it’s hard to image why you wouldn’t want more, regardless of the topic.

      Report this comment

      EgoLacuna  
    • AboveMyPayGrade
      Posted on February 4, 2013 at 10:27am

      You demonstrate how much you don’t care about an article by taking the time, however brief, to comment on it?

      You sound just like the young woman in that recent commercial who called her old boyfriend just to let him know that from now on she would be ignoring him.

      I didn’t care one whit about the Super Bowl last night – and I demonstrated it by not watching even so much as a second of it. I and the vast majority of fellow conservatives demonstrate how much we don’t care for the leftstream broadcast media like Communist News Network and BSLSD by never tuning it in, and how much we don’t care for the leftstream print media by not buying its product (an approach, I might add, that’s WORKING, given how many leftists dailies have gone out of business in the last several years and how many other leftist dailies, like the New York Times, are currently on life support financially).

      Most people with a lick of common sense demonstrate their disdain for what they have contempt for by ESCHEWING it. Ever hear of the concept?

      Report this comment

      AboveMyPayGrade  
    • gryffn
      Posted on February 4, 2013 at 10:36am

      I love history. If you don’t like, don’t post and MOVE ON.

      Report this comment

      gryffn  
    • huey6367
      Posted on February 4, 2013 at 11:36am

      To the responders,

      Don’t get your panties in a wad over an internet comment. Geez. I am interested in the health and well-being of this country more than the discovery of a king that died 500 years ago. I like history. Hell, I love history. Point is, there are a lot of terrible things happening in the world today and I want to know about them more than the king.

      BTW, I could care less about the Super Bowl, too.

      Report this comment

      huey6367  
    • midnightvelvet
      Posted on February 4, 2013 at 1:11pm

      Sorry, I must respectfully disagree. This is a fascinating find.

      Report this comment

      midnightvelvet  
    • Shutter
      Posted on February 4, 2013 at 1:29pm

      I didn’t care who won, but the game was pretty good. You missed a good one.

      Report this comment

      Shutter  
  • Mag26
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 9:57am

    His teeth are in pretty good shape for an Englander

    Report this comment

    Mag26  
    • SirIzakNuton
      Posted on February 4, 2013 at 10:37am

      He was just 32 when he was killed, so time hadn’t quite done it’s work yet on his teeth. :)

      Report this comment

      SirIzakNuton  
    • TheBurningTruth
      Posted on February 4, 2013 at 1:51pm

      That was before the govt NHS took over health care.

      Report this comment

      TheBurningTruth  
    • Sgt Lamb
      Posted on February 4, 2013 at 6:06pm

      they didn’t have National Health Service back then, today they would be worse………….

      Report this comment

      Sgt Lamb  
  • whatsallthisthen
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 9:35am

    Geraldo Rivera hasn’t been consulted yet, so don’t jump to any conclusions.

    Report this comment

    whatsallthisthen  
  • Teaple
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 9:29am

    May he rest in peace. Oops, too late for that

    Report this comment

    Teaple  
    • Bloody Sam
      Posted on February 4, 2013 at 10:22am

      “Now is the Winter of our discontent, made glorious Summer by this sun of York.”

      Report this comment

      Bloody Sam  
  • FreedomWitness
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 9:28am

    A parking lot. A parking lot! My kingdom for a parking lot!

    or as the English would say:

    A car park. A car park. My kingdom for a car park!

    Report this comment

    FreedomWitness  
    • starman70
      Posted on February 4, 2013 at 9:41am

      The old 70′s song: “They pave paradise and put up a parking lot”, and corralation here?

      Report this comment

      starman70  
    • HigherRoad
      Posted on February 4, 2013 at 9:10pm

      Richard III had to accept his “lot” in life.

      Report this comment

      HigherRoad  
  • Verceofreason
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 9:28am

    They also found a totally intact styrofoam cup

    Report this comment

    Verceofreason  
    • EVANROOD
      Posted on February 4, 2013 at 11:19am

      It contained the cocktail Hoffa was sipping on when they whacked him!

      Report this comment

      EVANROOD  
  • everydaywoman
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 9:20am

    I was wondering who was in my parking spot!

    Report this comment

    everydaywoman  
  • AboveMyPayGrade
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 9:17am

    PIPER60 is likely correct: Richard III all but certainly DID get a bad rap from Shakespeare for being the alleged murderer of Edward IV’s two young sons.

    There’s no evidence that Richard III even had anything to gain from this murder, because only two month’s after Edward IV’s death, London preachers were claiming that the two boys were illegitimate – and technically, they were right.

    When Edward IV married the princes’ mother Elizabeth Woodville, he was already betrothed to the daughter of the Earl of Shrewsbury, and since at that time a betrothal was considered as binding as marriage itself, technically, the wedding was invalid, and therefore Richard III was the rightful heir to Edward IV’s throne.

    It appears that Henry Tudor, who defeated Richard at the Battle of Bosworth Field and became King Henry VII, was a far likelier suspect to have murdered the two princes, whose bones were finally found behind a staircase in the Tower of London in the late 17th century.

    Since Henry had been excluded from the royal succession by birthright, as he was the scion of an illegitimate son somewhere earlier in the royal line, his claim to the throne was based wholly on the right of conquest, and to secure his postion, he married the princes’ sister Elizabeth.

    He was able to get HER declared legitimate, but in so doing, he restored the legitimacy of her brothers. If they were still alive and Henry was to be king, they’d need to be disposed of.

    Report this comment

    AboveMyPayGrade  
    • CoyoteMoon
      Posted on February 4, 2013 at 1:46pm

      Super good comment, thanks. Henry didn’t work alone and I believe it’s Buckingham who was working with him – little rusty on this period of history so hope you can forgive me. He had motive and opportunity. Funny how so many want to ignore this yet fail to notice many of the rights we take for granted began with Simon de Montfort, another who gave his life in the quest for justice.

      Report this comment

      CoyoteMoon  
  • debrarae
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 9:05am

    Given the fact that he tried to plunge his country into ruin, I say leave him where he is!

    Report this comment

    debrarae  
  • jabbahut
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 8:17am

    Are those dental implants?

    Report this comment

    jabbahut  
  • Eastinfection
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 8:00am

    The mafia must of had a lot of money wagered on Ricky III winning the “War of the Roses”.

    “Hey Vito.. we need ja to come repave dis parking lot in Enga-land.. no questions assed. Capiche?”

    Report this comment

    Eastinfection  
    • YOURSENSEI
      Posted on February 4, 2013 at 1:35pm

      The common curse of mankind, folly and ignorance, be thine in great revenue!

      Report this comment

      YOURSENSEI  
    • The_Cabrito_Goat
      Posted on February 4, 2013 at 1:57pm

      Shakespeare, nice

      Report this comment

      The_Cabrito_Goat  
    • Eastinfection
      Posted on February 4, 2013 at 6:20pm

      WANGO…

      This you must know…

      That sounded like a quote from “Troy”.
      Brad Pitt is a schmuck.

      it is so.

      PS: you broke format for me… i’m touched.

      Report this comment

      Eastinfection  
    • YOURSENSEI
      Posted on February 4, 2013 at 9:07pm

      Mr or Ms EASTINFECTION,

      This is what you must know:

      The common curse of mankind, folly and ignorance, be thine in great revenue!

      It is so.

      There, that’s better. And no, it’s not from Troy. Not everything is inspired by a Brad Pitt movie. Maybe in your world, but not in the real world.

      Report this comment

      YOURSENSEI  
  • jackact
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 8:00am

    Wow.
    The Brits found something.
    Not personal prosperity, employment or economic growth.
    But something.

    Report this comment

    jackact  
  • Tickdog
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 7:53am

    very interesting…

    Report this comment

    Tickdog  
    • piper60
      Posted on February 4, 2013 at 8:04am

      The man goy a bad rap from Bill Shakespeare-he was bright, a popular politician, the two nephew’s mother was his best friend for ten years after their deaths and he died heroically, leading his personal bodyguard straight at Henry Tudor. “God Bless the murdered King of England!”

      Report this comment

      piper60  
  • DZ-015
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 7:51am

    So they ruled out Jimmy Hoffa right away?

    Report this comment

    DZ-015  
  • Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 7:33am

    Fascinating indeed, another link in history is established. I wonder how many national leaders of our day would be willing to lead armies into battle as kings did in those days?

    Also, for someone who has been dead for 500 years he does not look all that bad.

    Report this comment

    Snowleopard {gallery of cat folks}  
  • Gonzo
    Posted on February 4, 2013 at 7:27am

    Pretty cool stuff.

    Report this comment

    Gonzo  
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