Restoring a King's Reputation

The King's Grave: The Discovery of Richard III's Lost Burial Place and the Clues It Holds by Philippa Langley and Michael Jones

I was immediately drawn to this story, when it first appeared in the Star Tribune newspaper.  The story talked about how Philippa Langley believed she had pinpointed where the remains of Richard III were buried following his defeat and death at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 against Henry Tudor for the English throne.

The article stated they had located the fairly complete skeletal remains in a Leicester car park, and would be conducting DNA tests to determine if the bones were those of last king of England to die in battle. Langley and her team of archaeologists had a male DNA sample provided by a Canadian citizen who claimed to be a descendant of Richard III.

Several months later there appeared a follow-up article claiming the carbon dating and DNA tests performed verified the bones were the remains of King Richard III. The photograph of the skeletal remains showed a curvature of the spine, at first reinforcing the image of Richard III as portrayed over the years in various productions of Shakespeare's play.  A forensics pathologist diagnosed the condition as severe scoliosis, but the disability did not hamper Richard's skills in battle.  The skeleton’s wounds showed this last English king to die in battle led a courageous and carefully planned cavalry charge at Bosworth against an inexperienced, fearful Henry Tudor luckily saved by mercenary French pikemen.  Langley states upfront in the book her intention was to quash the caricature of a murderous, hunchbacked psychopath vilified by Tudor propagandists and Shakespeare alike.

The work and findings from this three week dig and subsequent publication of The King's Grave successfully restores the dignity and reputation of one of England's most maligned members of royalty.  While Richard reigned only two years, the true historical record shows Richard was an idealistic king with a keen sense of justice and humor, as well as a courageous warrior who was devoted to his father and brother.  To paraphrase the old adage, "To the victor may go the spoils, but not necessarily the final historical record."

An interesting and fascinating read!