Historians may be on the verge of solving one of England's greatest historical mysteries - the location of where King Richard III is buried.
The Yorkist Richard III, the last Plantagenet king, was slain during the 1485 Battle of Bosworth by his Lancastrian rival Henry Tudor's army, who was crowned King Henry VII after his victory, becoming the first Tudor monarch. The battle was the last of the 30 year Wars of the Roses, a war fought between the Lancastrians and Yorkists, two rival factions of the House of Plantagenet.
In the succeeding years, the Tudors (with a little help from Shakespeare), portrayed Richard III as an evil hunchback who murdered his own nephews (one of whom was King Edward V) in the Tower of London so that he could take the Throne. However, some historians claim this view of him was just Tudor propaganda and he may not have been as bad as many believe him to be (who definitely killed the Princes in the Tower - if, indeed, they were even killed at all - remains a mystery).
Historical records seem to show that the location of Richard III's burial place is underneath what is now a car park in the city of Leicester, not far from when the Battle of Bosworth took place, almost slap bang in the centre of England. Archaeologists from Leicester University hope that finding his remains will change the way that Richard III is viewed.
Is this the lost grave of King Richard III? Archaeologists dig under council car park for monarch killed in Battle of Bosworth
25 August 2012
Daily Mail
The earliest surviving portrait of Richard III in Leicester Cathedral. Archaeologists are hoping to find his grave under a council car park in Leicester.
It seems an unlikely resting place for a monarch.
Historians believe they have finally discovered where King Richard III is buried – under a council car park in Leicester.
According to records, the last medieval king of England was buried in a Franciscan friary in the area after being killed by the army of Henry Tudor during the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.
The friary was, however, knocked down during Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries, and the exact location of the burial site has been one of Britain’s enduring historical mysteries ever since.
Now, after closely examining ancient maps, archaeologists believe the most likely site for the church is a car park of a social services office in the centre of Leicester. Yesterday, they began digging it up.
The Yorkist King Richard III was killed by the Lancastrian Henry Tudor's army during the 1485 Battle of Bosworth, the last battle of the 30 year long Wars of the Roses. Richard was the last English monarch to be killed in battle and Henry Tudor became King Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch
Richard was King of England for two years, from 1483 until the Battle of Bosworth.
His death at the age of 32 marked the end of 30 years of civil war, known as the Wars of the Roses, and the end of the middle ages.
It also marked the dawn of the Tudor dynasty and the demise of the Plantagenets.
His clothes and armour were removed and his naked body carried on horseback to Leicester, where the corpse was displayed in public for three days. He was then buried in the Franciscan friary, known as Greyfriars, but just over 50 years later the church was destroyed.
Archaeologists prepare for the dig at Greyfriars car park in Leicester watched by actors dressed as Knights from Historic Equitation Ltd during an archaeological search for the lost grave of Richard III
Legend says the body was removed and cast into the river Soar, but historians hope to prove wrong this disputed version of events by finding it at the council site.
The archaeologists, from Leicester University, along with members of the Richard III Historical Society, hope finding the remains will help to change the way the monarch is viewed historically.
Richard III is traditionally seen as a tyrant who murdered his way to the throne, disfigured by a hunchback and a withered arm.
Claire Graham uses ground penetration radar (GPR) at Greyfriars car park in Leicester as the search for Richard III's remains gets underway
In a field behind Fenn Lane Farm near Leicester, the treeline marks the spot where Richard III is believed to have been killed in battle
Many historians, however, claim that a distorted image of the king was deliberately created by the Tudors, the most notorious example of which is Shakespeare’s play about him.
The Richard III Historical Society said it hoped the excavation, which is projected to last two weeks, would end ‘the enormous disparagement’ of his reputation.
The site of the friary was bought by Alderman Robert Herrick, the Mayor of Leicester, in 1612, after the church was demolished in 1538. He built a mansion there.
In 1914, Leicestershire County Council bought the land, later turning it into a car park.
Archaeologists will start by digging two long trenches across the car park, hoping to find remains of the church and narrow down the search. They will also use ground-penetrating radar to find the best places to dig.
Richard Buckley, co-director of the Archaeology Service at the university, said: ‘It is quite a long shot but it’s a very exciting project. We don’t know precisely where the body would have been buried but we suspect it would be in the choir or near the altar.’
If bones are found they will be assessed for trauma to the skeleton.
Richard was hacked down after being surrounded and one historical account suggests that the blow which finally felled him was so hard that fragments of his helmet were left in his skull.
They will also be subjected to DNA analysis. The remains will be matched against the DNA of Joy Ibsen, a 16th generation descendant of Anne of York, the sister of Richard III. Mrs Ibsen died four years ago, aged 82.
At the site yesterday, Mrs Ibsen’s son Michael, 55, watched as the search began.
The furniture-maker, who was born in Canada but now lives in London, said his mother would have been thrilled by the project.
‘The family were entertained when she got the call several years ago from a historian claiming she was a descendant,’ he added.
The Chiddingly Boar, medieval silver-gilt livery badge of Richard III, helped researchers pinpoint the location of the Battle of Bosworth when it was found in East Sussex in 1999
Archaeologist Dr Glenn Foard shows today how the badge of the boar led them to pinpoint the battlefield and where the king fell. 'This is almost certainly from a knight in Richard's retinue, who rode with him to his death on that last charge,' he said
A flag and memorial stone mark Richard's Field, just northwest of Ambion Hill
Memorial: The plaque at the place where Richard is believed to have been killed
SHAKESPEARE'S TYRANT KING
The 69p stamp featuring Richard III
Born in 1452, Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field.
According to another tale, Richard consulted a seer in Leicester before the battle who foretold that 'where your spur should strike on the ride into battle, your head shall be broken on the return'.
On the ride into battle his spur struck the bridge stone of the Bow Bridge; legend has it that, as his corpse was being carried from the battle over the back of a horse, his head struck the same stone and was broken open.
Richard III was the last English king to be killed in battle
He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty.
Although Richard III has gone down in history as a monstrous tyrant with a hunchback and a withered arm, most historians now claim such an image is purely fictitious and down largely to how he was portrayed by Shakespeare.
Read more: King Richard III: Archaeologists dig under council car park for monarch killed in Battle of Bosworth | Mail Online
The Yorkist Richard III, the last Plantagenet king, was slain during the 1485 Battle of Bosworth by his Lancastrian rival Henry Tudor's army, who was crowned King Henry VII after his victory, becoming the first Tudor monarch. The battle was the last of the 30 year Wars of the Roses, a war fought between the Lancastrians and Yorkists, two rival factions of the House of Plantagenet.
In the succeeding years, the Tudors (with a little help from Shakespeare), portrayed Richard III as an evil hunchback who murdered his own nephews (one of whom was King Edward V) in the Tower of London so that he could take the Throne. However, some historians claim this view of him was just Tudor propaganda and he may not have been as bad as many believe him to be (who definitely killed the Princes in the Tower - if, indeed, they were even killed at all - remains a mystery).
Historical records seem to show that the location of Richard III's burial place is underneath what is now a car park in the city of Leicester, not far from when the Battle of Bosworth took place, almost slap bang in the centre of England. Archaeologists from Leicester University hope that finding his remains will change the way that Richard III is viewed.
Is this the lost grave of King Richard III? Archaeologists dig under council car park for monarch killed in Battle of Bosworth
- Dig hopes to uncover the church of the Franciscan Friary, known as Greyfriars
- If remains are found, they will undergo DNA analysis at the University of Leicester to confirm that they are those of Richard III
25 August 2012
Daily Mail
The earliest surviving portrait of Richard III in Leicester Cathedral. Archaeologists are hoping to find his grave under a council car park in Leicester.
It seems an unlikely resting place for a monarch.
Historians believe they have finally discovered where King Richard III is buried – under a council car park in Leicester.
According to records, the last medieval king of England was buried in a Franciscan friary in the area after being killed by the army of Henry Tudor during the Battle of Bosworth in 1485.
The friary was, however, knocked down during Henry VIII’s dissolution of the monasteries, and the exact location of the burial site has been one of Britain’s enduring historical mysteries ever since.
Now, after closely examining ancient maps, archaeologists believe the most likely site for the church is a car park of a social services office in the centre of Leicester. Yesterday, they began digging it up.
The Yorkist King Richard III was killed by the Lancastrian Henry Tudor's army during the 1485 Battle of Bosworth, the last battle of the 30 year long Wars of the Roses. Richard was the last English monarch to be killed in battle and Henry Tudor became King Henry VII, the first Tudor monarch
Richard was King of England for two years, from 1483 until the Battle of Bosworth.
His death at the age of 32 marked the end of 30 years of civil war, known as the Wars of the Roses, and the end of the middle ages.
It also marked the dawn of the Tudor dynasty and the demise of the Plantagenets.
His clothes and armour were removed and his naked body carried on horseback to Leicester, where the corpse was displayed in public for three days. He was then buried in the Franciscan friary, known as Greyfriars, but just over 50 years later the church was destroyed.
Archaeologists prepare for the dig at Greyfriars car park in Leicester watched by actors dressed as Knights from Historic Equitation Ltd during an archaeological search for the lost grave of Richard III
Legend says the body was removed and cast into the river Soar, but historians hope to prove wrong this disputed version of events by finding it at the council site.
The archaeologists, from Leicester University, along with members of the Richard III Historical Society, hope finding the remains will help to change the way the monarch is viewed historically.
Richard III is traditionally seen as a tyrant who murdered his way to the throne, disfigured by a hunchback and a withered arm.
Claire Graham uses ground penetration radar (GPR) at Greyfriars car park in Leicester as the search for Richard III's remains gets underway
In a field behind Fenn Lane Farm near Leicester, the treeline marks the spot where Richard III is believed to have been killed in battle
Many historians, however, claim that a distorted image of the king was deliberately created by the Tudors, the most notorious example of which is Shakespeare’s play about him.
The Richard III Historical Society said it hoped the excavation, which is projected to last two weeks, would end ‘the enormous disparagement’ of his reputation.
The site of the friary was bought by Alderman Robert Herrick, the Mayor of Leicester, in 1612, after the church was demolished in 1538. He built a mansion there.
In 1914, Leicestershire County Council bought the land, later turning it into a car park.
Archaeologists will start by digging two long trenches across the car park, hoping to find remains of the church and narrow down the search. They will also use ground-penetrating radar to find the best places to dig.
Richard Buckley, co-director of the Archaeology Service at the university, said: ‘It is quite a long shot but it’s a very exciting project. We don’t know precisely where the body would have been buried but we suspect it would be in the choir or near the altar.’
If bones are found they will be assessed for trauma to the skeleton.
Richard was hacked down after being surrounded and one historical account suggests that the blow which finally felled him was so hard that fragments of his helmet were left in his skull.
They will also be subjected to DNA analysis. The remains will be matched against the DNA of Joy Ibsen, a 16th generation descendant of Anne of York, the sister of Richard III. Mrs Ibsen died four years ago, aged 82.
At the site yesterday, Mrs Ibsen’s son Michael, 55, watched as the search began.
The furniture-maker, who was born in Canada but now lives in London, said his mother would have been thrilled by the project.
‘The family were entertained when she got the call several years ago from a historian claiming she was a descendant,’ he added.
The Chiddingly Boar, medieval silver-gilt livery badge of Richard III, helped researchers pinpoint the location of the Battle of Bosworth when it was found in East Sussex in 1999
Archaeologist Dr Glenn Foard shows today how the badge of the boar led them to pinpoint the battlefield and where the king fell. 'This is almost certainly from a knight in Richard's retinue, who rode with him to his death on that last charge,' he said
A flag and memorial stone mark Richard's Field, just northwest of Ambion Hill
Memorial: The plaque at the place where Richard is believed to have been killed
SHAKESPEARE'S TYRANT KING
The 69p stamp featuring Richard III
Born in 1452, Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 until his death in 1485 during the Battle of Bosworth Field.
According to another tale, Richard consulted a seer in Leicester before the battle who foretold that 'where your spur should strike on the ride into battle, your head shall be broken on the return'.
On the ride into battle his spur struck the bridge stone of the Bow Bridge; legend has it that, as his corpse was being carried from the battle over the back of a horse, his head struck the same stone and was broken open.
Richard III was the last English king to be killed in battle
He was the last king of the House of York and the last of the Plantagenet dynasty.
Although Richard III has gone down in history as a monstrous tyrant with a hunchback and a withered arm, most historians now claim such an image is purely fictitious and down largely to how he was portrayed by Shakespeare.
Read more: King Richard III: Archaeologists dig under council car park for monarch killed in Battle of Bosworth | Mail Online
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