Skeleton Under Car Park Is England's Richard III, Scientists Say

A skeleton found under a carpark in the English city of Leicester was confirmed Monday as that of King Richard III, widely depicted as one of history's most notorious villains.

Published

4 months ago

Categories

Science

Topics

Europe, Science

People

Richard Buckley, Jo Appleby, Michael Ibsen, Richard Iii

Places

United Kingdom, Leicester

Transcript

SCRIPT: After 500 yrs of mystery, the moment British royal historians had been waiting for… SOUNDBITE 1 Richard Buckley (man), lead archaeologist [English, 24 sec]: "Ladies and gentlemen, it is the academic conclusion of the University of Leicester that beyond reasonable doubt, the individual exhumed at Grey Friars in September 2012 is indeed Richard III, the last Pantagenet king of England." Confirmation that the skeleton found underneath a carpark in the city of Leicester was indeed that of Richard III who died in battle in 1485 Archaeologist, DNA experts and geniologists have spent months matching these bones to England's much maligned King - eventually it was a DNA match with this man - Michael Ibsen, a living relative of Richard's that sealed it SOUNDBITE 2: Michael Ibsen (man), descendant of Richard III whose DNA was used to identify the skeleton [English, 16 sec]: "Finally for the result to be finally confirmed, as I gather from what I was told yesterday, as a perfect match -- it stuns you to be honest." Some see this as the opportunitiy to re-tell the story of Richard who - for years- was painted as a brutal villain by the Tudor dynasty that succeeded him. SOUNDBITE 3: Phil Stone (man), chair, Richard III society [English, 15 sec]: "It will broaden the interest -- people will at last, I hope, see that Richard was not a monster as portrayed by Shakespeare and that we can start to get to the bottom of the real man." Richard's remains are to be buried in Leicester Cathedral- in many people's eyes a fitting resting place for the last of England's plantagenet kings. SHOTLIST: LEICESTER, BRITAIN, FEBRUARY 4, 2013 SOURCE: AFPTV - WS press conference - SOUNDBITE 1 LEICESTER, BRITAIN, OCTOBER 4, 2012 SOURCE: AFPTV - WS carpark LEICESTER, BRITAIN, DATE UNKNOWN, SOURCE: UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER - VAR archaeologist working on site LEICESTER, BRITAIN, OCTOBER 4, 2012 SOURCE: AFPTV - MS analyst in office - VAR Michael Ibsen in furniture workshop LEICESTER, BRITAIN, FEBRUARY 4, 2013 SOURCE: AFPTV - SOUNDBITE 2 LEICESTER, BRITAIN, OCTOBER 4, 2012 SOURCE: AFPTV - VAR statue of Richard III LEICESTER, BRITAIN, FEBRUARY 4, 2013 SOURCE: AFPTV - SOUNDBITE 3 LEICESTER, BRITAIN, OCTOBER 4, 2012 SOURCE: AFPTV - VAR Leicester cathedral /// ----------------------------------------------------------- AFP TEXT STORY: Skeleton under carpark is England's Richard III: scientists by Alice Ritchie LEICESTER, United Kingdom, Feb 4, 2013 (AFP) - A skeleton found under a carpark in the English city of Leicester was confirmed Monday as that of King Richard III, widely depicted as one of history's most notorious villains. Scientists from the University of Leicester matched DNA from the 500-year-old skeleton with that of descendants of the king's sister, while the skeleton had the twisted spine and battle injuries consistent with contemporary accounts. "It is the academic conclusion of the University of Leicester that, beyond reasonable doubt, the individual exhumed at Greyfriars in September 2012 is indeed Richard III, the last Plantagenet king of England," lead archaeologist Richard Buckley said to applause at a press conference at the university. He said the king's remains would now be re-interred at Leicester Cathedral, just across from the municipal carpark where they were found, in keeping with archaeological practice to bury remains on the nearest consecrated ground. The discovery has caused huge excitement among historians, as it provides firm evidence about a monarch whose life has been shrouded in controversy since his death at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. According to historical accounts, Richard's body was transported naked and bloody on the back of a pack horse to Leicester before being buried in an unmarked grave at Greyfriars, a Franciscan friary in the central English city. The crown passed to the Tudor monarchs who, with the help of William Shakespeare, painted Richard as a hunchbacked villain who stopped at nothing in his quest for power, even murdering his two young nephews to secure the throne. The skeleton confirms that the monarch had severe scoliosis, or twisting of the spine. It may have been painful and caused his right shoulder to appear higher than his left, but there was no evidence of the withered arm depicted in Shakespeare's "Richard III". In a forensic search that at times resembled a television crime drama, and which even one of its supporters admitted was a "one-in-a-million shot", the evidence that the remains belonged to Richard quickly stacked up. The man was the right age -- Richard died aged 32 -- had a high-protein diet consistent with someone of high birth, and had a slender, almost feminine build, which matched contemporary accounts. Carbon dating put the skeleton in Richard's era, while it also showed clear signs of having been in battle. It had two significant wounds to the skull, likely caused by a sword and a halberd, a type of axe, one of which killed him, according to Jo Appleby, the project's lead osteologist. There was also evidence of "humiliation injuries" to the face and buttocks, which may well have been inflicted on his naked body by rivals after his death. The researchers were confident they had found Richard, but the final confirmation only came with the DNA results on Sunday, just hours before more than 150 journalists were due to gather for the announcement. Geneticist Turi King had confirmed that the skeleton's DNA matched that of two descendants of Richard's sister, Anne of York -- a Canadian-born carpenter, Michael Ibsen, and another person who wishes to remain anonymous. "In short the DNA evidence points to these being the remains of Richard III," she told the press conference. Ibsen, a 17th-generation descendant, told AFP said he was "stunned" by the discovery and said he was looking forward to seeing the facial reconstruction of Richard, although he added: "It won't look like me." Historians now hope to dispel some of the myths about Richard, publicising evidence to refute claims that he killed his nephews, the so-called Princes in the Tower, and focusing on what he achieved in his brief two-year reign, including the establishment of a system of bail and legal aid. Philippa Langley, a member of the Richard III Society who coordinated and helped fund the search, said she hoped a new image would emerge of the king and "the two-dimensional character devised by the Tudors will be no more". "We have searched for Richard and we have found him. Now it's time to honour him," she said. Debate about what to do with the bones amid calls from some for them to be buried in the city of York, Richard's power base, ended with the decision that Leicester Cathedral will be his final resting place.