Exhumation and reburial of Richard III of England

Richard III of England was the last ruler of the Plantagenet dynasty. He was killed fighting the forces of Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. His body was taken to Greyfriars Friary in Leicester, where it was buried in a crude grave. Following the friary’s dissolution in 1538 and subsequent demolition, Richard’s tomb was lost. A search for Richard’s body began in August 2012, initiated by the Looking for Richard project with the support of the Richard III Society. In September 2012, a skeleton belonging to a man in his thirties was uncovered showing signs of severe injuries.

About Exhumation and reburial of Richard III of England in brief

Richard III of England was the last ruler of the Plantagenet dynasty. He was killed fighting the forces of Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. His body was taken to Greyfriars Friary in Leicester, where it was buried in a crude grave. Following the friary’s dissolution in 1538 and subsequent demolition, Richard’s tomb was lost. A search for Richard’s body began in August 2012, initiated by the Looking for Richard project with the support of the Richard III Society. In September 2012, a skeleton belonging to a man in his thirties was uncovered showing signs of severe injuries. The skeleton, which had several unusual physical features, most notably scoliosis, a severe curvature of the back, was exhumed to allow scientific analysis. DNA analysis showed that mitochondrial DNA extracted from the bones matched that of two matrilineal descendants of Richard’s sister Anne of York. The University of Leicester announced on 4 February 2013 that it had concluded beyond reasonable doubt that the skeleton was that of Richard III. As a condition of being allowed to disinter the skeleton, the archaeologists agreed that, if Richard were found, his remains would be reburied in Leicester Cathedral. Reinterment took place in Leicester on 26 March 2015, during a televised memorial service held in the presence of the Archbishop of Canterbury and senior members of other Christian denominations. A controversy arose as to whether an alternative reburial site, York Minster or Westminster Abbey, would be more suitable, but a legal challenge confirmed there were no public law grounds for the courts to be involved in that decision.

In 1495, Henry VII paid for a marble tomb and alabaster monument to mark Richard’s grave. Its surviving papers show that two men received payments of £50 and £1010, respectively, to make the transport and transport of the tomb from Nottingham to Leicester. In 1577, Raphael wrote in Holinshed that it was used as a place of pilgrimage for the sick and dying. Richard was buried at the convent of Franciscan monks in Leicester with no funeral solemnity. The Warwickshire priest John Rous, writing between 1486 and 1491, recorded that Richard had been buried in the choir of the Friary of the Minor at Leicester Minor at the time of his death. Although writers ascribed Richard’s burial to other places, the accounts of Vergil and Rous were later seen by modern investigators as the most credible. Richard’s remains were ultimately reinterred at Leicester Cathedral on 26 February 2015, after extensive anthropological and genetic testing, and a public memorial service for the king in March 2015. For confidential support call the Samaritans on 08457 90 90 90 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details. In the U.S. call the National Suicide Prevention Line on 1-800-273-8255 or click here for details on how to get in touch.

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