King Richard III's violent end revealed by scientists

A study by a team of scientists from the University of Leicester has found that King Richard III died as a result of 11 wounds, possibly in the heat of battle. Three of the injuries—two to the skull and one to the pelvis—were likely to have led to a quick death.

Who is King Richard?

Richard III was King of England for two years, from 1483 to 1485. He famously fought Henry Tudor at the Battle of Bosworth Field where he suffered defeat and was subsequently killed. Richard III is the only English monarch without a marked grave – his remains were found by archaeologists two years ago beneath a car park in Leicester.

Subscribe to The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.

Sign up

Richard III's death marked the end of the House of York and the beginning of the Tudor rule. He was represented by Shakespeare as a hunchback in the historical play Richard III.

How did he die?

According to researchers, King Richard appears to have sustained his injuries in the heat of battle. Most of the blows were directed at his skull, which suggests that the King’s head may not have been properly protected. Sarah Hainsworth, study author and Professor of Materials Engineering at the University of Leicester told The Independent that the King “was not wearing a helmet, and the absence of defensive wounds on his arms and hands indicate that he was otherwise still armoured at the time of his death”

Professor Guy Rutty, co-author of the study, identified the tools used by the assailants. The “large sharp force trauma” to the lower part of the skull was “possibly from a sword or staff weapon, such as a halberd or bill, and a penetrating injury from the tip of an edged weapon” such as a sword.

How the King will be remembered?

The Archbishop of Canterbury will lead a televised funeral for Richard III at Leicester Cathedral next March. The Independent said that “The Most Reverend Justin Welby will be joined by the Catholic Archbishop of Westminster Cardinal Vincent Nicholas and representatives of other faiths to bury the Plantagenet King with ‘dignity and honour’”.