Abstract

Richard III was the last of the Plantagenets. He was killed at the Battle of Bosworth on the 22nd August 1485. He was the only English Monarch since 839 whose final resting place was unknown until in August 2012, the site of Greyfriars in Leicester was excavated and a grave in a high status position beneath the choir was found. The skeleton found in the grave was that of an adult male with severe scoliosis and significant trauma from battlefield injuries. Radiocarbon dating placed the age of the skeleton to be within the relevant timeframe for it to be that of Richard III . Mitochondrial DNA analysis showed that the skeleton’s DNA matched that of well-verified matrilineal descendants and thus the skeleton was confirmed to be that of Richard III . This talk will discuss the trauma sustained to the skeleton of Richard III and the techniques used to analyse the wounds and relate them to mediaeval weapons of the period and the armour that Richard was likely to have worn.