Richard the Third was hastily buried in a makeshift grave, according to new research on the remains of the English king who ruled from 1483 to 1485. The grave of the English king was found in September 2012 under a parking lot in Leicester, England.
The 15th century monarch was found buried in a hole too small for his 5' 8" body, without coffin or burial shroud, positioned with his upper back crammed up against the north side of the grave. There is evidence that his hands may have been tied at the time of his burial. Due to the body's twisted position in the grave, it is theorized that a gravedigger stood in the grave as the deceased king was laid to rest, and did not bother to center the body.
Polydore Vergil, Tudor historian, said Richard III was buried "...without any pomp or solemn funeral."
The new research was conducted by scientists from the University of Leicester, led by Richard Buckley and Mathew Morris.
Examinations of the remains showed that the king died from violent sword blows to his head. Evidence also exists that the body continued to be injured after his death. Wounds were sustained to his back and buttocks which could not have been sustained while the king was still wearing armor. These wounds may have been made to further humiliate the king as his body lay for several days under the hot Sun.
By examining the layers of dirt around the grave, researchers were able to determine that the people who buried the king dug a sloppy, inclined hole in which to bury the dead monarch. This stands in sharp contrast to the straight, neatly-dug graves which were traditional at that time, including examples next to that of the buried monarch.
Richard met a violent death at age 32 during the Battle of Bosworth Field at the tail end of the War of the Roses. Because of these circumstances, it is not surprising that the monarch was buried quickly, but the degree to which this was the case was unexpected.
"The haste may partially be explained by the fact that Richard's damaged body had already been on public display for several days in the height of summer," wrote researchers, "and was thus in poor condition."
The last King of York, Richard III is best-known for his depiction in Shakespeare's famous play of the same name. He suffered from a curvature of the spine caused by scoliosis.
After the body was discovered in September, DNA samples were taken from the remains and compared to known descendants of the king to confirm the identity. York and Leicester are currently fighting over the right to give the king a proper burial and make his new grave a tourist attraction.
