My Kingdom For some DNA

[WiccanLiberal]

Skull 'could be King Richard III'
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LONDON — Archaeologists hunting for the lost remains of King Richard III have revealed the first image of a battle-scarred skull found at a Leicester car park ahead of what they said would be a "major announcement" about their findings.
More than five centuries after the mediaeval king was killed in battle, academics were due Monday to reveal the identity of a skeleton unearthed in September at a car park.
The skeleton bears striking similarities to descriptions of Richard, who ruled England from 1483 until his death at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485 at age 32.
Its curved spine has an arrowhead embedded in it, and there is evidence of a wound at the back of the skull.
The image released by the University of Leicester showed a well-preserved skull with most of its teeth still intact.
"The skull was in good condition, although fragile, and was able to give us detailed information about this individual," said Jo Appleby, who led the exhumation.
"In order to determine whether this individual is Richard III we have built up a biological profile of its characteristics. We have also carefully examined the skeleton for traces of a violent death."
But the university stopped short of revealing whether the skull was Richard's ahead of its press conference at 1000 GMT on Monday.
Scientists have been using the DNA of distant relative of Richard's to try to confirm the skeleton's identity.
They took DNA samples from 55-year-old Michael Ibsen, a Canadian-born carpenter who lives in London, and have been comparing them with samples from the skeleton.
Ibsen is a 17th-generation nephew of the king, who was immortalised as the hunchbacked villain of Shakespeare's "Richard III".
Richard is thought to have been buried at the Franciscan friary of Grey Friars in Leicester, but the church was demolished in the 1530s and its location had been lost until now.
The skeleton was unearthed in what is thought to have been the choir of the church, which was also uncovered during a three-week archaeological dig at the car park.

[WiccanLiberal]

Been looking at the news today. The announcement was made that the remains are certainly those of the missing monarch. The reported plan is to reinter the remains with ceremony in Leicester Cathedral at some point next year. I will be curious to see if the currrent royals make an appearance.

[Abbey Marie]

Fascinating stuff. I was hoping he would be reinterred at Westiminster Abbey, but I read that QEII has denied the privilege.

I also read that he had about 5 battle-type wounds. I love how these kings of old rode into battle with their armies. Impossible to imagine that nowadays.

[Voted4Reagan]

Dna has confirmed... it is indeed Richard III....

Long live the king.....

Now for a suitable royal funeral.....

[Drummond]

Fascinating stuff. I was hoping he would be reinterred at Westiminster Abbey, but I read that QEII has denied the privilege.

I also read that he had about 5 battle-type wounds. I love how these kings of old rode into battle with their armies. Impossible to imagine that nowadays.

Well, Richard III didn't have the best of reputations. I'm sure that played its part ...

[Voted4Reagan]

Well, Richard III didn't have the best of reputations. I'm sure that played its part ...

I would love to See Obama do that...

We're behind you Mr. President...

WAY BEHIND YOU!!

[Drummond]

I would love to See Obama do that...

We're behind you Mr. President...

WAY BEHIND YOU!!

You'd love to see Obama's remains dug up from under a car park in Leicester ?

What did Leicester ever do to deserve such a fate ?

[Tyr-Ziu Saxnot]

Fascinating stuff. I was hoping he would be reinterred at Westiminster Abbey, but I read that QEII has denied the privilege.

I also read that he had about 5 battle-type wounds. I love how these kings of old rode into battle with their armies. Impossible to imagine that nowadays.

That is because they had both honor and courage!
Obama can not even so much as spell 'em..... --Tyr

[Abbey Marie]

Well, Richard III didn't have the best of reputations. I'm sure that played its part ...

Lol, you know better about these things I'm sure. Maybe they can let bygones be bygones after 600 years or so?

[aboutime]

I would love to See Obama do that...

We're behind you Mr. President...

WAY BEHIND YOU!!

V4R, That's almost like repeating the Lawyer joke. Only this time, it's Obama.
When we say...We Love obama (Lawyers) deeply. SIX FEET DEEP!

[mundame]

Fascinating stuff. I was hoping he would be reinterred at Westiminster Abbey, but I read that QEII has denied the privilege.

I also read that he had about 5 battle-type wounds. I love how these kings of old rode into battle with their armies. Impossible to imagine that nowadays.

Well --- his nephews that he certainly had killed are interred at Westminster, after being found during the reign of Charles II buried ten feet deep, together, under a stairs in the Tower where they were last seen alive. So it would be a little awkward.

Richard II stole the throne from the legitimate heirs, his brother's own sons, aged 12 and 9. And killed them. What would his brother have thought of that? Richard never showed any disloyalty and made himself very useful the whole of Edward IV's reign, but that king died quite suddenly at (I think) age 44. Appendicitis, some think. As Winston Churchill writes, "his faithful brother Richard saw himself suddenly confronted with an entirely new view of his future."

[Abbey Marie]

Well --- his nephews that he certainly had killed are interred at Westminster, after being found during the reign of Charles II buried ten feet deep, together, under a stairs in the Tower where they were last seen alive. So it would be a little awkward.

Richard II stole the throne from the legitimate heirs, his brother's own sons, aged 12 and 9. And killed them. What would his brother have thought of that? Richard never showed any disloyalty and made himself very useful the whole of Edward IV's reign, but that king died quite suddenly at (I think) age 44. Appendicitis, some think. As Winston Churchill writes, "his faithful brother Richard saw himself suddenly confronted with an entirely new view of his future."

Good point, Mundame.

[Voted4Reagan]

You'd love to see Obama's remains dug up from under a car park in Leicester ?

What did Leicester ever do to deserve such a fate ?

Ride into battle.... at the head of his ARMY...

like I said... We'd be WAY behind him if he did.....

[WiccanLiberal]

Good point, Mundame.

Yes but history is written by the victors. Much of what we have on Richard is filtered through the lens of the Tudor monarchs who succeeded him. From a more balanced point of view, he seems little different from a great many medieval rulers and may have been a bit better than some. He was responsible for some fairly progressive reforms, including the use of bail, the establishment of a poor man's court system, eliminating restrictions on printing books, and translating many laws from French into English. Not as bad a record as you might think.

[Kathianne]

Well, Richard III didn't have the best of reputations. I'm sure that played its part ...

So true. Looks like his hands were tied and his skull bashed in. Someone really didn't like him. He also appears to have had spinal deformity, thus Shakespeare's description of him seems quite accurate, except for the deformed hand.