The remains of King Richard III, the last English king to die in battle, were discovered under a parking lot and identified in 2013 using DNA, radiocarbon dating and the identification of his distinctive curved spine by a team from the University of Leicester. What science revealed from Richard’s skeleton has triggered a revival of scholarship regarding his reign.
Dr. Sarah Hainsworth, Forensic Engineer on the Richard III Project, will visit the Houston Museum of Natural Science Tuesday, April 21 to discuss the project’s findings and how history, archaeology and genetics were woven together to learn more about Richard III. Her lecture, “Richard III Rediscovered,” begins at 6:30 p.m.
Following the lecture, a real-life King Richard will join us for a festival featuring food, drink, dance and music inspired by the Renaissance. The event is cosponsored by the Houston Society of the Archaeological Institute of America.
For more fascinating insights into the Richard III Project and reinterment, check out “From the Trenches,” the blog of the AIA, Houston Society. Excerpts below:
Richard III’s “Rebirth” and Reburial
Richard III – Defiled in death, reviled in history…today, reburied with pomp and circumstance. 
On March 26, 2015 momentous events took place in Leicester, England as Richard finally received a burial fit for a king, 530 years after his death on the battlefield. A processional lead by armored knights on horseback winded through the streets of Leicester to the cathedral for a service that included the Archbishop of Canterbury, descendant Benedict Cumberbatch, and descendants of both the noble from the Wars of the Roses.
With the discovery of the remains of King Richard III, a unique, exciting opportunity presented: the chance to discover Richard’s appearance. Perhaps at no other time in history, has it been possible to really know about the appearance of a ruler. The historian has textual evidence and artistic representations. These depictions are diluted through the opinions of the writer or the painter, often serving propagandistic purposes. The most famous portraits of Richard III, depicting him as dark-haired and steely eyed were painted 25 to 30 years after his death. However, archaeology has tools at its disposal that help to create a clearer portrait.
Richard III (Physiology & Experimental Archaeology)
One of the fascinating discoveries of the project was the physical evidence from the bones. For over 500 years, detractors (Shakespeare among the most famous) portrayed Richard III as a twisted, deformed tyrant. The remains that were found of the king put to rest the story of his skeletal deformities – it was immediately and dramatically apparent that Richard did indeed suffer from scoliosis.
New questions now emerged: could medieval armor be made to fit a person with that degree of scoliosis, how could a person with such deformities fight ferociously in battle, could he sit astride a horse? Anecdotal evidence mentions his fighting ability, his horsemanship, and his graceful dancing. Could these stories be true? Enter the field of experimental archaeology and physiology to work to arrive at answers. Today, we share the story of a young man who has the same type of scoliosis as Richard III. Researchers began working with him and the results are fascinating.
