Richard III reburied 500 years after death

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1 World news resource 12th March 2015 Richard III reburied 500 years after death AT the end of March, Richard III, the last medieval king of England, was reburied at Leicester Cathedral. Getty For centuries, the final resting place of Richard III, who was killed in battle 529 years ago, had remained a mystery. It wasn t until 2012 when archaeologists (scientists who dig up and study things like fossils and other items) discovered human remains under a car park in Leicester, that the mystery started to unravel. Following this discovery, the bones were moved to the University of Leicester so that scientists could study them. It took months of research to confirm that the remains were, in fact, those of Richard III. Scientists have continued to study the remains since then. The research conducted at the University of Leicester over the last three years has allowed us to learn a lot more about this famous king. In fact, you may remember back in Getty Getty The coffin of Richard III has been touring historical landmarks in Leicester this week A ceremonial procession arrives ahead of the coffin carrying King Richard III through the streets of Leicester 2013, a reconstruction of Richard III s head was produced (see below), based on the skull found among the remains. That allowed the world to see what Richard III would have looked like all those years ago. Clever! Until this discovery, history had relied on just a handful of paintings of the king. Research has now come to an end and the king s bones have been buried. Various events took place around Leicester ahead of yesterday s reburial. On Sunday, Richard III s coffin toured several historical landmarks in Leicester in a special procession, before arriving at Leicester Cathedral on Monday (23 March). Thousands of people queued alongside the cathedral walls for hours to view the coffin in the days leading up to the final reburial. BUT WHO WAS RICHARD III? A reconstruction of the head of King Richard III News Story Original Version Richard III is known for being the very last king of England to die on the battlefield on British soil. He reigned between the years 1483 and Henry Tudor seized the throne from him. Henry s soldiers killed Richard III at the Battle of Bosworth in Shakespeare wrote the play Richard III based on the York king s life, showing him as a cruel man with a hunchback. schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org

2 Richard III reburied King Richard III (the third) has been reburied more than 500 years after his death. For over 500 years, the final resting place of Richard III was a mystery. He was killed in battle in 1485 but no one knew where he was buried. Then, in 2012, human remains were discovered under a car park in Leicester. The bones were moved to the University of Leicester so that scientists could study them. It took months to prove that the bones really did belong to Richard III. Since then, experts have been studying the bones to learn more about this famous king. A model of the king s head was made by looking closely at the shape of the skull. On Thursday 26th March, Richard was finally reburied in Leicester Cathedral. Events took place around the city before the reburial. The coffin was taken on a tour of historical sites and arrived at the cathedral with a special procession. Thousands of people queued up outside to view the coffin before the final reburial. BUT WHO WAS RICHARD III? Richard III was the last king of England to die during battle in Britain. He was king for just two years: from He died during the Battle of Bosworth. He was killed by Henry Tudor s soldiers. Henry then became King Henry VII. Shakespeare wrote the play Richard III based on his life. It showed him as a cruel man with a hunchback. A reconstruction of the head of King Richard III King Richard III s coffin Simplified version of news story The ceremony schoolsonline.britishcouncil.org

3 THE MAN AND THE MYTH When most people think of Richard III, they are actually thinking about Shakespeare s character of Richard III. In this very famous play from Tudor times, Richard is a crippled, evil man who murders just about everyone who stands in his way to the throne. This foul, bunch-back d toad is the top trump of Shakespeare villains. Shakespeare s brilliant dramatic portrait has been brought to life by many famous performances on stage and film, but is there any truth in it? WAS RICHARD III DEFORMED? The Shakespeare character is often performed with a hunchback, a limp, and a withered arm. Shakespeare describes him as rudely stamp d deformed, unfinish d. He s supposed to be so hideous, even dogs bark at him. From the remains of the real king, we now know that Richard III did indeed have a severe spinal condition called scoliosis. It would have made him seem short and lop-sided, but the rest has been imagined by Shakespeare and the actors. WAS RICHARD III A VILLAIN? In the play, Richard III murders his brother, wife and two young nephews. Most of his villainous acts are not factually correct, but one big question remains unanswered: did Richard murder his nephews? Richard shouldn t really have been king. Richard s brother, Edward IV, was king before him. After he died, his eldest son, also called Edward, would have become King Edward V but he was only 12 years old. Edward IV asked Richard to look after his nephew until Edward was old enough to rule himself. However, Richard put Edward V and his younger brother into the Tower of London. Then he declared Edward IV s marriage to be unlawful. This ruling meant that young Edward could not be king. Richard claimed the throne instead. The two boys were never seen again and it is very likely that they were murdered. In his short reign, Richard III did make some good changes to the country, but the mystery of the princes in the tower continues to stain his reputation. WHY DID SHAKESPEARE GET (SOME OF) IT WRONG? When Richard III lost the Battle of Bosworth, Henry Tudor became king and so began the age of The Tudors. Richard III came from a different royal line which had been at war with Henry Tudor s family for ages. Shakespeare, of course, lived in Tudor times. His audience would have been more than happy to have one of their old enemies portrayed so badly. Actor George Hayes playing Richard III in William Skakespeare

4 WHAT HAVE EXPERTS LEARNED FROM THE REMAINS? Richard III s skeleton WHAT HAVE EXPERTS LEARNED FROM THE REMAINS? On the next page is a picture of Richard III s skeleton, as it was found. What looks like a heap of old bones to most of us, is a treasure trove of clues to modern scientists, who have been able to study them and unlock some of the mysteries surrounding the king. IDENTIFYING RICHARD Scientists used a huge variety of techniques to prove this skeleton really was Richard III. The bones showed this to be a man in his late 20s or early 30s. Richard was 32 when he died. The remains have battle injuries and a distinct shape to the spine (see below.) This person ate lots of protein (meat & fish) and drank lots of wine. Only a person of high status could afford such a rich diet. The results of carbon-dating (a scientific method to work out the age of objects) showed the bones were from the period Richard died in DNA (the set of instructions found in our cells) was extracted from the bones and compared to his descendants. There was an exact match with two living relatives. Put together, the evidence was overwhelming. Experts have said they are % sure this is Richard III. HIS DEATH The skeleton has multiple battle injuries. Scientists could tell that all occurred around the time of his death as none had started to heal. Richard suffered eight injuries to his skull. One was made by a slicing movement which removed a flap of bone. The second was made by a stabbing motion, probably by a sword. This went through his head and hit the other side of the skull, making a mark in the bone. It s very likely these injuries caused his death. HIS PHYSICAL APPEARANCE Richard III is famously portrayed as being physically deformed. The spine of the skeleton is badly curved, showing that Richard III had a condition called scoliosis. It would have made him appear much shorter than he really was, and his right shoulder was probably higher than his left. However, he did not have a hunchback, a withered arm or a limp. If you want to know more about Richard III the man, the mystery and the science - Leicester University have a fascinating and easy-to-read website which tells you all about it:

5 GETTING TO KNOW SHAKESPEARE Shakespeare s Richard III starts with the character of Richard on stage, alone, making a speech to the audience. His words set the tone of the whole play. On the left is a very simple explanation of some of the things Richard says. Read this first. Now, take yourself back in time more than 400 years to the Tudor age. Try and read Shakespeare s original words, on the right. The language is very different. Don t worry about trying to understand every word just try and get the idea of what Richard is saying. Reading it out loud can help! WHAT DID SHAKESPEARE S RICHARD III THINK? THE WORDS SHAKESPEARE WROTE IN HIS PLAY Hard times have become happy times, thanks to the current king from the House of York [my brother]. Now is the winter of our discontent Made glorious summer by this son of York The frown of war has turned into a smile: the country is at peace. Grim-visaged war hath smoothed his wrinkled front, But I am not shaped for fun. I m not made for love and peace. But I, that am not shaped for sportive tricks Nor made to court an amorous looking-glass; I have been cheated by nature. I am deformed and unfinished, born too early and barely half-made. I, that am curtail d of this fair proportion, Cheated of feature by dissembling nature, Deformed, unfinish d, sent before my time Into this breathing world, scarce half made up, And I look so awful that even dogs bark at me if I stop by them. And that so lamely and unfashionable That dogs bark at me as I halt by them; Why, I have nothing to do in this idle time of peace, unless to spot my shadow and notice my deformity. Why, I in this weak piping time of peace Have no delight to pass ay the time, Unless to spy my shadow in the sun And descant on mine own deformity. And therefore, since I m no good at love and can t enjoy these happy days, I am determined to be a villain instead and ruin this time of peace for everyone. And therefore since I cannot prove a lover To entertain these fair well-spoken days, I am determined to prove a villain And hate the idle pleasures of these days.

6 KNOW THE FACTS FIND the answers to these questions to make sure you know the facts behind the news story: 1) What ceremony happened on Thursday 26 March? 2) Where were the remains of Richard III found? 3) Find three facts about Richard III. 4) How did experts prove that these were the bones of Richard III? 5) Describe Shakespeare s character of Richard III.

7 POINTS OF VIEW WHAT DO YOU THINK? Discuss these questions with other people to develop your ideas. 1) Why is the story of Richard III so fascinating? 2) Why do you think so many people wanted to view the coffin of this old king? 3) Why is science now so important to historians? 4) Why is it often very hard to work out what is fact and what is fiction when studying history? 5) Why do you think Shakespeare s character of Richard III became accepted by everyone? SHARE your thoughts on these questions with your partner school.

8 VOTE, COMMENT, ACT CAN you explore this news story even further? 1) HISTORY OR MYTH? Do you know the stories of the characters below? ROBIN HOOD KING ARTHUR ST GEORGE MULAN ODYSSEUS POCAHONTAS Were they real people or are they fictional characters? Do you think all the things they are supposed to have done really happened? Choose one of the people and do some research to find out their story. Ask your partner school if they have any historical characters from their country known primarily through myth or fable. Share your stories with each other. 2) ONE DAY, EVEN YOU WILL BE HISTORY! Write down the answers to these questions about yourself: Where were you born? What did you have for breakfast this morning? What colour is your hair? What is your favourite animal? To you, today, these answers are facts. Now imagine it is 100 years after the year you died. How might someone in the future find out the answers to these questions? Will there be any records which make some questions easier to answer than others?