Gallery: New Details on the Unroyal End of Richard III, 'King in the Car Park'
01an-ignoble-end
For two short years he was King of England, one of the most powerful men in the world. Then he was killed, desecrated, and dumped in a hastily dug grave, the location of which would be forgotten and rediscovered, centuries later, under a parking lot. So ends the tale of Richard III, which over the last several months has played out like an episode of *Game of Thrones* combined with *CSI* and told by archaeologists. In February, researchers [announced a DNA match](http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/04/16832540-verdict-issued-on-skeleton-found-under-parking-lot-its-king-richard-iii?lite) between Richard III's living descendants and the skeleton believed to be his. Now a new [article in the journal *Antiquity*](http://journal.antiquity.ac.uk/current) describes the king's demise in gruesome, glorious detail. On the following pages, Wired looks at the king's final resting place. __Above:__ An Ignoble End -------------- Richard III died in 1485 in the battle of Bosworth, the last clash of the War of the Roses, a decades-long struggle for England's throne between the royal houses of Lancaster and York. Richard III was the last Yorkist king, and his succession by Henry Tudor marked the end of the Middle Ages. A century of peace would follow, but it started on a bloodthirsty note. Richard III's body was reportedly stripped naked, despoiled and publicly displayed for several days before its burial at the Greyfriars monastery in Leicester.
02lost-to-history
Lost to History --------------- Small and poor, the Greyfriars monastery was abandoned a half-century after Richard III's burial and subsequently demolished. In the 17th century, a former mayor of Leicester built a house on the land, and though he erected a memorial pillar in the garden, the monastery's location would be forgotten over subsequent centuries of development. Working from an 18th-century map (below), members of the Richard III society, a modern fan club for the king, and University of Leicester archaeologists determined the monastery's present-day location: under a parking lot. [](http://stag-komodo.wired.com/images_blogs/wiredscience/2013/05/greyfriars_1741.jpg)
03cause-of-death
Cause of Death -------------- Though Richard III's skeleton showed that he died covered in wounds, two in particular were likely fatal: blows from a sword and perhaps a halbard that left yawning holes in the base of his skull (above). Other wounds, such as a sword-thrust to the right buttocks, appear to be what researchers call "humiliation injuries," inflicted after Richard III's death.
04an-ignominious-grave
An Ignominious Grave -------------------- Richard III's humiliations didn't end with his body's desecration. Even his grave shows signs of disrespect. It appears to have been hastily dug, its dimensions too small for his body. To make him fit, he wasn't even laid flat to rest, but propped partially upright. His skeleton was also pushed to one side of the grave, as if someone standing inside had received the body, dumped it down, and climbed out without bothering to rearrange its position. "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, and was thus in poor condition," wrote the researchers in *Antiquity*.
05a-royal-diet
A Royal Diet ------------ Chemical tests of the bones showed that Richard III ate a high-protein diet rich in fresh seafood -- fare that only the 15th century's royalty could have enjoyed. Richard III might not have been king for very long, but at least he may have enjoyed it it.
06redeeming-the-king
Redeeming the King ------------------ As seen by the curvature of his spine, Richard III suffered from severe scoliosis. In medieval times, physical deformity was considered a sign of spiritual deformity, which may account in part for Richard III's historical reputation as, [per Shakespeare](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_III_%28play%29), an ambitious psychopath. Several psychologists have argued that, based on historical accounts, Richard III was [not so much a psychopath as a control freak](http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2013-03/uol-wkr030413.php ) who couldn't deal with uncertainty.
