King Richard III of England’s remains will finally have a proper burial in Leicester, according to Britain’s high court.
Born in 1452, Richard III has been portrayed as a villainous, murderous King and is best known for being accused of killing his nephews to usurp the throne of England by imprisoning them in the Tower of London. He is also the last English monarch to die in battle.
His rise to power was a hard fought, bloody one and his reign — which only lasted two years — was marked by unrest and several important events.
But why are we suddenly talking about a man who was not one of the most popular or beloved Kings in English history?
A group of archaeologists from the University of Leicester uncovered the long lost remains of Richard III in 2012, under what is now a parking lot — where the Grey Friars church in Leicester used to stand — and after DNA testings confirmed that it was indeed the former King of England, a battle as to where his remains should find their final resting place began.
University of Leicester and King Richard III’s (distant) relatives were at odds as to where the burial should be and the family won the right to go to court and challenge the decision by the University, however, a judicial review by Britian’s high court determined that the monarch’s remains will be re-buried in Leicester Cathedral.
King Richard III Will Be Reburied in Leicester, High Court Rules http://t.co/6kNrIr0IfY pic.twitter.com/XKsaiyxLGh
— LiveScience (@LiveScience) May 23, 2014
Leicester Mayor: King Richard III burial “is now in hands of Cathedral” http://t.co/ZvdQPHpUme pic.twitter.com/7FQQglkpPW
— ITV News Central (@ITVCentral) May 23, 2014
ME! IN COURT! (and not for any alleged murder thank you)….ANNOUNCEMENT ON FRIDAY : http://t.co/BhcUUmKyN4
— Richard III (@richard_third) May 21, 2014
Even though R ichard III wasn’t King of England for long, he is such a fascinating historic character that English writer William Shakespeare penned a whole play about him called King Richard III and he has been portrayed on stage and the big screen by some of the best actors in the world including Sir Laurence Olivier, Sir Ian McKellen, Al Pacino, and Vincent Price.
Many scholars believe that Richard III has been given a bad reputation throughout history and he was not as bad as some claim him to be, even though the circumstances under which his accession to the throne took place are quite complex, but whatever the case, the fact that his remains were actually found and identified has people all over the world talking about history.
Do you think the remains of King Richard III should be buried in Leicester?
[Image via Leo Reynolds/Flickr]
