Finding Richard Iii

Their task was to locate a lost grave in an obliterated church. The ‘Looking For Richard’ team of historians and researchers spent many years amassing evidence. Now for the first time they reveal the full story of how that evidence took them to a car park in Leicester.

"As gripping as any detective fiction. Proof that one doesn't need to be fascinated with Richard III to be enthralled by the story of his body's discovery." —Publisher's Weekly In August 2012 a search began, and on February 4, 2013, a team from Leicester University delivered its verdict to a mesmerized press room and to the world: they had found the remains of Richard III, whose legacy was perhaps the most contested of all British monarchs. Prior to this major discovery, there had been little new information about Richard III for some time. With no new evidence to fuel it, the debate over what kind of man he might have been seemed to have stalled. Thus the story of the discovery of Richard III is a story of the value of archaeology—careful analysis of physical evidence backed up by the latest science and technology—and how it can change our understanding of history. Firsthand accounts from the team that found the king, along with photographs from the author’s own archives and an expanded epilogue incorporating new DNA evidence, augment this compelling detective story as the evidence is uncovered.

The official inside story of the discovery of the bones of Richard III now a major motion picture starring Sally Hawkins and Steve Coogan The mystery of who Richard III really was has fascinated historians, readers and audiences familiar with Shakespeare's dastardly portrait of a hunchbacked monster of royalty for centuries. In 2012, the remains of a man with a curving spine, who possibly was killed in battle, were discovered underneath the paving of a parking lot in Leicester, England. Phillipa Langley, head of The Richard III Society, spurred on by the work of the historian Michael Jones, led the team of who uncovered the remains, certain that she had found the bones of the monarch. When DNA verification later confirmed that the skeleton was, indeed, that of King Richard III, the discovery ranks among the great stories of passionate intuition and perseverance against the odds. The news of the discovery of Richard's remains has been widely reported by the British as well as worldwide and was front page news for both the New York Times and The Washington Post. Many believe that now, with King Richard III's skeleton in hand, historians will finally begin to understand what happened to him following the Battle of Bosworth Field (twenty miles or so from Leicester) and, ultimately, to know whether he was the hateful, unscrupulous monarch of Shakespeare's drama or a much more benevolent king interested in the common man. Written in alternating chapters, with Richard's 15th century life told by historian Michael Jones (author of the critically acclaimed Bosworth - 1485) contrasting with the 21st century eyewitness account of the search and discovery of the body by Philippa Langley, The Lost King will be both an extraordinary portrait of the last Plantagenet monarch and the inspiring story of the archaeological dig that finally brings the real King Richard III into the light of day.

The dramatic story of Richard III, England's last medieval king, captured the world's attention when an archaeological team led by the University of Leicester identified his remains in February 2013. The Bones of a King presents the official behind-the-scenes story of the Grey Friars dig from the team of specialists who discovered and identified his remains The most extensive and authoritative book written for non-specialists by the expert team who discovered and analysed the remains of Richard III Features more than 40 illustrations, maps and photographs Builds an expansive view of Richard's life, death and burial, as well as accounts of the treatment of his body prior to burial, and his legacy in the public imagination from the time of his death to the present Explains the scientific evidence behind his identification, including DNA retrieval and sequencing, soil samples, his wounds and his scoliosis, and what they reveal about his life, his health and even the food he ate A behind-the-scenes look at one of the most exciting historical discoveries of our time

Richard III, King of England from 1483 to 1485, made good laws that still protect ordinary people today. Yet history concentrates on the fictional hunchback as depicted by Shakespeare: the wicked uncle who stole the throne and killed his nephews in the Tower of London. Voices have protested during the intervening years, some of them eminent and scholarly, urging a more reasoned view to replace the traditional black portrait. But historians, whether as authors or presenters of popular TV history, still trot out the old pronouncements about ruthless ambition, usurpation and murder. After centuries of misinformation, the truth about Richard III has been overdue a fair hearing. Annette Carson seeks to redress the balance by examining the events of his reign as they actually happened, based on reports in the original sources. She traces the actions and activities of the principal characters, investigating facts and timelines revealed in documentary evidence. She also dares to investigate areas where historians fear to tread, and raises some controversial questions. In 2012 Carson was a member of Philippa Langley's Looking For Richard Project, which provided important new answers from the DNA-confirmed discovery of the king's remains. Her involvement in Langley's Missing Princes Project, with its international research initiative on the 'princes in the Tower', has now informed her revelatory extra chapter.