Do you think Leicester Cathedral was a good place to rebury the King and why? Let me know below and remember you can also find me at: BUY MY BOOK (Find Your Irish Ancestors Online): amzn.to/3Z2ChnG Website (with 2 FREE DOWNLOADS): www.historycallingofficial.com/ Patreon: www.patreon.com/historycalling Amazon storefront: www.amazon.com/shop/historycalling Instagram: instagram.com/historycalling/
Oh I'm just kidding about the tourist attraction bit (though famous dead people do help to attract visitors, but I don't think that's why they buried him in Leicester). Thanks for watching and commenting :-)
Fun fact. Around 2010 I worked in Leicester, doing odd admin work for a company there. I used to park in the same spot at the same time (around 5.30am) in Greyfriars as when I left the sun wasn't on my windshield and leaving my steering wheel feeling like it had been forged from Mount Vesuvius. He was found around where I used to park. I don't know if it's a claim to fame, but I parked on a king. 😂
It's amazing that people lost a king's grave, and maybe more incredible that it was rediscovered in our lifetimes. Kudos to all the historians (like you), archeologists, and medical professionals who didn't give up, but also didn't jump on it without research. Thanks for this video!
When you consider ancestors back then saw Richard III as a wicked and possible tyrannical king, it would stand to reason that they wouldn't have cared a toss where he was buried or, in their case, chucked in a river even though we know he was buried albeit pauper-ish in the church that once stood where he was eventually found.
I watched the documentary about the archeological dig and it was crazy. The archaeologist start digging on the parking lot where an “R” was and his body was under it! That was an amazing coincidence!
Err …..No…thanks MUST go to Philippa Langley and the Richard lll society..if it wasn’t for her and us members Richard would still be under the car park …Leicester University we’re not in the least interested,until they saw a way of pinching the limelight.. 🤨🇬🇧
The entire royal family are genetic relitives. They did need specific genetic relitives to make the match but finding relitives should not be that difficult honestly
Yes, it had to be people who shared his matrilineal DNA and that was, according to John Ashdown-Hill, very hard, as his purely female line descendants (no boys allowed at all in this case until the very last descendant used) had almost died out. Kudos to Ashdown-Hill for tracking down the descendants. It must have been a mammoth task.
Richards DNA G2a2b2b1* Formally G2a3b1* PF3359 group FTDNA. SNP FGC52601. There are quite a few that will test same family line, Same DNA tree as Richard just a different branch connecting About 800s. That’s why they shut the door on for the answers do not fit there narrative.
No I was not relating to the person that you have mentioned. Y DNA PF3359 is a branch about 1800 years old that Richard belongs to but then so do Henri and Louis of France. Like I said it is a very rare DNA line that Richard belongs to.
I'm absolutely in awe of this story of finding a King under a car park. The documentaries are fascinating. It's lovely to be a part of future history to have lived through the time of his discovery. I love this channel so much. I watch History Calling every day ❤❤ 😊
Thank you for covering this topic! My brother worked for the geophysics team that discovered the remains under the carpark so I always enjoy this story. ❤
"In the first charge Richard killed several men; toppled Henry’s standard, along with the standard-bearer William Brandon; contended with John Cheney, a man of surpassing bravery, who stood in his way, and thrust him to the ground with great force; and made a path for himself through the press of steel." - Polydore Virgil (1470 - 1555) Wow. This man had scoliosis severe enough to tilt his shoulders yet he went into battle against extremely capable knights like "Sir John Cheyne, Baron Cheyne, KG KB (c. 1442 - 30 May 1499) was Master of the Horse to King Edward IV of England and personal bodyguard to King Henry VII of England" ???? This Richard fellow was no weakling nor was he a coward. Look at how close he came to killing Henry even as he was abandoned by his men. The Battle of Bosworth almost had a different outcome just based on Richard ,a king, charging directly into combat. How many kings have let the dice fly like that?
Yes, for all else that can be said about him, I agree that he was very brave. Other Kings have fought in battles too (Henry VII of course, also at Bosworth), but they're too numerous to list here. They were mostly medieval though.
Richard Duke of Gloucester had fought in many battles from a young age. He fought alongside his brother, Edward 4th several times, in trying to claim the throne of England. He was a skilled and fearless fighter, so it is not surprising that he launched himself into battle, with a zeal that most of us would find hard to imagine. He was fighting for his crown, so no holds barred. Have you seen the documentary on his wounds? There was someone on tv several years ago, who was one of the armourers at the Tower of London, who could identify which terrifying pieces of armour were used to kill Richard, who was on his knees when he was murdered. Brave does not even come close. 🥺
I saw a documentary produced within a few years of the discovery of Richard III, where they found a young man who also had scoliosis, made armor for him and taught him basic jousting/knightly fighting skills. He mentioned how surprised he was that the armor actually helped support his curved spine. Obviously, very different situationally, motivationally and training-wise from Richard, but it may lend a clue to Richard's apparent abilities in battle. Fascinating video as always, HC!
@@elisabethhopson5639 An amorer at the Tower of London? What a cool job! What kind of power nerd do you need to be for that gig. Also awesome for him to figure out what all killed him. Maybe Richard was only so brave in this case because he was very aware that he no choice but to be that brave. He knew that it was either him or Henry, no middle ground. Even if Richard's troops were defeated and he was somehow still alive he would have been found and executed, same with Henry. You live or you die, after all.
@@csc7225 I saw that documentary as well. The medieval saddle with a higher back support may have helped also. But Richard was on foot, when he was surrounded and was killed. I too have scoliosis and my left shoulder is 3cms lower due to the twist in my spine..not as severe as Richards. I feel his opponents knew he was deadly, stamina was his Achilles heel though. The back tires...muscles cramp painfully and remain locked. I'm sure Richard had degenerative osteoarthritis, I know I certainly do, slipped discs are common, I don't think the documentary fully tested that.. as you have noted.
Thank you for filling in some missing pieces of the story. I have long been fascinated by the finding of the remains of Richard III. Having spent decades as a genealogist and family history researcher, I cannot overemphasize the value of contemporary documentation and original sources. I have frequently been astonished at how the right information becomes available at just the right moment in a complex search, uncovering and confirming the accuracy of family connections. My own experiences have led me to the belief that there is an influence that defies logic or explanation. In fact, it has been deeply impressed upon me that the dead want to be found.
Yes, sometimes things do just pop up in genealogical research. It's always amazing when it happens. Glad you enjoyed the video as well. Richard's is a fascinating tale.
I refuse to entertain the film by Steve Coogan. The man's a comedic actor. I'm delighted that Richard was found and officially identified. Thanks so much for your insight into this. Keep up the fantastic work ❤
Quick thing Leicester Cathedral is an Anglican Church now but existed throughout medieval period and would have been there when Richard visited and died. It was Catholic at the time. Also it’s the closest burial place to the car park, barely a minute walk between each. It respects where he was originally buried and also would have existed when he was alive. I think it’s entirely appropriate given he was buried and was testing in Leicester initially for him to be reburied in Leicester.
What a thoroughly insightful and unbiased video you've made here! As a history lover, particularly the medieval and plantagenet upwards, despite what kind of man history has portrayed him, as a king, he was treated appallingly in death. I remember the sheer shock of when they found him and confirmed that it was indeed him. I couldn't help but feel a little melancholic. Also I used to work in the building directly opposite that car park and it's a very narrow road, I can't believe that I used to look out of my office window at him every day! Thank you for bringing us such a wonderful piece of work, I really appreciate all of your hard work and dedication to bring us gems like this! Have you written any books? If not, you absolutely should! I love your passion and respect for all things history and not just jumping on the gossip bandwagon. I love your work! Ps I loved the map of medieval Leicester that you showed us as that part of town is still pretty much the same. May I ask how I can get one? Sending you many thanks 🩷🩷🇬🇧👑🫶🏽
Well sweetie (seeing as you apparently like random endearments between strangers), I gave primary source evidence the whole way through to support what I was saying, so if you don't like it then that's just tough. Suck it up. You're clearly the one who's so biased that when presented with real, properly researched history, you have a tantrum and don't want to believe it. You come across as rude and delusional.
Thanks Missyme. That's wild that you worked right opposite the carpark where he was located. I did write a book based on my PhD, but it's very academic in nature (the sort of thing only a specialist in that field would pick up and even then, probably only to read a single chapter) and I also don't publicise it as I don't want to give away my name for privacy reasons. As for the map, that comes from a 1920 book by James Billson called Mediaeval Leicester.
@HistoryCalling Thank you for saying this, I felt quite shocked and upset at this vitriolic comment, directed at you as I've watched many of your videos, and I can vouch that you definitely know your stuff! As a history nut myself, I've learned so much from you, and your videos have always got me questioning what I thought I knew! Please don't let ignorant people question yourself. And your response is brilliant, I couldn't have said it better myself! Thank you! 🩷🩷🩷🫶🏽
@HistoryCalling Thanks for the map info, and I totally understand why you don't publish your paper. But you'd be awesome at writing books. If you ever decide to delve into that world too, I'd be first in line to buy a copy! Thanks for the recommended book list on your Amazon store front, I think I actually have a couple of them. Can't wait for your next video! ☺️🩷
I was fascinated by the discovery of Richard III. He was arguably the best of the Shakespearean villains, so he had me at "Hello." It's such a shame that the teams involved immediately devolved into squabbling after such a resounding success.
Yes, it is a real pity how it ended up. It's not uncommon though for big events like this to cause such problems, as everyone wants credit and some people don't want to share.
👏👏👏 You really shine on these investigative/detective style videos, HC. The outcome here is of course more satisfying than the ongoing mysteries of Benjamin Bathurst or Skeleton Lake. I have no strong feelings either way on Richard's internment at Leicester. Thanks for this; loved it from start to finish! Mondays are definitely improved. 🙏🏼
Thanks Stephen. It was interesting to look into his original burial and the loss of his body, as I knew almost nothing about that. The story of his rediscovery is of course very famous at this point, but I didn't think I could not mention it.
@@HistoryCalling Of course; the rediscovery is an essential part of the narrative, I think. The chronicle of his original burial was, for me, the most interesting part.
between the research, writing and recording the scripts, compiling the visual material and then dealing with the editing, i can only imagine how much effort goes into making these videos, especially when they're as lengthy as this one, so thank you for the hard work and for yet another educational dive into an incredibly interesting topic! wishing you a (very belated) happy new year☀
Fantastic video, thank you for sharing this. I am not at all surprised that Phillipa was part of a movie like that. From the very beginning her behaviour was..... difficult, and I can only imagine what it was like for the University staff to deal with. I’m just going to say it - she came across as having a sense of entitlement. It was as if Richard was hers and everyone else needed to respect her accordingly. I’m not going to lie, her reactions were a little bit weird. I remember seeing the program where they had found the remains, and the forensic scientist had noticed and (unfortunately) mentioned the curvature of the skeleton’s spine. The reaction of the University people compared with the reaction of one particular woman (I’m assuming Phillipa from the Richard III society) were tense and difficult to watch. I personally felt for the University person being in that situation, and with a camera thrust into her face as it all happened. The scientists were not making any claims and said that they would wait for tests to be carried out in order to confirm the identity. Whereas the society woman was having a meltdown wanting to drape the English flag over the box that the remains were placed in. This was BEFORE anything had been confirmed. The remains could have belonged to anyone at that point. It was all a bit weird. I can only imagine how she portrayed herself and the University scientists. They were extremely professional from what I saw.
I was taken aback when HC revealed that Phillipa Langley was "involved with the movie" Anyone who has viewed this film will know that the Langley character comes across as ... unhinged? If Langley was involved and this was the best light they could portray her in (and her approving of it) well, that isn't doing much for her credibility or reputation.
Another great one HC yes Leicester Cathedral was the right place for him to be placed. The one thing I have really learned from you is really listen to what and to understand their resources. I love how you explain and tell us why you think it is a good resource or why it may not be.
Thanks Vernon and I'm so happy I've made you extra sensitive to sources, as they really are what it's all about. I find you can usually tell a pseudo-historian very quickly from their inability or reluctance to properly engage with the primary material.
HC, you have really outdone yourself! All your videos are amazing, but I found this one especially thorough and informative. I feel like a certain group of people (who shall remain nameless here) have been re-writing history of all things "Richard" of late so it's also quite expeditious as well. Bravo!!!!! 💜🤗👑
And another group ( who should remain silent ) have made it their life’s work and far too long in perpetuating a ridiculous myth based on Tudor propaganda….but then why am I surprised..Richard was truly loved in the North of England ..and that’s because we don’t put up with bull like the southerners do… you just have to look at them supporting Palestine to see that.. 🙄🇬🇧🇮🇱
Hello HC, as one who loves Tudoe history and the War of the Rose's remember upon visiting England in 1988 and seeing St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abby, someone not in our group, but a different one. Brought up King Richard III and if it was possible to find him in our lifetime. The person answering I remember said " Highly unlikely seeing we don't have a clear record of where he's buried and the area where is supposed to be burried has changed so much. If he was to be found, he would of been found by now. " I thought to myself back then it could happen, him being found that is. I also remember the first time I saw a show using ground penetrating radar, thinking if they could use that to find the missing Richard III. Thanks for another great informative video.
Thanks Holly. It just shows I guess, you never know what's going to happen. I would have said it was unlikely he'd be found too, even though the basic location was ascertained and published back in the 80s, but I'd have been wrong too :-)
I've been on "Team Richard" for 50 years now. I was an avid reader of history as a child and dreamed of studying Plantagenet history in England (if only). It was such exciting news when Richard's grave was found at last. The reburial at the cathedral, with representation by the Royal Family, was a fitting cap to the unfinished story of his life and death. Love your posts, you make it far easier to kindle a passion for history than it was when I was younger.
Thank you for a very thorough review of the early documentation concerning Richard's death. I'm impressed that you followed news about the search for the body early on, so you know more about the actual role played by the University of Leicester and other entities than many people who only became interested after the bones were found. I think Leicester Cathedral is an appropriate location for the king's final resting place because, even though a good deal of the present building dates from the Victorian era, it was the cathedral church of the city where his body was taken, and it is the city where he has lain for so many centuries.
Thanks Ann. Yes, I thought it was fine to have him in Leicester too and to be honest, didn't think it was worth all the unpleasant rows that sprang up around it.
historycalling, You need to be aware of, and understand, the heated animosity between the North and South of England. Go research about it, then a light will dawn over your head as to why York and Leicester legally fought for Richard III.
Very interesting video. I remember the kings body being found & the controversy at the time. He was buried in the correct place I think. He died near Leicester. It gives him at last a decent burial & it was well done. I watched the burial service on tv. Thanks
Very interesting! I never knew anything about his initial burial, or the monument eventually erected. I remember watching the documentary. Phillipa Langley certainly had a great part in finding Richard, but I remember finding her behaviour to be... something. I'm find I'm not really surprised to hear that the Coogan film is very flattering to her and not to anyone else involved.
It was “ FLATTERING “ because if it hadn’t been for her and the Richard lll society putting up a substantial amount of money Richard would still be under the car park..Leicester university had NO IDEA where Richard was..because you can bet your mortgage on it if they had THEY would have spearheaded the campaign..or anyone else that CLAIMS to know he was there… Langley and John Ashdown hill were instrumental in finding him and to say otherwise is ridiculous.
While it is true that Ms Langley and the R3 Society played a big role in getting the money for the dig together and I agree that it wouldn't have happened if she hadn't pushed for it, the basic location of R's grave has been known since the 1980s and published for the world to read, as I explained in the video.
this video was very satisfying, like a meal of information. his discovery, and what we’ve learned from the time, all due to that is truly remarkable. thank you for bringing this to us!!
Glad you found it interesting and helpful. It's always a bit of a gamble with video topics as to what people will like, but I was hoping this one would go down well.
I saw them digging up the bones on the news and read about it in Archeology magazine, but I didn't have the full picture till now. Thanks so much for making the story straight. I really enjoy what you do.
A stellar presentation of an amazing story. This channel remains the gold standard for scholarship. The strangest moment for me was around 32:20 - Richard III traveling by automobile. Perhaps the only character from Shakespeare to do so!
Great video. I love the masterpiece of a poem read by Benedict Cumberbatch and written by Carol Ann Duffy for the re-interment. I still get chills when I read it: Richard My bones, scripted in light, upon cold soil, a human braille. My skull, scarred by a crown, emptied of history. Describe my soul as incense, votive, vanishing; your own the same. Grant me the carving of my name. These relics, bless. Imagine you re-tie a broken string and on it thread a cross, the symbol severed from me when I died. The end of time - an unknown, unfelt loss - unless the Resurrection of the Dead … or I once dreamed of this, your future breath in prayer for me, lost long, forever found; or sensed you from the backstage of my death, as kings glimpse shadows on a battleground.
I do very much like your factual and balanced videos. they are so indefinitely better reseached and told than so many of those at least half fictional books or films.
@@HistoryCalling The problem is that the heads that could benefit most from hearing or seeing those things are positioned so that they can neither hear nor see. I trust I'm being sufficiently obscure.
I thoroughly enjoyed this video, and I'll probably watch it again. I usually get more out of a second viewing of your wonderful content. But it has made me curious about royal tombs in general. Of course, those kings and queens entombed in Westminster Abbey are (mostly) well-known and well preserved, and those at St. George's Chapel at Winsor likewise, but what of the one's we can't account for? How many are there? At which point in history are we unlikely to know where a king is buried? For instance, are most of the tombs of the Kings since William the Conqueror known and marked? Since Edward III? Of those that came before, how many can we account for? For instance, is it known where King Cnut is buried, or Harold Godwinson? I believe Edward I is said to have re-interred the bones of King Arthur in Glastonbury. Was any effort ever made to discover said bones? Just wondering! Thanks for an awesome video!
There are several other creators on YT who have made videos about where and how various British monarchs have been buried. Ooo, there’s actually a Wikipedia article! Burial places of British royalty. That list goes back to 839, though not everyone is currently accounted for.
I think virtually everyone (save Edward V of course) since the Conqueror is now accounted for. Possibly a few were lost during the French Revolution though, as they'd been buried in France and the tombs were destroyed. I'd need to check.
@@HistoryCalling Absolutely worth it. I've never seen so much information on this particular--and very interesting--subject brought together at one time.
It’s amazing at what has happened in history I recently started learning about king Richard the third and this video has been a big help for my essay on what happened to his body and how his grave was lost and how it was found again my teacher is going to love my essay when I’m done writing it keep up the amazing work as so many people including myself love history but have a hard time learning about history of certain time periods as we don’t have the access to sources about that time period
Thank you for the information. 😊👍 I think Leicester Cathedral is a fitting place. The Church of the Annunciation to Our Lady St. Mary of the Newarke, Leicester was founded by Henry of Grosmont and was a place of Lancastrian burials including Mary de Bohun the wife of the later Henry IV and mother of Henry V. I understand it was in this church that the body of Richard was displayed after Bosworth. Sadly only fragments, two arches, survive. St. Mary de Castro nearby was where Henry VI and Richard's father, Richard Duke of York, were knighted apparently. During the Parliament of Bats. Bosworth was the first battle Richard lost. A curious anecdote was Edward Stanley, First Baron Monteagle and Knight of the Garter. He was the fifth son of Thomas Stanley and his mother was Eleanor Neville the sister of Richard Neville the "Kingmaker". This was when the Stanleys were "Yorkists". Edward was knighted by Richard as Duke of Gloucester at the siege of Berwick-Upon-Tweed three years earlier in 1482. Edward played a decisive role at Flodden in 1513 when fighting for Henry VIII against the husband of his sister, Margaret Tudor. James IV, leading from the front, was the last British king to die in battle. After Richard's first battle, Barnet. His one time allies Richard and John Neville sadly had their bodies similarly displayed at the old St. Paul's Cathedral. St. Paul's Cathedral was also the final resting-place of John of Gaunt and his first wife Blanche of Lancaster. Please note you are correct about Salazar and Maximilian I. Juan Salazar was a mercenary captain who had fought for the Habsburgs, he was a military advisor to Richard. His account is primary, first-hand, he was at Bosworth and next to Richard. He wrote what Richard was wearing, a "cote-armor" not armour but a surcoat over the armour, where you get the word armorial from. It would have been the quartered armorial arms of an English king i.e. the royal arms of England and France quartered. He also stated Richard wore a helmet-crown. There were questions of Richard's legitimacy and it was important for medieval kings to draw attention to themselves so their followers would know they were active. When the Earl of Oxford was getting the better of the Duke of Norfolk and Norfolk's vanguard was starting to crumble, Salazar personally said to Richard (I take your point about how fluent in English he was? ) that it maybe was a good idea if Richard left the field. Richard as has been attested to said no, he would fight as a king or die. Juan Salazar sadly must have been one of the last people to speak to Richard. Then came the fateful calvary charge. Apparently the last three words were "Treachery, treachery, treachery". Even his Lancastrian foes testified how bravely he fought. Salazar later wrote to his patrons Ferdinand and Isabella. *Please Note. The cavalry charge at Bosworth is seen as a last desperate throw of the dice for Richard to win. Calvary charges were rare in the Roses'. In 1483 Richard ordered from Flemish & Italian merchants 168 suits of armour costing 560 pounds, a phenomenal amount. This was for his bodyguard. The cavalry charge at Bosworth probably amounted from 150 to 300 mounted bodyguard. It was a planned strategic tactic, not a a spare of the moment thing as is commonly held. It was a logistic feat to arrange such a manoeuvre. People apparently stood and watched as they rode by. **Please Note. Richard had spent some time in Bruges and others, visiting his sister, Margaret. Bruges was one of the main centres of arms manufacture in Europe making Italianate, not Italian, armour. There were some unexplained scratch marks on Richard's jaw. This is probably indicative Richard had been on the ground and was wearing a sallet helmet and someone was trying to cut the chin-strap to remove the sallet. Are you doing a video about the legendary "Eleanor Crosses"? 😊
I love that you have changed to Monday evenings! I totally forgot so it was a lovely little surprise in my notifications :D Another amazing vid, hope you are enjoying having your Friday evenings back!
Yes, it's a bit of an adjustment for me too, but already it's much better for my weekends and dinner time, so I hope it works out and I can keep this slot.
I remember when this happened, I was a senior in HS. I had already been interested in English history, but this got me more seriously looking into this time period. And eventually it led me to changing my degree so that English history was my focus instead of ancient Roman/Egyptian history. English history was the focus of my senior thesis for my BA and my masters thesis is based around it too. I’m glad Richard was found because since he was I found my true passion
I think Leicester Cathedral is as good a place as any. My only other choice would have been Gloucester Cathedral, in honor of his holding the ducal title. A few years ago, I watched a RUclips video of the re-committal service itself as well as an interview with the current descendants and some of the scholars involved. I was very moved. I'm a fervent Ricardian. I remember reading a biography that noted he was the last king of England who did anything to benefit the common man until the 20th century. The examples shown were strong. Of course, I've also read The Daughter of Time more than once. Thank you for this very informative video; it's a better, more complete discussion than I have seen elsewhere.
The thing I find most fascinating is how the DNA confirmation was done to identify "The King in The Car Park". The fact Richard was even found was a miracle. Based on documentaries I saw; he was laying RIGHT next to some more modern building works. A few inches one way or the other and he would've been lost forever.
I love your videos and being from Leicester and being really interested in the life and death of Richard, this one was a particularly great watch! I actually enjoyed The Lost King film as a piece of fiction and to me it paints the obvious oddession of Philippa Langley in Richard, in a better light than the reality! The Richard iii Centre in the city is a great place to visit for more infomation on his life, death and rediscovery and a short walk from there to the cathedral to see the tomb. Such a fascinating time in history!
as much as they might not have been respectful of Richard's body the Tudors probably felt like as he'd (likely) murdered the children who would have been Henry vii's brother in laws they didn't owe richard all that much
Interesting report on the man's death, burial and the rediscovery of his remains. It's a really fascinating story. It was interesting to hear about all the various myths about what happened to his body after it was buried initially. Regarding the movie about the rediscovery, since it was made from the point of view of Phillipa Langley, I'm not surprised to hear that the academics from the university were up in arms about the way they were portrayed in the film. I've seen the documentary about the discovery of his grave multiple times and came away with a negative impression of Ms. Langley. The way she reacted to the fact that the man did, in fact, have scoliosis, and her emotional reaction in general. She seems more like a groupie of Richard III than a scholar. Sorry if that offends anyone, but it's just my personal take.
Yes, I was amazed at how the academics were portrayed in the film too. It looked like a libel lawsuit waiting to happen (of course I'm no lawyer, so what do I know)? I remember watching the documentary the first time too and thinking that she was very emotionally invested given that Richard doesn't actually have anything to do with her. I remember seeing one review which said she acted like she was his widow and I thought that about summed it up. She had put a lot of energy into finding him though, so I suppose who's to say how any of us would act if it was something we'd been building to for years like that?
@@HistoryCalling Full disclosure, I haven't seen the film and am not motivated to do so. With everything I've read about it, I'm amazed that the producers chose to prortray real people without them signing on to the production as opposed to fictionalizing them as is frequently done.
This thread sums up my impression of Philipa Langley from seeing her in the documentaries that followed - my husband and I remarked at the time that she seemed kind of unhinged and that she must have been a pain for the professionals to work with. I haven't seen the film, but I'm not surprised in the slightest that she's depicted as the plucky believer who knows better than the stodgy/insufferable academics. The narrative can't just be finding the remains of Richard III, it's got to be a David-vs-Goliath story, and an anti-academic/expert slant runs through so much media nowadays.
For me, the most interesting part of that documentary was how the bones were treated as they were taken out of the ground in order not to contaminate the DNA.
Hi, awesome live history video on Richard the third. I enjoyed it. How are you doing? I'm doing well and so is my cat Benjamin. We finally have snow in Ontario Canada. And it's very cold this time of year also. How is the weather where you are? Have a great day see you next video 😊
We got our first little dusting of snow today (nothing to what you Canadians see, but enough to make the news here as any snow always does). Glad you and Benjamin are staying safe and warm :-)
So I finally watched the movie and, well, not a fan. I think the history of Richard III is fascinating, but the Ricardians go a bit far IMO. Phillipa always came across a bit drama to me, way back when I first saw the dig documentary. The movie was so cringe, how they made him out to be some kind of saint. Not saying he was the Shakespearean tyrant either necessarily. He was a monarch in different times and murdered many who got in the way to the throne (some proven and some not, i.e. the Princes). The idealization was a bit over the top, and that’s not even getting into any misrepresentations of those involved in the project. Regardless, I loved your video! Excellent, informative and unbiased analysis as always! Oh and I’ve decided to make Leicester a stop on my England trip this March!
Fabulous documentary - provided a lot of (for me) new information from verified sources about the first days post death. I relish all your videos as they are so well researched.
Thanks Diane. That's very kind of you to say as I work hard to do the research in the limited time I have, so it's always lovely to know that people appreciate it.
@@HistoryCalling I’m a bit of a purist in appropriate treatment of human remains and of course the carpark ? episode was so thoughtless . However amongst all the elaborate tombs I ve seen of historical figures this is poignant . Xxx
Well I suppose we have to acknowledge that it wasn't a carpark at the time (unless you mean that calling the TV show 'The King in the Carpark' was the thoughtless bit?)
I confess I find Richard interesting although I find he failed in his duty to protect the young king and his brother the Earl ( I think his rank) . I can understand that Richard could have believed he was more deserving of the kingship than his nephews. But I never heard/read that he ever defended that idea. I also find it interesting that I never heard of any of his retainers doing a blame game on other retainers for failing to protect him. From what I can tell, he was a competent warrior in spite of his physical challenge... but I would still expect his knights to make every effort to protect him. I would love to hear some of those veterans' war stories in hopes of understanding what really happened. . Thank you for your insight. I wondered how his grave was lost to time for a while. But I do also find that interesting as some of the truth of its real location was still known in modern times. That gives me hope that not all history is lost to the Good Historian who can find original or worthy sources.
Thank you for your video, it came at a great time because I was just thinking about Richard the 3rd. Just yesterday I was explaining the whole thing to my husband then today I saw your video pop up, he even sent me a link. Now I just need a good book on the topic.
I wonder if Leicester City Council could have afforded to support the dig with a grant nowadays and whether that represents progress? I supported the York minster idea because of Richard's affinity with that city but I have to admit that Leicester has done a fine job with the burial and the adjacent visitor centre. The Bosworth battlefield centre (albeit its not on the battlefield!) is well worth a visit too.
I hope you do because although Leicester is a small cathedral the burial site is well done and the visitor centre is fascinating. I also love the statue of Richard clutching the Crown which is immediately outside the cathedral. Whatever anyone makes of him it's a striking piece of art!
No I do not think Richard should have been buried in Leicester. I wrote to the prime minister at the time (Cameron?) to ask if he could be buried in Windsor with his brother, or Westminster Abbey with his wife. Whether you approve of Richard or not, he was the last king of England to die in battle and that alone should have guaranteed a more prestigious burial site. Quite frankly he should have been treated better by the authorities, as a king. As for Ms Langley and other historians etc I feel that she has been somewhat mistreated. She has spent years of her life researching his possible location, whilst other more academic historians did nothing. Let's face it, there have been few discoveries of this magnitude, for decades, so she is entitled to feel a bit protective of his remains. 😬
There were all sorts of legalities around who got to decide where he was buried. I think it had to do with who had the permit for digging him up in the first place, so I'm not sure the PM could have done anything, short of changing the law which would have been an extremely long process (had it even been successful) and no doubt led to many arguments over where other people should be buried going forwards. Regarding putting him at Westminster, his wife's exact gravesite is unfortunately unknown (her grave marker is more of a memorial than a tombstone) and I imagine that to open up the Plantagenet tomb at Windsor might involved serious damage to the building at this point and there possibly wouldn't be room for another coffin in there anyway. You'd also get a lot of pushback from people saying that Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville wouldn't have wanted to be buried with him, as he may well have killed their sons and he definitely declared their marriage void and all their children illegitimate. It's certainly a complicated issue and I'm not surprised that it sparked so much debate. There probably wasn't any answer about where to put him that would have made everyone happy.
FYI, "The King in the Car Park" is not currently available at the US Amazon prime. I did see it on broadcast TV when it came out. It is available on a number of other streaming services.
Oh wow thank you. I saw a documentary on the excavation a few months ago and actually went through all your videos looking for one on him, thinking I'd missed it.
I recently watched a lecture on Richard III disability and the speaker noted that no records during his life seemed to point out any physical difference. She posed that his scoliosis only became known to the public when he was naked because it didn't really affect his outward appearance once clothed. Finally, she presented some studies showing that by using X-rays, it had been discovered that portraits of Richard had been modified later on to show his scoliosis was noticeable even when dressed (the famous one shoulder sitting higher than the other and the clawed hand). It does seem strange to me that if his disability was noticeable nobody commented on it during the disappearance of his nephews, as such physical "deformity" could be easily linked with the moral deformity that would push him to such an outrageous crime (as per the logic of the time), and used to further blacken his name. Certainly would have been a nice stone to throw for Henrican supporters. What do you think about this?
The documentary is available on RUclips for free, I started watching it in the past few days. I do remember it happening, but rewatching it, I think Philippa overreacted to him having Scoliosis SO MUCH! She cried, like come on love...why would that make you cry? Was it just drama for TV? It just struck me as a really weird reaction, that and where she says "Does that look like the face of a tyrant?" when they finish the reconstruction! No, he won't do, because his face has been copied from a portrait and the person responsible for painting would NOT have risked their life painting any Royal/Noble as anything but amazing 🤦🏼♀️🙈🤦🏼♀️
She thought it was slander, a way to say if he had a crooked body, his spirit was equally crooked-which wouldn’t have been unbelievable, to be fair. But she really seemed to think he was innocent of killing his nephews, too, so…
I recall the 'face of a tyrant' comment. My objection to comments like that (not just about Richard, but in life in general) is that you can't usually tell from looking at a person what their personality is like. How many serial killers have we seen who looked perfectly pleasant and after their crimes were discovered, their family and friends explained how 'normal' they'd always appeared and that they couldn't believe this person was a killer? There's just no such thing as 'the face of good' or 'the face of evil'. It's all just humans projecting their biases onto other humans.
I am keenly interested in this story and loved this video, HC...two thumbs up 👍 👍. I think it is appropriate for him to remain buried at Leicester, where he has rested since 1485
I will never, for even a moment, believe that Henry 7 wasn't complicit in concealing the last official burial place of Richard 3. Hence all the hundreds of years of confusion. Just putting that out there. (Waits for backlash) 🤓
I think that's unlikely. I do believe it's the fault of H8 and his takedown of the monasteries Whoops, should have finished video before commenting. 1610s is far after that
Probably the best quote I've ever seen about the finding of Richard's body (and only very recently). To paraphrase - Henry VII "I think I'll do away with the friary and install a coach house" Richard III "Over my dead body"!!! 🤣
I’ve always been fascinated by the Battle of Bosworth. I am a descendant of the First Earl of Derby (and also James V through the First Earl of Moray).
I saw that documentary via the PBS Secrets of the Dead series. Crazy how they found him and crazy how they found that reinactment actor who had the exact or nearly the exact same type of scoliosis. What are the odds? As for his reburial, that's far fancier than the one(s) we gave my mom. They split her ashes between her 3 kids and her own mom. Gramma's part is buried with her and grandpa in a rather nice triple headstone. Mom's kids all spread our portions in the same woods, (where she loved to go) though in different spots and different times. Me first. I did not want to take her ashes with me 17 hours on a bus. The idea of the ashes spilling in transit made me shudder.
The fact that they could confirm his scoliosis was interesting! My prior exposure to Richard III was the Shakespeare play, so I was not exactly convinced that he had anything wrong with his spine.
You should see the photographs of Richard's body in the grave before they moved him. There was NO DOUBT that he had scoliosis, and no doubt that it was EXTREME.
I will say that I didn't find the photos (or footage) to be gory and disturbing. It's just a skeleton in the ground. There's no flesh left, so it doesn't look horrible to me, however I know different people are comfortable with looking at different things. If that's not something you want to see, that is of course absolutely fine. As Pete says though, the curvature of the spine was very noticeable. I think even Philippa Langley called it 'major' when she saw it.
@@kimberlydavis4772And you know this HOW..? I realise that your profile picture is a bit ropey but even so you’re not THAT old as to have been there in the tower.. 🤨🇬🇧
There was no need for a burial for his nephew Edward (V) as he survived both Richard and more remarkably Henry of Richmond. The various plots during the early summer of 1483 were not only to overthrow Richard but Edward’s entire House, York, in favor of a return to Lancaster. There was a huge number of embedded, latent, and none too pleased prior Lancastrians, many in Edward IV’s own court and chambers, awaiting g reversals of family attainders, restoration of family fortunes, from Edward (and then Richard) which did not happen (think Hungerford, Lutterells, Browne, the de Veres! among others) - the list of disaffected Lancastrians (think of them as closeted) is a long one, and ridding themselves of the entire House of York was a long held desire. If and when the two sons were moved from the Tower (early July) only Fed into their own plans (Bray, Cheney, Margaret Beaufort herself) and with Richard’s royal progress underway the decision was made to put it out that Edward’s sons were in fact dead. Rather than replace them with another male member of the Yorkist House - of which more than a few were available - the option put out that no, return to Lancaster: the ‘Earl of Richmond’ was their option. Let him marry one of those now illegitimate daughters of the late king! Skip right over the entire male members of the Hiuse of York, straight back to Lancaster. And the French were delighted to pay for the coup, arrange for the mercenaries, empty out their Norman jails, arrange the transport and ships, spies, messengers, all the needed propaganda (the January 1484 speech by de Rochfort in from of the Estates General, rarely done, and in Latin, to slander Richard, and all prior English kings for barbarity using material drawn up from the 1450’s!) and send the erstwhile Earl packing with their regards - go kill each other, Anne de Beaujeu never had it better. Richard sent his nephew Edward to a small Devon property, owned by a second cousin, Cecily Bonville - married to fey Thomas Grey (Dorset) known as Coldridge. He spent the rest of his life, in safety, there, and known to his mother and sisters, which is why the dowager Queen Elizabeth Wydville arranged with Richard early March 1484, to leave sanctuary with her daughters, write to son Dorset to leave the exiled Earl of Richmond and make peace ties Richard - the daughters were likely absorbed into Richard’s court, like the eldest one Elizather, or sent north to be with their cousins at Sheriff Hutton, with their Montagu cousins who had been wards to Richard and his wife Anne since the early 1470’s - more will be heard from with Coldridge in the future. What you won’t hear is about Richard’s other nephew, young Edward Earl of Warwick, who Richard knighted in 1483, created a household for the boy at Sheriff Hutton, befitting his station, but was subsequently imprisoned for 14 yrs in solitary confinement in the Tower by Henry VII - until young Warwick was the price Henry paid for the marriage of Katherine of Aragon for his son Arthur. Warwick was executed 28 Nov 1499, but I have never been able to find any records of the boys trial, his defense or prosecution, other than it was tied into the Warbeck ‘conspiracy’ - ie the missing 2nd son of Edward IV, Richard, who had been sent to his aunt Margaret in Burgundy years earlier.
How much time do we have here? Should you ever need bail, you can thank Richard. It was his law that out bail into effect! And should you ever be charged with anything and NOT want all your earthly goods seized while you are charged, yea, another of his laws. Or if you can’t afford a lawyer, yup, you can get a lawyer to rep you, another of his laws, I could go on but YOU know nothing about this man. Only the BBC Tudor nonsense!
Do you think Leicester Cathedral was a good place to rebury the King and why? Let me know below and remember you can also find me at:
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Personally I though he should have gone back to York. However that he was reburied with honour is the main thing.
I suppose York Minister is already so famous though and didn't need the tourist boost :-)
@@HistoryCalling Just being reduced to a tourist attraction. Sounds about right for today. By the way, I love the channel.
No he wanted to be buried in York Minister
Oh I'm just kidding about the tourist attraction bit (though famous dead people do help to attract visitors, but I don't think that's why they buried him in Leicester). Thanks for watching and commenting :-)
Fun fact. Around 2010 I worked in Leicester, doing odd admin work for a company there.
I used to park in the same spot at the same time (around 5.30am) in Greyfriars as when I left the sun wasn't on my windshield and leaving my steering wheel feeling like it had been forged from Mount Vesuvius.
He was found around where I used to park. I don't know if it's a claim to fame, but I parked on a king. 😂
I think you can make that claim :-) It just show, we never know what's beneath our feet.
@@HistoryCalling Very true! Very true indeed!
We truly do live in a historic set of islands.
This is the best comment. I just had to tell my mom, and she’s not a history lover at all. I just love this. You used to park on a king 😂 it’s awesome
I think it's a pretty cool claim to fame. I'd take it if it were me. 😊
Wow!! That is really cool and an awesome claim to fame! I’m getting second-hand goosebumps.
It's amazing that people lost a king's grave, and maybe more incredible that it was rediscovered in our lifetimes. Kudos to all the historians (like you), archeologists, and medical professionals who didn't give up, but also didn't jump on it without research. Thanks for this video!
Yes, they did an amazing job. Thanks for watching and commenting :-)
When you consider ancestors back then saw Richard III as a wicked and possible tyrannical king, it would stand to reason that they wouldn't have cared a toss where he was buried or, in their case, chucked in a river even though we know he was buried albeit pauper-ish in the church that once stood where he was eventually found.
I watched the documentary about the archeological dig and it was crazy. The archaeologist start digging on the parking lot where an “R” was and his body was under it! That was an amazing coincidence!
@YourGrace_06 I thought that was amazing. Accurate memory had to persist for someone to repaint it for 500 years.
Err …..No…thanks MUST go to Philippa Langley and the Richard lll society..if it wasn’t for her and us members Richard would still be under the car park …Leicester University we’re not in the least interested,until they saw a way of pinching the limelight.. 🤨🇬🇧
It’s so amazing that they were able to find his body and even more amazing that they found genetic relatives 500 years later.
The entire royal family are genetic relitives. They did need specific genetic relitives to make the match but finding relitives should not be that difficult honestly
Yes, it had to be people who shared his matrilineal DNA and that was, according to John Ashdown-Hill, very hard, as his purely female line descendants (no boys allowed at all in this case until the very last descendant used) had almost died out. Kudos to Ashdown-Hill for tracking down the descendants. It must have been a mammoth task.
Richards DNA G2a2b2b1* Formally G2a3b1*
PF3359 group FTDNA.
SNP FGC52601.
There are quite a few that will test same family line,
Same DNA tree as Richard just a different branch connecting
About 800s.
That’s why they shut the door on for the answers do not fit there narrative.
That relative was a man from my country of Canada
No I was not relating to the person that you have mentioned.
Y DNA PF3359 is a branch about 1800 years old that Richard belongs to but then so do Henri and Louis of France.
Like I said it is a very rare DNA line that Richard belongs to.
The discovery has to be one of the best finds , stories in modern archaeology, history
Definitely. Like a modern King Tut (with admittedly, a far shabbier grave site).
@@HistoryCalling lol indeed.
I'm absolutely in awe of this story of finding a King under a car park. The documentaries are fascinating. It's lovely to be a part of future history to have lived through the time of his discovery. I love this channel so much. I watch History Calling every day ❤❤ 😊
Thank you so much. I wish everyone was watching every day :-)
Thank you for covering this topic! My brother worked for the geophysics team that discovered the remains under the carpark so I always enjoy this story. ❤
"In the first charge Richard killed several men; toppled Henry’s standard, along with the standard-bearer William Brandon; contended with John Cheney, a man of surpassing bravery, who stood in his way, and thrust him to the ground with great force; and made a path for himself through the press of steel." - Polydore Virgil (1470 - 1555)
Wow. This man had scoliosis severe enough to tilt his shoulders yet he went into battle against extremely capable knights like "Sir John Cheyne, Baron Cheyne, KG KB (c. 1442 - 30 May 1499) was Master of the Horse to King Edward IV of England and personal bodyguard to King Henry VII of England" ???? This Richard fellow was no weakling nor was he a coward. Look at how close he came to killing Henry even as he was abandoned by his men. The Battle of Bosworth almost had a different outcome just based on Richard ,a king, charging directly into combat. How many kings have let the dice fly like that?
Yes, for all else that can be said about him, I agree that he was very brave. Other Kings have fought in battles too (Henry VII of course, also at Bosworth), but they're too numerous to list here. They were mostly medieval though.
Richard Duke of Gloucester had fought in many battles from a young age. He fought alongside his brother, Edward 4th several times, in trying to claim the throne of England. He was a skilled and fearless fighter, so it is not surprising that he launched himself into battle, with a zeal that most of us would find hard to imagine. He was fighting for his crown, so no holds barred. Have you seen the documentary on his wounds? There was someone on tv several years ago, who was one of the armourers at the Tower of London, who could identify which terrifying pieces of armour were used to kill Richard, who was on his knees when he was murdered. Brave does not even come close. 🥺
I saw a documentary produced within a few years of the discovery of Richard III, where they found a young man who also had scoliosis, made armor for him and taught him basic jousting/knightly fighting skills. He mentioned how surprised he was that the armor actually helped support his curved spine. Obviously, very different situationally, motivationally and training-wise from Richard, but it may lend a clue to Richard's apparent abilities in battle. Fascinating video as always, HC!
@@elisabethhopson5639 An amorer at the Tower of London? What a cool job! What kind of power nerd do you need to be for that gig. Also awesome for him to figure out what all killed him. Maybe Richard was only so brave in this case because he was very aware that he no choice but to be that brave. He knew that it was either him or Henry, no middle ground. Even if Richard's troops were defeated and he was somehow still alive he would have been found and executed, same with Henry. You live or you die, after all.
@@csc7225 I saw that documentary as well. The medieval saddle with a higher back support may have helped also. But Richard was on foot, when he was surrounded and was killed.
I too have scoliosis and my left shoulder is 3cms lower due to the twist in my spine..not as severe as Richards. I feel his opponents knew he was deadly, stamina was his Achilles heel though. The back tires...muscles cramp painfully and remain locked. I'm sure Richard had degenerative osteoarthritis, I know I certainly do, slipped discs are common, I don't think the documentary fully tested that.. as you have noted.
Thank you for filling in some missing pieces of the story. I have long been fascinated by the finding of the remains of Richard III. Having spent decades as a genealogist and family history researcher, I cannot overemphasize the value of contemporary documentation and original sources. I have frequently been astonished at how the right information becomes available at just the right moment in a complex search, uncovering and confirming the accuracy of family connections. My own experiences have led me to the belief that there is an influence that defies logic or explanation. In fact, it has been deeply impressed upon me that the dead want to be found.
Yes, sometimes things do just pop up in genealogical research. It's always amazing when it happens. Glad you enjoyed the video as well. Richard's is a fascinating tale.
historycalling, Yes, but only when the real story is told, using credible sources.
I refuse to entertain the film by Steve Coogan. The man's a comedic actor. I'm delighted that Richard was found and officially identified. Thanks so much for your insight into this. Keep up the fantastic work ❤
It was an odd little film. The decision to have her hallucinating Richard seemed particularly strange to me, but each to their own.
Quick thing Leicester Cathedral is an Anglican Church now but existed throughout medieval period and would have been there when Richard visited and died. It was Catholic at the time. Also it’s the closest burial place to the car park, barely a minute walk between each. It respects where he was originally buried and also would have existed when he was alive. I think it’s entirely appropriate given he was buried and was testing in Leicester initially for him to be reburied in Leicester.
Yes, I always thought Leicester seemed like a beautiful and appropriate place to put him too.
What a thoroughly insightful and unbiased video you've made here! As a history lover, particularly the medieval and plantagenet upwards, despite what kind of man history has portrayed him, as a king, he was treated appallingly in death. I remember the sheer shock of when they found him and confirmed that it was indeed him. I couldn't help but feel a little melancholic. Also I used to work in the building directly opposite that car park and it's a very narrow road, I can't believe that I used to look out of my office window at him every day! Thank you for bringing us such a wonderful piece of work, I really appreciate all of your hard work and dedication to bring us gems like this! Have you written any books? If not, you absolutely should! I love your passion and respect for all things history and not just jumping on the gossip bandwagon. I love your work! Ps I loved the map of medieval Leicester that you showed us as that part of town is still pretty much the same. May I ask how I can get one? Sending you many thanks 🩷🩷🇬🇧👑🫶🏽
Unbiased ..? What a load of bollox ( yes dear I know it’s not spelled like that 🤨) she’s a Tudor fan girl.
Well sweetie (seeing as you apparently like random endearments between strangers), I gave primary source evidence the whole way through to support what I was saying, so if you don't like it then that's just tough. Suck it up. You're clearly the one who's so biased that when presented with real, properly researched history, you have a tantrum and don't want to believe it. You come across as rude and delusional.
Thanks Missyme. That's wild that you worked right opposite the carpark where he was located. I did write a book based on my PhD, but it's very academic in nature (the sort of thing only a specialist in that field would pick up and even then, probably only to read a single chapter) and I also don't publicise it as I don't want to give away my name for privacy reasons. As for the map, that comes from a 1920 book by James Billson called Mediaeval Leicester.
@HistoryCalling Thank you for saying this, I felt quite shocked and upset at this vitriolic comment, directed at you as I've watched many of your videos, and I can vouch that you definitely know your stuff! As a history nut myself, I've learned so much from you, and your videos have always got me questioning what I thought I knew! Please don't let ignorant people question yourself. And your response is brilliant, I couldn't have said it better myself! Thank you! 🩷🩷🩷🫶🏽
@HistoryCalling Thanks for the map info, and I totally understand why you don't publish your paper. But you'd be awesome at writing books. If you ever decide to delve into that world too, I'd be first in line to buy a copy! Thanks for the recommended book list on your Amazon store front, I think I actually have a couple of them. Can't wait for your next video! ☺️🩷
Thank you for the video. My Mom was a huge anglofile and loved Wars of the Roses history. Videos like this help me miss her a little less.
You're very welcome. I'm so sorry you don't have your Mom anymore, but I'm glad if this helps a little bit.
I was fascinated by the discovery of Richard III. He was arguably the best of the Shakespearean villains, so he had me at "Hello." It's such a shame that the teams involved immediately devolved into squabbling after such a resounding success.
Yes, it is a real pity how it ended up. It's not uncommon though for big events like this to cause such problems, as everyone wants credit and some people don't want to share.
Yes Leicester university and council behaved shamelessly…🤔
👏👏👏 You really shine on these investigative/detective style videos, HC. The outcome here is of course more satisfying than the ongoing mysteries of Benjamin Bathurst or Skeleton Lake. I have no strong feelings either way on Richard's internment at Leicester. Thanks for this; loved it from start to finish! Mondays are definitely improved. 🙏🏼
Thanks Stephen. It was interesting to look into his original burial and the loss of his body, as I knew almost nothing about that. The story of his rediscovery is of course very famous at this point, but I didn't think I could not mention it.
@@HistoryCalling Of course; the rediscovery is an essential part of the narrative, I think. The chronicle of his original burial was, for me, the most interesting part.
@@stephencarrillo5905 Hey 'old man', how are you? 🤭
@@chrisbanks6659 All good, young man! Trying to decide which new year's resolution I'm going to break first 🤔 😅.
@@stephencarrillo5905 Best not to have any at our age. We are old enough to repent at leisure 😂
between the research, writing and recording the scripts, compiling the visual material and then dealing with the editing, i can only imagine how much effort goes into making these videos, especially when they're as lengthy as this one, so thank you for the hard work and for yet another educational dive into an incredibly interesting topic! wishing you a (very belated) happy new year☀
THANK YOU SO MUCH for such a generous donation to the channel. Yes, they are a lot of a work, but worth it I think/hope :-) Happy New Year to you too.
Fantastic video, thank you for sharing this.
I am not at all surprised that Phillipa was part of a movie like that. From the very beginning her behaviour was..... difficult, and I can only imagine what it was like for the University staff to deal with. I’m just going to say it - she came across as having a sense of entitlement. It was as if Richard was hers and everyone else needed to respect her accordingly. I’m not going to lie, her reactions were a little bit weird.
I remember seeing the program where they had found the remains, and the forensic scientist had noticed and (unfortunately) mentioned the curvature of the skeleton’s spine.
The reaction of the University people compared with the reaction of one particular woman (I’m assuming Phillipa from the Richard III society) were tense and difficult to watch.
I personally felt for the University person being in that situation, and with a camera thrust into her face as it all happened.
The scientists were not making any claims and said that they would wait for tests to be carried out in order to confirm the identity.
Whereas the society woman was having a meltdown wanting to drape the English flag over the box that the remains were placed in. This was BEFORE anything had been confirmed. The remains could have belonged to anyone at that point.
It was all a bit weird.
I can only imagine how she portrayed herself and the University scientists. They were extremely professional from what I saw.
Agreed. She's got a problem imo.
I was taken aback when HC revealed that Phillipa Langley was "involved with the movie" Anyone who has viewed this film will know that the Langley character comes across as ... unhinged? If Langley was involved and this was the best light they could portray her in (and her approving of it) well, that isn't doing much for her credibility or reputation.
@@heatherjones6647 that’s so funny. I haven’t seen the movie so I can’t really comment on it, but thanks.
She's a Ricky fangirl, crushing on a dead guy. I saw that in the program The King In The Car Park.
Easy to see this comment section is full of either Leicestershire university apologists or Tudor ones..both as shameless as each other.. 🤨🇬🇧
It's wonderful how you dug down deep into this subject and got to the bones of the matter.
Haha, I love that pun. Thank you :-)
Another great one HC yes Leicester Cathedral was the right place for him to be placed. The one thing I have really learned from you is really listen to what and to understand their resources. I love how you explain and tell us why you think it is a good resource or why it may not be.
Thanks Vernon and I'm so happy I've made you extra sensitive to sources, as they really are what it's all about. I find you can usually tell a pseudo-historian very quickly from their inability or reluctance to properly engage with the primary material.
HC, you have really outdone yourself! All your videos are amazing, but I found this one especially thorough and informative. I feel like a certain group of people (who shall remain nameless here) have been re-writing history of all things "Richard" of late so it's also quite expeditious as well. Bravo!!!!! 💜🤗👑
Thanks Maggie. It was quite a bit of research, but well worth it I think. I'm really glad you enjoyed it.
And another group ( who should remain silent ) have made it their life’s work and far too long in perpetuating a ridiculous myth based on Tudor propaganda….but then why am I surprised..Richard was truly loved in the North of England ..and that’s because we don’t put up with bull like the southerners do… you just have to look at them supporting Palestine to see that.. 🙄🇬🇧🇮🇱
Hello HC, as one who loves Tudoe history and the War of the Rose's remember upon visiting England in 1988 and seeing St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abby, someone not in our group, but a different one. Brought up King Richard III and if it was possible to find him in our lifetime. The person answering I remember said " Highly unlikely seeing we don't have a clear record of where he's buried and the area where is supposed to be burried has changed so much. If he was to be found, he would of been found by now. " I thought to myself back then it could happen, him being found that is. I also remember the first time I saw a show using ground penetrating radar, thinking if they could use that to find the missing Richard III.
Thanks for another great informative video.
Thanks Holly. It just shows I guess, you never know what's going to happen. I would have said it was unlikely he'd be found too, even though the basic location was ascertained and published back in the 80s, but I'd have been wrong too :-)
I've been on "Team Richard" for 50 years now. I was an avid reader of history as a child and dreamed of studying Plantagenet history in England (if only). It was such exciting news when Richard's grave was found at last. The reburial at the cathedral, with representation by the Royal Family, was a fitting cap to the unfinished story of his life and death.
Love your posts, you make it far easier to kindle a passion for history than it was when I was younger.
Thank you for a very thorough review of the early documentation concerning Richard's death. I'm impressed that you followed news about the search for the body early on, so you know more about the actual role played by the University of Leicester and other entities than many people who only became interested after the bones were found. I think Leicester Cathedral is an appropriate location for the king's final resting place because, even though a good deal of the present building dates from the Victorian era, it was the cathedral church of the city where his body was taken, and it is the city where he has lain for so many centuries.
Thanks Ann. Yes, I thought it was fine to have him in Leicester too and to be honest, didn't think it was worth all the unpleasant rows that sprang up around it.
historycalling, You need to be aware of, and understand, the heated animosity between the North and South of England. Go research about it, then a light will dawn over your head as to why York and Leicester legally fought for Richard III.
@@Moose.-vy5yeOh get a life….
Very interesting video. I remember the kings body being found & the controversy at the time. He was buried in the correct place I think. He died near Leicester. It gives him at last a decent burial & it was well done. I watched the burial service on tv. Thanks
Thanks. Yes, I remember that too. I think we just all couldn't believe they'd actually located him. It was so unlikely.
Thanks for the nice clear description and use of sources, always a pleasure listening to you talking history) now I want to watch the discovery again
Thanks Mark. Glad you enjoyed it.
Very interesting! I never knew anything about his initial burial, or the monument eventually erected.
I remember watching the documentary. Phillipa Langley certainly had a great part in finding Richard, but I remember finding her behaviour to be... something. I'm find I'm not really surprised to hear that the Coogan film is very flattering to her and not to anyone else involved.
It was “ FLATTERING “ because if it hadn’t been for her and the Richard lll society putting up a substantial amount of money Richard would still be under the car park..Leicester university had NO IDEA where Richard was..because you can bet your mortgage on it if they had THEY would have spearheaded the campaign..or anyone else that CLAIMS to know he was there… Langley and John Ashdown hill were instrumental in finding him and to say otherwise is ridiculous.
While it is true that Ms Langley and the R3 Society played a big role in getting the money for the dig together and I agree that it wouldn't have happened if she hadn't pushed for it, the basic location of R's grave has been known since the 1980s and published for the world to read, as I explained in the video.
this video was very satisfying, like a meal of information. his discovery, and what we’ve learned from the time, all due to that is truly remarkable. thank you for bringing this to us!!
Glad you found it interesting and helpful. It's always a bit of a gamble with video topics as to what people will like, but I was hoping this one would go down well.
@@HistoryCalling it definitely struck a cord with my interests!!
Most excellent content. Amazing tale of old bones.
Thank you. A lot of work to research, but worth it in the end I think.
I saw them digging up the bones on the news and read about it in Archeology magazine, but I didn't have the full picture till now. Thanks so much for making the story straight. I really enjoy what you do.
A stellar presentation of an amazing story. This channel remains the gold standard for scholarship. The strangest moment for me was around 32:20 - Richard III traveling by automobile. Perhaps the only character from Shakespeare to do so!
Good point! It is strange to think of him in a car now you say it.
Great video. I love the masterpiece of a poem read by Benedict Cumberbatch and written by Carol Ann Duffy for the re-interment. I still get chills when I read it:
Richard
My bones, scripted in light, upon cold soil,
a human braille. My skull, scarred by a crown,
emptied of history. Describe my soul
as incense, votive, vanishing; your own
the same. Grant me the carving of my name.
These relics, bless. Imagine you re-tie
a broken string and on it thread a cross,
the symbol severed from me when I died.
The end of time - an unknown, unfelt loss -
unless the Resurrection of the Dead …
or I once dreamed of this, your future breath
in prayer for me, lost long, forever found;
or sensed you from the backstage of my death,
as kings glimpse shadows on a battleground.
Yes, it's a beautiful poem.
That’s an amazing poem, so incredibly evocative.
That’s an amazing poem, so incredibly evocative.
That’s an amazing poem, so incredibly evocative.
That’s an amazing poem, so incredibly evocative.
Well done - excellent and well researched presentation 👏. You really should be a narrator with your beautiful, clear voice!
Aww, thank you :-)
Another well-researched, interesting video. thank you.
Thanks 'Amelia' :-)
Hello History Calling. Love your channel.
I'm so happy I've found your channel! I'm hard-core binge watching!❤
Thanks!
OH WOW! THANK YOU THERESA FOR SUCH A GENEROUS DONATION. That really is above and beyond.
I do very much like your factual and balanced videos. they are so indefinitely better reseached and told than so many of those at least half fictional books or films.
I suppose movie-makers at least are just interested in getting bums on seats, not on telling the heads above those bums the truth :-)
@@HistoryCalling The problem is that the heads that could benefit most from hearing or seeing those things are positioned so that they can neither hear nor see. I trust I'm being sufficiently obscure.
I thoroughly enjoyed this video, and I'll probably watch it again. I usually get more out of a second viewing of your wonderful content. But it has made me curious about royal tombs in general. Of course, those kings and queens entombed in Westminster Abbey are (mostly) well-known and well preserved, and those at St. George's Chapel at Winsor likewise, but what of the one's we can't account for? How many are there? At which point in history are we unlikely to know where a king is buried? For instance, are most of the tombs of the Kings since William the Conqueror known and marked? Since Edward III? Of those that came before, how many can we account for? For instance, is it known where King Cnut is buried, or Harold Godwinson? I believe Edward I is said to have re-interred the bones of King Arthur in Glastonbury. Was any effort ever made to discover said bones? Just wondering! Thanks for an awesome video!
@HistoryCalling this is an intriguing idea for a video. Is everyone now accounted for?
You are right - this would make for an awesome video!
There are several other creators on YT who have made videos about where and how various British monarchs have been buried.
Ooo, there’s actually a Wikipedia article! Burial places of British royalty. That list goes back to 839, though not everyone is currently accounted for.
I think virtually everyone (save Edward V of course) since the Conqueror is now accounted for. Possibly a few were lost during the French Revolution though, as they'd been buried in France and the tombs were destroyed. I'd need to check.
I immensely enjoyed this posting. It was thoroughly researched, informative, and very entertaining. Very well done.
Thanks Pete. It was rather a lot of work (37 minutes is a very long video for me) but worth it I think.
@@HistoryCalling Absolutely worth it. I've never seen so much information on this particular--and very interesting--subject brought together at one time.
Fascinating! Thank you!
THANK YOU SO MUCH CICCI for your very kind donation. I'm glad you enjoyed hearing about Richard's body :-)
Your video is very concise and informative and the best I've seen on the subject. Thank you.
It’s amazing at what has happened in history I recently started learning about king Richard the third and this video has been a big help for my essay on what happened to his body and how his grave was lost and how it was found again my teacher is going to love my essay when I’m done writing it keep up the amazing work as so many people including myself love history but have a hard time learning about history of certain time periods as we don’t have the access to sources about that time period
I love how you find and present what we think we know! So much new information! Thanks, HC!
You're welcome. Yes, it's all about the primary sources with me :-)
Thanks! I really enjoy your history videos. ❤ 👑
THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE DONATION SKIKER. I'm glad you enjoy the videos (though I hope this one didn't gross you out too much).
@@HistoryCalling not at all. Thank you
Thank you for the information. 😊👍
I think Leicester Cathedral is a fitting place.
The Church of the Annunciation to Our Lady St. Mary of the Newarke, Leicester was founded by Henry of Grosmont and was a place of Lancastrian burials including Mary de Bohun the wife of the later Henry IV and mother of Henry V.
I understand it was in this church that the body of Richard was displayed after Bosworth. Sadly only fragments, two arches, survive.
St. Mary de Castro nearby was where Henry VI and Richard's father, Richard Duke of York, were knighted apparently. During the Parliament of Bats.
Bosworth was the first battle Richard lost.
A curious anecdote was Edward Stanley, First Baron Monteagle and Knight of the Garter. He was the fifth son of Thomas Stanley and his mother was Eleanor Neville the sister of Richard Neville the "Kingmaker". This was when the Stanleys were "Yorkists". Edward was knighted by Richard as Duke of Gloucester at the siege of Berwick-Upon-Tweed three years earlier in 1482. Edward played a decisive role at Flodden in 1513 when fighting for Henry VIII against the husband of his sister, Margaret Tudor. James IV, leading from the front, was the last British king to die in battle.
After Richard's first battle, Barnet. His one time allies Richard and John Neville sadly had their bodies similarly displayed at the old St. Paul's Cathedral. St. Paul's Cathedral was also the final resting-place of John of Gaunt and his first wife Blanche of Lancaster.
Please note you are correct about Salazar and Maximilian I. Juan Salazar was a mercenary captain who had fought for the Habsburgs, he was a military advisor to Richard. His account is primary, first-hand, he was at Bosworth and next to Richard. He wrote what Richard was wearing, a "cote-armor" not armour but a surcoat over the armour, where you get the word armorial from. It would have been the quartered armorial arms of an English king i.e. the royal arms of England and France quartered. He also stated Richard wore a helmet-crown.
There were questions of Richard's legitimacy and it was important for medieval kings to draw attention to themselves so their followers would know they were active.
When the Earl of Oxford was getting the better of the Duke of Norfolk and Norfolk's vanguard was starting to crumble, Salazar personally said to Richard (I take your point about how fluent in English he was? ) that it maybe was a good idea if Richard left the field. Richard as has been attested to said no, he would fight as a king or die. Juan Salazar sadly must have been one of the last people to speak to Richard.
Then came the fateful calvary charge. Apparently the last three words were "Treachery, treachery, treachery". Even his Lancastrian foes testified how bravely he fought.
Salazar later wrote to his patrons Ferdinand and Isabella.
*Please Note. The cavalry charge at Bosworth is seen as a last desperate throw of the dice for Richard to win. Calvary charges were rare in the Roses'. In 1483 Richard ordered from Flemish & Italian merchants 168 suits of armour costing 560 pounds, a phenomenal amount. This was for his bodyguard. The cavalry charge at Bosworth probably amounted from 150 to 300 mounted bodyguard. It was a planned strategic tactic, not a a spare of the moment thing as is commonly held. It was a logistic feat to arrange such a manoeuvre. People apparently stood and watched as they rode by.
**Please Note. Richard had spent some time in Bruges and others, visiting his sister, Margaret. Bruges was one of the main centres of arms manufacture in Europe making Italianate, not Italian, armour.
There were some unexplained scratch marks on Richard's jaw. This is probably indicative Richard had been on the ground and was wearing a sallet helmet and someone was trying to cut the chin-strap to remove the sallet.
Are you doing a video about the legendary "Eleanor Crosses"? 😊
I love that you have changed to Monday evenings! I totally forgot so it was a lovely little surprise in my notifications :D
Another amazing vid, hope you are enjoying having your Friday evenings back!
Yes, it's a bit of an adjustment for me too, but already it's much better for my weekends and dinner time, so I hope it works out and I can keep this slot.
Great video as always ...a day, late, but got it😊 thanks @historycalling
Thanks Wendy :-)
As usual, an excellent and very informative video!
So interesting and oh, my - excellent research, as always. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it. It was a lot of work, but worth it I think.
I remember when this happened, I was a senior in HS. I had already been interested in English history, but this got me more seriously looking into this time period. And eventually it led me to changing my degree so that English history was my focus instead of ancient Roman/Egyptian history. English history was the focus of my senior thesis for my BA and my masters thesis is based around it too. I’m glad Richard was found because since he was I found my true passion
I think Leicester Cathedral is as good a place as any. My only other choice would have been Gloucester Cathedral, in honor of his holding the ducal title. A few years ago, I watched a RUclips video of the re-committal service itself as well as an interview with the current descendants and some of the scholars involved. I was very moved.
I'm a fervent Ricardian. I remember reading a biography that noted he was the last king of England who did anything to benefit the common man until the 20th century. The examples shown were strong. Of course, I've also read The Daughter of Time more than once.
Thank you for this very informative video; it's a better, more complete discussion than I have seen elsewhere.
Thanks Samantha. Yes, I think a solid argument could be made for Gloucester too, given his title.
This was such a treat! ✨
Thanks Natalie :-)
Incredible video. What amazing research. Thank you so much.
The thing I find most fascinating is how the DNA confirmation was done to identify "The King in The Car Park". The fact Richard was even found was a miracle. Based on documentaries I saw; he was laying RIGHT next to some more modern building works. A few inches one way or the other and he would've been lost forever.
Absolutely superb research. Thank you
I love your videos and being from Leicester and being really interested in the life and death of Richard, this one was a particularly great watch! I actually enjoyed The Lost King film as a piece of fiction and to me it paints the obvious oddession of Philippa Langley in Richard, in a better light than the reality! The Richard iii Centre in the city is a great place to visit for more infomation on his life, death and rediscovery and a short walk from there to the cathedral to see the tomb. Such a fascinating time in history!
excellent as always
Thank you :-)
Well done! I really enjoyed this - a solid telling of history, fully backed by the facts.
Thank you again, Friend, for another wonderful, engaging, and informative video. I hope you are well!
You're very welcome. Thank you for watching and commenting and I'm very well thanks.
as much as they might not have been respectful of Richard's body the Tudors probably felt like as he'd (likely) murdered the children who would have been Henry vii's brother in laws they didn't owe richard all that much
Interesting report on the man's death, burial and the rediscovery of his remains. It's a really fascinating story. It was interesting to hear about all the various myths about what happened to his body after it was buried initially. Regarding the movie about the rediscovery, since it was made from the point of view of Phillipa Langley, I'm not surprised to hear that the academics from the university were up in arms about the way they were portrayed in the film. I've seen the documentary about the discovery of his grave multiple times and came away with a negative impression of Ms. Langley. The way she reacted to the fact that the man did, in fact, have scoliosis, and her emotional reaction in general. She seems more like a groupie of Richard III than a scholar. Sorry if that offends anyone, but it's just my personal take.
Yes, I was amazed at how the academics were portrayed in the film too. It looked like a libel lawsuit waiting to happen (of course I'm no lawyer, so what do I know)? I remember watching the documentary the first time too and thinking that she was very emotionally invested given that Richard doesn't actually have anything to do with her. I remember seeing one review which said she acted like she was his widow and I thought that about summed it up. She had put a lot of energy into finding him though, so I suppose who's to say how any of us would act if it was something we'd been building to for years like that?
@@HistoryCalling Full disclosure, I haven't seen the film and am not motivated to do so. With everything I've read about it, I'm amazed that the producers chose to prortray real people without them signing on to the production as opposed to fictionalizing them as is frequently done.
This thread sums up my impression of Philipa Langley from seeing her in the documentaries that followed - my husband and I remarked at the time that she seemed kind of unhinged and that she must have been a pain for the professionals to work with. I haven't seen the film, but I'm not surprised in the slightest that she's depicted as the plucky believer who knows better than the stodgy/insufferable academics. The narrative can't just be finding the remains of Richard III, it's got to be a David-vs-Goliath story, and an anti-academic/expert slant runs through so much media nowadays.
LP w@@HistoryCalling
For me, the most interesting part of that documentary was how the bones were treated as they were taken out of the ground in order not to contaminate the DNA.
Hi, awesome live history video on Richard the third. I enjoyed it. How are you doing? I'm doing well and so is my cat Benjamin. We finally have snow in Ontario Canada. And it's very cold this time of year also. How is the weather where you are? Have a great day see you next video 😊
We got our first little dusting of snow today (nothing to what you Canadians see, but enough to make the news here as any snow always does). Glad you and Benjamin are staying safe and warm :-)
Frigid with lake effect snow in West Michigan. I hope we get above freezing soon.
Lake effect snow? What's that? It sounds very pretty, though freezing.
@HistoryCalling When wind blows across a Great Lake, it picks up moisture from the warmer lake and creates snow when the wind is over the land again.
So I finally watched the movie and, well, not a fan. I think the history of Richard III is fascinating, but the Ricardians go a bit far IMO. Phillipa always came across a bit drama to me, way back when I first saw the dig documentary. The movie was so cringe, how they made him out to be some kind of saint. Not saying he was the Shakespearean tyrant either necessarily. He was a monarch in different times and murdered many who got in the way to the throne (some proven and some not, i.e. the Princes). The idealization was a bit over the top, and that’s not even getting into any misrepresentations of those involved in the project. Regardless, I loved your video! Excellent, informative and unbiased analysis as always! Oh and I’ve decided to make Leicester a stop on my England trip this March!
Fabulous documentary - provided a lot of (for me) new information from verified sources about the first days post death. I relish all your videos as they are so well researched.
Thanks Diane. That's very kind of you to say as I work hard to do the research in the limited time I have, so it's always lovely to know that people appreciate it.
Excellent video. Thank you.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
What a twisted tale. Thank you for straightening it all out.
Yes, twisted is a good word for it. Glad you found the video helpful :-)
Excellent video! Thank you!❤😊
You are so welcome and thank you again for the superthanks donation.
We visited his very respectful and dignified tomb in the Cathedral . Impressed with its simplicity xxx
I'd love to go see it in person. It's on my bucket list. I like the look of it from the photos though.
@@HistoryCalling I’m a bit of a purist in appropriate treatment of human remains and of course the carpark ? episode was so thoughtless . However amongst all the elaborate tombs I ve seen of historical figures this is poignant . Xxx
Well I suppose we have to acknowledge that it wasn't a carpark at the time (unless you mean that calling the TV show 'The King in the Carpark' was the thoughtless bit?)
@@HistoryCalling ha ha I know however he is decently buried now , however the route xxx
Oh I see what you mean :-)
So interesting, thanks for another great video!🇨🇦
Thanks. Glad you liked it :-)
I confess I find Richard interesting although I find he failed in his duty to protect the young king and his brother the Earl ( I think his rank) . I can understand that Richard could have believed he was more deserving of the kingship than his nephews. But I never heard/read that he ever defended that idea. I also find it interesting that I never heard of any of his retainers doing a blame game on other retainers for failing to protect him. From what I can tell, he was a competent warrior in spite of his physical challenge... but I would still expect his knights to make every effort to protect him. I would love to hear some of those veterans' war stories in hopes of understanding what really happened. . Thank you for your insight. I wondered how his grave was lost to time for a while. But I do also find that interesting as some of the truth of its real location was still known in modern times. That gives me hope that not all history is lost to the Good Historian who can find original or worthy sources.
That family would still be in the throne with no question if he would have allowed his brother son to rule.
Really nice and very well done it’s always fun to watch your work
Thank you so much. This one was a lot of research, but worth it I think.
@@HistoryCalling oh no question for me it was really worth it, your work brings the past and the people that lived there alive in our imagination!
Thank you for your video, it came at a great time because I was just thinking about Richard the 3rd. Just yesterday I was explaining the whole thing to my husband then today I saw your video pop up, he even sent me a link. Now I just need a good book on the topic.
Ah, you'll have fun getting a book on it though, as you'll probably need to buy at least two; one from the Ricardian viewpoint and one which isn't.
hi Hc! can’t wait to hear all the deets, hope you’re having a fabulous week🙏
Thank you. I hope you enjoy it. All good so far, though of course with my new upload schedule, tis only Monday today :-)
@@HistoryCalling ahh you’re right!! it does feel a bit like a Friday now haha well, either way i hope it’s awesome for you.😊
I went to see Richard last week. Was so interesting. Loved it.
I wonder if Leicester City Council could have afforded to support the dig with a grant nowadays and whether that represents progress? I supported the York minster idea because of Richard's affinity with that city but I have to admit that Leicester has done a fine job with the burial and the adjacent visitor centre. The Bosworth battlefield centre (albeit its not on the battlefield!) is well worth a visit too.
I'd love to go visit all of them (all the Leicester places I mean, I've been to York many times already).
I hope you do because although Leicester is a small cathedral the burial site is well done and the visitor centre is fascinating. I also love the statue of Richard clutching the Crown which is immediately outside the cathedral.
Whatever anyone makes of him it's a striking piece of art!
Great story
Thanks Steven :-)
Thank you, Great Job
Thank you too :-)
Good evening to history calling from Bea 🇬🇧
Hi Bea. Hope you enjoy the video :-)
Yes I am enjoying your video
No I do not think Richard should have been buried in Leicester. I wrote to the prime minister at the time (Cameron?) to ask if he could be buried in Windsor with his brother, or Westminster Abbey with his wife. Whether you approve of Richard or not, he was the last king of England to die in battle and that alone should have guaranteed a more prestigious burial site. Quite frankly he should have been treated better by the authorities, as a king. As for Ms Langley and other historians etc I feel that she has been somewhat mistreated. She has spent years of her life researching his possible location, whilst other more academic historians did nothing. Let's face it, there have been few discoveries of this magnitude, for decades, so she is entitled to feel a bit protective of his remains. 😬
There were all sorts of legalities around who got to decide where he was buried. I think it had to do with who had the permit for digging him up in the first place, so I'm not sure the PM could have done anything, short of changing the law which would have been an extremely long process (had it even been successful) and no doubt led to many arguments over where other people should be buried going forwards. Regarding putting him at Westminster, his wife's exact gravesite is unfortunately unknown (her grave marker is more of a memorial than a tombstone) and I imagine that to open up the Plantagenet tomb at Windsor might involved serious damage to the building at this point and there possibly wouldn't be room for another coffin in there anyway. You'd also get a lot of pushback from people saying that Edward IV and Elizabeth Woodville wouldn't have wanted to be buried with him, as he may well have killed their sons and he definitely declared their marriage void and all their children illegitimate. It's certainly a complicated issue and I'm not surprised that it sparked so much debate. There probably wasn't any answer about where to put him that would have made everyone happy.
FYI, "The King in the Car Park" is not currently available at the US Amazon prime. I did see it on broadcast TV when it came out. It is available on a number of other streaming services.
Oh bummer. That's a pity. I hope you're able to get it if you want it.
@@HistoryCalling Thanks. It's available, I can sign up for free trials on the other streamers. I just thought I'd tell any US history nuts.
Fantastic video. Highly recommend Turi King’s video on the excavation, for those interested.
Thank you very much :-)
Oh wow thank you. I saw a documentary on the excavation a few months ago and actually went through all your videos looking for one on him, thinking I'd missed it.
Ah, you see. Great minds think alike. You wanted a video on it and here it is :-)
I recently watched a lecture on Richard III disability and the speaker noted that no records during his life seemed to point out any physical difference. She posed that his scoliosis only became known to the public when he was naked because it didn't really affect his outward appearance once clothed. Finally, she presented some studies showing that by using X-rays, it had been discovered that portraits of Richard had been modified later on to show his scoliosis was noticeable even when dressed (the famous one shoulder sitting higher than the other and the clawed hand). It does seem strange to me that if his disability was noticeable nobody commented on it during the disappearance of his nephews, as such physical "deformity" could be easily linked with the moral deformity that would push him to such an outrageous crime (as per the logic of the time), and used to further blacken his name. Certainly would have been a nice stone to throw for Henrican supporters. What do you think about this?
Commenting for the algorithm. I hope you hit 250K soon!
Thank you. Me too, though it still seems quite a way off.
Thank you.
You're welcome :-)
I have seen the video of Richard lll funeral. It was very touching.
Yes and I like the new grave they've done. Quite simple and classic, I thought.
Very interesting!
Thank you so much. It was interesting to research too as I knew very little about his original burial and the loss of his grave.
The documentary is available on RUclips for free, I started watching it in the past few days.
I do remember it happening, but rewatching it, I think Philippa overreacted to him having Scoliosis SO MUCH! She cried, like come on love...why would that make you cry? Was it just drama for TV? It just struck me as a really weird reaction, that and where she says "Does that look like the face of a tyrant?" when they finish the reconstruction! No, he won't do, because his face has been copied from a portrait and the person responsible for painting would NOT have risked their life painting any Royal/Noble as anything but amazing 🤦🏼♀️🙈🤦🏼♀️
She thought it was slander, a way to say if he had a crooked body, his spirit was equally crooked-which wouldn’t have been unbelievable, to be fair. But she really seemed to think he was innocent of killing his nephews, too, so…
I recall the 'face of a tyrant' comment. My objection to comments like that (not just about Richard, but in life in general) is that you can't usually tell from looking at a person what their personality is like. How many serial killers have we seen who looked perfectly pleasant and after their crimes were discovered, their family and friends explained how 'normal' they'd always appeared and that they couldn't believe this person was a killer? There's just no such thing as 'the face of good' or 'the face of evil'. It's all just humans projecting their biases onto other humans.
@@HistoryCalling Ted Bundy was able to get away with what he did cos he was considered quite handsome!
I am keenly interested in this story and loved this video, HC...two thumbs up 👍 👍. I think it is appropriate for him to remain buried at Leicester, where he has rested since 1485
Thank you so much. Yes, I think Leicester is fine too.
I will never, for even a moment, believe that Henry 7 wasn't complicit in concealing the last official burial place of Richard 3. Hence all the hundreds of years of confusion. Just putting that out there. (Waits for backlash) 🤓
Ah, wait and see what the video has to say though. Henry actually put up a monument for Richard.
@@HistoryCalling Yes, 10 years after death. The cynic in me shouts he did it to hide his duplicity.
Ah well, maybe he just wanted to let the dust settle. We can agree to disagree :-)
I think that's unlikely. I do believe it's the fault of H8 and his takedown of the monasteries
Whoops, should have finished video before commenting. 1610s is far after that
@@NageelaMom That does sound reasonable.
Probably the best quote I've ever seen about the finding of Richard's body (and only very recently). To paraphrase -
Henry VII "I think I'll do away with the friary and install a coach house"
Richard III "Over my dead body"!!! 🤣
Thanks, hc .
You're welcome. Thanks for watching and commenting :-)
@@HistoryCalling my pleasure, ad for the almighty algorithm.
My poor great uncle💔
I’ve always been fascinated by the Battle of Bosworth. I am a descendant of the First Earl of Derby (and also James V through the First Earl of Moray).
Now why can't my family tree be as interesting as that? (I'm just jealous)
I saw that documentary via the PBS Secrets of the Dead series. Crazy how they found him and crazy how they found that reinactment actor who had the exact or nearly the exact same type of scoliosis. What are the odds?
As for his reburial, that's far fancier than the one(s) we gave my mom. They split her ashes between her 3 kids and her own mom. Gramma's part is buried with her and grandpa in a rather nice triple headstone. Mom's kids all spread our portions in the same woods, (where she loved to go) though in different spots and different times. Me first. I did not want to take her ashes with me 17 hours on a bus. The idea of the ashes spilling in transit made me shudder.
Spreading your Mom's ashes in the woods sounds lovely, if that's a place she loved. I wouldn't have fancied the bus journey with them either though.
I remember seeing this on the news. I’m glad they found it though.
The fact that they could confirm his scoliosis was interesting!
My prior exposure to Richard III was the Shakespeare play, so I was not exactly convinced that he had anything wrong with his spine.
You should see the photographs of Richard's body in the grave before they moved him. There was NO DOUBT that he had scoliosis, and no doubt that it was EXTREME.
@@perniciouspete4986 I'm still trying to decide if I want to see them or not
I will say that I didn't find the photos (or footage) to be gory and disturbing. It's just a skeleton in the ground. There's no flesh left, so it doesn't look horrible to me, however I know different people are comfortable with looking at different things. If that's not something you want to see, that is of course absolutely fine. As Pete says though, the curvature of the spine was very noticeable. I think even Philippa Langley called it 'major' when she saw it.
Henry VII gave a better burial to Richard III than Richard gave to Edward V.
Yes, that's very true.
He wasn’t a very nice king. I’m not sure he deserved a better send off the second time….i mean, he murdered those boys in the tower.
@@kimberlydavis4772And you know this HOW..? I realise that your profile picture is a bit ropey but even so you’re not THAT old as to have been there in the tower.. 🤨🇬🇧
There was no need for a burial for his nephew Edward (V) as he survived both Richard and more remarkably Henry of Richmond.
The various plots during the early summer of 1483 were not only to overthrow Richard but Edward’s entire House, York, in favor of a return to Lancaster. There was a huge number of embedded, latent, and none too pleased prior Lancastrians, many in Edward IV’s own court and chambers, awaiting g reversals of family attainders, restoration of family fortunes, from Edward (and then Richard) which did not happen (think Hungerford, Lutterells, Browne, the de Veres! among others) - the list of disaffected Lancastrians (think of them as closeted) is a long one, and ridding themselves of the entire House of York was a long held desire. If and when the two sons were moved from the Tower (early July) only Fed into their own plans (Bray, Cheney, Margaret Beaufort herself) and with Richard’s royal progress underway the decision was made to put it out that Edward’s sons were in fact dead. Rather than replace them with another male member of the Yorkist House - of which more than a few were available - the option put out that no, return to Lancaster: the ‘Earl of Richmond’ was their option. Let him marry one of those now illegitimate daughters of the late king! Skip right over the entire male members of the Hiuse of York, straight back to Lancaster. And the French were delighted to pay for the coup, arrange for the mercenaries, empty out their Norman jails, arrange the transport and ships, spies, messengers, all the needed propaganda (the January 1484 speech by de Rochfort in from of the Estates General, rarely done, and in Latin, to slander Richard, and all prior English kings for barbarity using material drawn up from the 1450’s!) and send the erstwhile Earl packing with their regards - go kill each other, Anne de Beaujeu never had it better.
Richard sent his nephew Edward to a small Devon property, owned by a second cousin, Cecily Bonville - married to fey Thomas Grey (Dorset) known as Coldridge. He spent the rest of his life, in safety, there, and known to his mother and sisters, which is why the dowager Queen Elizabeth Wydville arranged with Richard early March 1484, to leave sanctuary with her daughters, write to son Dorset to leave the exiled Earl of Richmond and make peace ties Richard - the daughters were likely absorbed into Richard’s court, like the eldest one Elizather, or sent north to be with their cousins at Sheriff Hutton, with their Montagu cousins who had been wards to Richard and his wife Anne since the early 1470’s - more will be heard from with Coldridge in the future.
What you won’t hear is about Richard’s other nephew, young Edward Earl of Warwick, who Richard knighted in 1483, created a household for the boy at Sheriff Hutton, befitting his station, but was subsequently imprisoned for 14 yrs in solitary confinement in the Tower by Henry VII - until young Warwick was the price Henry paid for the marriage of Katherine of Aragon for his son Arthur. Warwick was executed 28 Nov 1499, but I have never been able to find any records of the boys trial, his defense or prosecution, other than it was tied into the Warbeck ‘conspiracy’ - ie the missing 2nd son of Edward IV, Richard, who had been sent to his aunt Margaret in Burgundy years earlier.
How much time do we have here?
Should you ever need bail, you can thank Richard. It was his law that out bail into effect!
And should you ever be charged with anything and NOT want all your earthly goods seized while you are charged, yea, another of his laws. Or if you can’t afford a lawyer, yup, you can get a lawyer to rep you, another of his laws, I could go on but YOU know nothing about this man. Only the BBC Tudor nonsense!
Commenting for the algorithm.
Thank you. I wish more people understood how it works actually and that pretty much all interaction is helpful.