Researchers at the University of Leicester in England have unraveled the mystery of what killed King Richard III. The medieval monarch succumbed to a fatal blow to the skull more than 500 years ago. As the evidence came to light, the dramatic moment was captured on video.

Richard III was just 32 when he died in the Battle of Bosworth Field on Aug. 22, 1485. His remains were lost to history until 2012, when his skeleton was discovered under a parking lot in the town of Leicester.


Researchers say the king's fatal injury was likely committed with a sword or similar weapon. New video footage shows the moment of the discovery by archaeologists at the University of Leicester. Using modern forensic analysis of the King's skeletal remains, scientists discovered 11 wounds that had been inflicted at or near the time of death. Nine of the injuries were on the skull, suggesting that Richard either took off his helmet or it fell off, according to researchers. Two other injuries were on the rib cage and pelvis.

But only three wounds had the potential to cause immediate death. The fatal blow was discovered by Guy Rutty, a professor at the University of Leicester and a forensic pathologist. As he examined the skull, his colleague Jo Appleby, who led the exhumation of the skeleton, looked on. Their moment of discovery was caught on film by video producer Carl Vivian, who works for the university.

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"It was one of those eureka moments," Rutty said in a new release. The researchers described their initial discovery in the Lancet medical journal in September but just released the video this week.

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