Illustrations vi The Greyfriars Research Team ix Acknowledgements xii 1 Investigating the Bones of a King 1 2 So How Did He Get There? (rb, mm) 5 3 The Bigger Picture 35 4 The Bones Tell Their Tale 57 5 Who was Richard? 78 6 The Cousins in the Swabs (tk, ks) 109 7 What Did Richard Look Like? 127 8 The Big Announcement 139 9 The Afterlife of Richard III and the City That Never Forgot 158 10 Richard Laid to Rest 174 Appendix 1 191 Appendix 2 209 Index 211

The dramatic story of Richard III, England’s last medieval king, captured the world’s attention when an archaeological team from the University of Leicester identified his remains in February 2013. Bones of a King presents the official behind-the-scenes story of the Grey Friars dig, and the subsequent archaeological and scientific analyses, based directly on the research of the specialists directly involved in the discovery. Featuring numerous photographs of the king’s remains and the dig site, Bones of a King brings to life the Leicester team’s journey from dig to identification, showcasing the work of experts from archaeologists to geneticists in this landmark event in British history. Bones of a King presents the details of his life, health, diet and death, as well as the wider archaeological and historical settings of the events leading up to his burial in Grey Friars church. It also covers the DNA retrieval and match to modern descendants of Richard III’s sister that played a role in allowing experts to make a positive identification. Beyond explaining the mystery surrounding this infamous monarch, Bones of a King is an elegant example of the way modern-day specialists collaborate to solve the mysteries of the past.

“an informed, readable account, with much useful detail, that gives the historical and archaeological background to the medieval city and the king, and describes the excavations, the forensic sciences and genealogy, and the events leading up to the reburial.”  (British Archaeology, 1 May 2015)