Richard I of England's death to be investigated

[W.G.Ewald]

Richard the Lionheart's death to be investigated by a French forensic scientist... 812 years after an infection killed him | Mail Online

More than eight centuries after he fell in battle, the mystery of what actually killed one of England's most famous kings could finally be solved.

Richard the Lionheart succumbed to a mystery infection while being treated for a crossbow wound during a siege of a castle in France on April 6, 1199...Despite his reputation in England, Richard spent most of his time in his lands in France, and mainly conversed in French dialects.

Richard died after a crossbow bolt pierced his shoulder during a siege of the castle of Chalus-Chabrol in the Limousin region of France.

 

[Ray]

Tetanus for a badly treated wound is what I think killed him.

 

[drkrn]

those days there were no antibiotics or antiseptic care. could have died due to some bacterial infection . if it was from tetanus its feautures would have been documented and we can say it is tetanus by it

 

[sob]

So they will be exhuming his body for this test.

Napoleon's hair samples were enough to pinpoint arsenic poisoning as the main cause, but in this case Tetanus or some internal bleeding would have been the main cause.

 

[Yusuf]

Had they preserved his body? I mean 800 years on, what the hell will they find?

 

[civfanatic]

This was the 'English' king who could not speak English (he spoke French).

 

[W.G.Ewald]

This was the 'English' king who could not speak English (he spoke French).

I did not know that until recently. He and Robin Hood were my heroes when I was a kid. The former was a Saxon. They must have needed a translator.