The Kings Grave, Michael Jones
The Kings Grave, Michael Jones
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The King's Grave
The Discovery of Richard III's Lost Burial Place and the Clues It Holds

Author: Michael Jones, Philippa Langley

Narrator: Corrie James

Unabridged: 9 hr 28 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 10/29/2013


Synopsis

On 22 August 1485, Richard III was killed at Bosworth Field, the last king of England to die in battle. His victorious opponent, Henry Tudor (the future Henry VII), went on to found one of our most famous ruling dynasties. Richard's body was displayed in undignified fashion for two days in nearby Leicester and then hurriedly buried in the church of the Greyfriars. Fifty years later, at the time of the dissolution of the monasteries, the king's grave was lost—its contents believed to be emptied into the river Soar—and Richard III's reputation buried under a mound of Tudor propaganda. Its culmination was Shakespeare's compelling portrayal of a deformed and murderous villain, written over a hundred years after Richard's death. Now—in an incredible find—Richard III's remains have been uncovered beneath a car park in Leicester. The King's Grave traces this remarkable journey. In alternate chapters, Philippa Langley, whose years of research and belief that she would find Richard in this exact spot inspired the project, reveals the inside story of the search for the king's grave, and historian Michael Jones tells of Richard's fifteenth-century life and death. The result is a compelling portrayal of one of our greatest archaeological discoveries, allowing a complete re-evaluation of our most controversial monarch—one that discards the distortions of later Tudor histories and puts the man firmly back into the context of his times.

About Michael Jones

Michael Jones, author of Bosworth 1485, is a military historian, battlefield tour-guide, and documentary film presenter. He is coauthor of The Women of the Cousins' War and The King's Grave: The Search for Richard III. He lives in England.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Sue on January 12, 2014

This is an excellent read! As an Anglophile, a wannabe archaeologist and history lover, this book showed promise from the start of pushing all the buttons for me and it really did deliver. Yes, I was aware of the outcome...but it didn't matter. Langley and Jones were able to build suspense anyway in......more

Goodreads review by Rebecca on March 14, 2015

When I heard about this book, I was determined to read it. But before I delved into it, I watched the National Geographic special, and one of the talking heads, Philippa Langley, got on my nerves with her hovering and generally being an annoyance to everyone involved. But the name didn't really regi......more

Goodreads review by Leslie on November 18, 2013

I enjoyed the history part of this book, and I thought the story of how they found Richard III was fascinating, but I just got so tired of Philippa Langley's unadulterated Richard III love. It was sort of nauseating to read about all of her intuition that she claims led her to Richard, and frankly,......more

Goodreads review by Lois on June 09, 2022

Meh🤷🏾‍♀️ Philippa Langely is unbelievably obnoxious and I found her chapters annoying. This was my 'richardian' biography on Richard III and I am deeply unimpressed. I have never understood the reverence for this short reigned King who stole the throne from his own nephews before he killed 2 of them. He......more

Goodreads review by Linda on November 08, 2013

"Long live the King! Long live King Richard!" Richard the III did not live long. Nor was his reign long. The unfortunate king was killed in his attempt to stop Henry Tudor in his claim for the throne of England. And yet Richard has lived eternally. William Shakespeare, in his play Richard III, has mad......more