Richard III: Famous Medieval King's Remains Identified in Parking Lot 500 Years After His Death

Scientists announced on Monday that they have identified a skeleton that belong to Richard III who died more than 500 years ago.

The Los Angeles Times reported that DNA from bones that were found beneath a church's ruins in England matches the DNA of Richard III's sister.

"Rarely have the conclusions of academic research been so eagerly awaited," Richard Buckley, the lead archaeologist on the excavation, reported The Los Angeles Times. "Beyond reasonable doubt, the individual exhumed ... is indeed Richard III, the last Plantagenet king of England."

The bones were found 100 miles northwest of London in Leicester and in a small municipal parking lot. The team found the buried medieval ruins of the medieval priory where records state that Richard III was buried and they found the bones a few days after the dig started last September.

"The nearly intact skeleton bore obvious traces of trauma to the skull and of scoliosis, a curvature of the spine that matched contemporary descriptions of Richard's appearance. The feet were missing, almost certainly the result of later disturbance, and the hands were crossed at the wrist, which suggests that they may have been tied," reported The Los Angeles Times

Richard II ruled over England from 1483 to 1485 and was killed in combat at the Battle of Bosworth Field by Henry VII who was his successor.

Bone specialist Jo Appleby said to the Associated Press that the study of the bones provided "a highly convincing case for identification of Richard III."

Mike Pitts, editor of British Archaeology magazine believe the evidence to be convincing. "The identification of the king is just the very beginning of a whole range of new ideas and research that will change the way we view this period of history," he said to The AP.

Philippa Langley was one woman who helped launch the search for the buried king under a car lot.

"Everyone thought that I was mad," she said to the AP. "It's not the easiest pitch in the world, to look for a king under a council car park."

The location of Richard III's body had been unknown for hundreds of years. Early records had stated that his body was buried by Franciscan monks of Grey Friers at the church of Leicester which is about 100 miles from London. The church was however dismantled arfter King Henry VIII and it was long forgotten.

Now, the discovery has lended to the build of a visitor center and museum at the location where his body was found.