DNA evidence has confirmed that this skeleton once help up the body of Richard III (note the curved spine) who was killed in battle in 1485 - the last British king to die that way.
2305's will note that I like to spend time looking at the development of legislative, executive and judicial power over the course of British history in order to understand why our Constitutional looks the way it does. I don't spent much time discussing Richard III who history has not treated kindly. He was not the nicest person, and did not treat his nephews well. But perhaps he can serve as an example of the type of monarch a meaningful system of due process is meant to contain.
His death marked the end of an important historical event, the War of the Roses. As I've read it, this was a war between houses of the nobility - the HBO series Game of Thrones is loosely based on it. One consequence of the war was a reduction of the power of the nobility - they had killed each other off - and a decrease in the power of the House of Lords. This allowed the House of Commons - which was composed of increasingly wealthy merchants - to increase in power and stature. In another 120 years they would be composed not only of merchants, but of Puritans, who would lead the revolt against the idea that British Monarchs ruled absolutely, and under the authority of Divine Right.
With that in mind, this photograph documents an interesting historical transition. Had this battle not occurred, the process of separating powers may have taken longer, or at least a different course.
