12/16/2010

Henri IV's Head

A head reputed to be that of the French King Henri IV was found in a private home in 2008. After two years of investigation, a multidiciplinary team led by Philippe Charlier has just confirmed that the head indeed belonged to the monarch. It was stolen in the basilica of Saint-Denis, in 1793, when the revolutionaries desacrated the French king's grave.
After so many years we are still not done with the ugly side of the Revolution.

Philippe Charlier is forensic medical examiner and osteo-archaeologist who already worked on several historical misteries. He is the one who evidenced that Agnes Sorel, mistress to king Charles VII, died from mercury poisoning. He also identified a little heart kept in Saint-Denis as being the one of Louis XVII, Louis XVI's son who was said to have died from bad treatments and negligence in the prison of the Temple.

More about Henri IV on the BMJ article here.

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