On Wednesday this week, a mummified head has been confirmed to belong to King Henry IV, part of some remains thought to be long gone. However, the whereabouts of the head before this discovery is quite interesting. After being assassinated by a Catholic extremist, King Henry IV was buried along with the rest of England’s past kings. But in 1793, his head was detached from his body and thrown into a pit with numerous other heads by revolutionists. The head was then rediscovered in 1919 where it was auctioned off to private collectors who prized this well preserved head. Analysts report that the body’s organs seem to have been well preserved, which is the reason why the head is still somewhat intact. After a formal funeral ceremony, the head will be re-interred in the royal basilica of Saint-Denis next year.
By Trevor M., Period 8
http://news.discovery.com/history/murdered-french-kings-remains-identified.html
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