During his life, King Henri IV of France was renowed as a good-hearted person. In fact, he was called “The Good King Henry” by the people in his court, as well as “the green gallant” for his popularity among the ladies. He was one of the most popular kings in French history, thanks to his signing of the Edict of Nantes, which legalized Protestantism in France and ended years of squabbling and violence between Catholics and non-Catholics. However, by the time of the French Revolution, Henri IV’s exploits were largely forgotten and the king’s body was removed from the royal crypts at Saint-Denis, France. After being missing since 1793, Henri IV’s severed, embalmed head has been uncovered by researchers.
A team of researchers, lead by forensic pathologist Philippe Charlier, have uncovered the head in the hands of private collectors. After exhaustive research, the head has been verified as Henri IV’s. The hairs remaining on the head and in the beard match the king’s red and white hair. A mold of the face matches Henri IV’s death mask. The scars on the face match Henri’s face, and the slashes on the neck are consistent with a post-death beheading. Carbon dating also dates the death time within the window of Henri IV’s death.
With the recovery, the king’s head will get an honorable burial at the Basilica of Saint Denis once more, according to Jacques Perot, director of the Societe Henri IV in France.
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