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King Richard III's Painful Cause Of Death Revealed

King Richard III died in the Battle of Bosworth in 1485, and now researchers examining his skull think they know how.

King Richard III's Painful Cause Of Death Revealed
Getty Images / Dan Kitwood

King Richard III, seen here in a facial reconstruction piece, is known to have died in the Battle of Bosworth. 

Now, researchers are saying they think they know exactly how he met his end on that battlefield in 1485: through blunt blows to the head. 

CHANNEL 4: "Forensic teams examining the skeleton of the 15th century monarch have concluded he was killed by two blows to the head and one to his pelvis."

The royal's remains were found two years ago under a parking lot. 

And last year, they were finally confirmed to be that of the lost monarch. It was so hard to find because the original gravesite location had been lost thanks to renovations over time. (Video via ODN)

BBC"His helmet was removed ... he received a number of blows to his skull. ... The other side of his skull here, the injury goes right in through the base of his skull and right through to the inner table of his skull, it would have gone right through his brain."

Errrr, that's probably more than we needed to know. Some other evidence found is that the king was neither a hunchback, nor deformed, a depiction likely made popular by Shakespeare. ITV says:

"Experts now know he had a bent spine with a 'well balanced curve' that could easily have been concealed by clothing and would not have affected his prowess in battle. He probably did not walk with a limp."

OK, so we may have figured out exactly how Richard died more than 500 years ago ... now what? Express says he's going to be reburied next spring, "in a 'dignified reburial' in Leicester Cathedral." 

This video includes images from Getty Images.