The HORRORS Inside The Coffins Of Brutal Kings

[00:00:00]They were ruthless and notorious men who ruled over their nations. Many kings of the past tried to instigate a reign of terror over their people and countries.

[00:00:10]And they did this by ordering scores of executions, huge amounts of torture, and by treating their people genuinely terribly. But in the centuries after their deaths, men such as King Henry VIII and French King Louis V 16th have had their coffins and graves disturbed for a number of strange reasons. But what was found inside of these mortal chambers was incredible. This is the greatest discoveries from the opened coffins of history's most brutal kings.

[00:00:43]Now Ivan IV was born on the 25th of August 1530 in a small village near Moscow. The son of Vasili III, Grand Prince of Moscow. His early life was marked by tragedy and political intrigue and Vacilli III died in 1533 when Ivan was just three years old, leaving the state in the hands of his mother as regent. Elena's rule, however, was cut short when she died suddenly in 1538, possibly poisoned by a boy, a noble factions who sought to control the young heir. And after her death, Ivan and his younger brother, Yuri, were effectively orphans, subjected to neglect and mistreatment at the hands of the Boyer families, who vied for influence. Ivan would later recall in his letters that as a child he witnessed the Boyers fighting and killing each other while he and his brother were left hungry, dirty, and humiliated. These early experiences fostered in Ivan a deep distrust and hatred of the boy aristocracy, a resentment that would later define his rule. At the age of 16 in 1547, Ivan was crowned with the title the Sar of all Russ in a ceremony that emphasized his divine right to rule.

[00:02:07]This was a pivotal moment in Russian history as the title of Sar derived from Caesar suggested imperial ambitions and spiritual authority akin to that of the Abazantine emperors. The early years of Ivan's reign were surprisingly progressive and marked by a desire to reform and strengthen the Russian state.

[00:02:29]Guided by capable advisers, particularly a group known as the chosen council, Ivan enacted a series of reforms designed to modernize and centralize power. In 1549, he convened the Zsky Sober, Russia's first national assembly, bringing together representatives of various social classes to discuss governance. He introduced a new legal code, the Sud mink of 1550, which was aimed to standardize justice and curb the arbitrary power of the boyers. Ivan also reorganized the military, creating the Stellki, a core of professional musketeers, and expanded the system of local self-government.

[00:03:14]One of his most enduring accomplishments was the conquest and expansion of Russian territory. In 1552, Ivan launched a successful campaign against the cany of Kazan, a Tatar state that had long threatened Russia's eastern borders. The victory was celebrated with the construction of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, a masterpiece of Russian architecture.

[00:03:39]In 1556, he captured the Kazanti of Ascatan, gaining control of the lower Vogal River and opening trade routes to the Caspian Sea. These victories cemented Ivan's reputation as a formidable ruler and expanded Russia into the multithnic empire.

[00:04:00]However, Ivan's fortunes began to decline during the protracted Livian War from 1558 to 1583.

[00:04:10]His goal was to gain access to the Baltic Sea by seizing territories from the weakened Lethonian order, but the war dragged on for decades. It involved Sweden, Poland, Lithuania, and Denmark.

[00:04:23]The conflict drained the Russian economy, devastated much of the countryside, and resulted in eventual defeat. Russia not only failed to secure the Baltic, but then also lost valuable Western territories. It was during this period that Ivan's chapter began to darken. In 1560, the death of his beloved first wife, Anastasia Romanova, deeply affected him. Ivan [clears throat] suspected that she had been poisoned by boyers, further fueling his paranoia and hatred of the nobility.

[00:04:56]This personal tragedy marked the beginning of his transformation from a reformist ruler into a tyrant. In 1565, Iron introduced the infamous Optenina, a policy that divided Russia into two parts. The Oppening directly controlled by Ivan and the Zeching administered by traditional Buer institutions.

[00:05:22]Ivan created a personal guard, the Oprinsky, who dressed in black, carried dog heads and brooms as symbols of ferocity and purification, and were tasked with rooting out treason and opposition. The apprining unleashed a new reign of terror. Whole towns were destroyed. Thousands were tortured and exiled or executed. And the Boyer class was decimated. One of the most notorious episodes was the massacre of Nogarod in 1570 when Ivan suspected the city of treason and ordered the apprentichi to carry out mass killings, looting, and torture, resulting in thousands of deaths. While the apprentiching temporarily strengthened Ivan's autocratic control, it also severely weakened Russia's economy and military.

[00:06:14]Trade declined, agricultural land was devastated, and the general population suffered enormously from famine and oppression.

[00:06:23]Ivan's later years were marked by instability and personal tragedy. His temper and paranoia extended to his own family. In 1581, during a violent argument, Ivan struck his eldest son and heir, Ivan Ivanovich, with his staff, fatally, wounding him. This event not only devastated Ivan personally, but also left Russia without a strong successor, as his surviving son, Theodore, was mentally weak and illprepared to rule. And by the early 1580s, Ivan was physically and mentally deteriorating. His health declined and his erratic behavior became more pronounced. Despite his violent tendencies, Ivan was a deeply religious man, spending hours in prayer and confessing his sins, even as he continued to commit atrocities.

[00:07:16]On the 28th of March 1584, whilst he was playing chess, Ivan the Terrible had a stroke and he died relatively instantly.

[00:07:25]He was buried inside of a Moscow cathedral and was later laid to rest inside of a large stone tomb which carries many inscriptions. But in 1963, almost 400 years after his death, the tomb of Ivan and his sons was opened for the first time and the graves were disturbed. What was found inside the tomb was the heavily decomposed remains of Ivan and there was no skin that existed on the remains, only bones. His teeth were relatively in good condition and there was also a lot of debris and dirt inside of the tomb covering the remains. This could have been the remains of clothes that he was buried in. The body was analyzed and used. This was discovered that despite suggestions at the time that Ivan suffered from syphilis, this wasn't the case. And it was also discovered that he was not poisoned using arsenic and that he had not been strangled to death. The analysis also showed that when he died, he was around 5' 10 in tall and he weighed around 90 kg. It was also found that he had a lot of bone spurs or lumps which formed around his joints, meaning he had arthritis and suffered with his joints. These were said to have been uncharacteristic with his age, meaning that his lifestyle may have caused him to have joint issues. He may have been heavier, too. And it was concluded that Ivan the Terrible may have struggled to move in his final years, but he also had an excessive concentration of mercury in his remains. This could have been part of a treatment or ointment which was applied to his joints to try and help heal them. Now, Ivan IV the terrible remains one of the most fascinating figures in history. A ruler of extraordinary intelligence, ambition, and willpower. It also plagued by paranoia, brutality, and personal demons. His life story is a study in contrasts. A child neglected by the nobility, who grew to dustrust and destroy them. A ruler who began as a reformer, but became a despost. A man who sought to unite and expand Russia, but also left it fractured and weakened.

[00:09:41]Ultimately, Ivan's reign laid both the foundations for the empire and the seeds of the future turmoil. His legacy is a testament to the dangers of unchecked power and the enduring complexities of leadership in a land as vast and turbulent as Russia.

[00:10:02]When people think of King Henry VIII, they usually imagine one of the most powerful monarchs in English history. He ruled England for nearly 38 years, broke away from the Roman Catholic Church, dissolved the monasteries, married six women, and transformed the country forever. Henry loved luxury, power, and magnificent displays of wealth. He built grand palaces, spent huge sums on tournaments and celebrations, and wanted to be remembered as one of England's greatest kings. And for that reason, many people are surprised to learn that Henry VIII was never buried in the magnificent tomb he had planned for himself. Instead, he lies today beneath a simple stone slab inside of St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

[00:10:44]Beneath that slab is a modest burial vault containing the king's coffin, the coffin of his third wife, Jane Seymour, and later the coffin of King Charles I.

[00:10:55]The question is obvious. Why did a king who spent so much of his life seeking glory end up buried in such a simple place? And the answer begins long before Henry's death. Like many Renaissance rulers, Henry wanted a tomb that would impress future generations. During the 16th century, elaborate royal tombs were common across Europe. Monarchs commissioned huge monuments decorated with marble, bronze statues, carvings, and inscriptions designed to celebrate their achievements forever. Henry wanted exactly that. His father, King Henry VIIIth, already possessed one of the finest royal tombs in England. Located inside of Westminster Abbey, the tomb of Henry VIIIth and Elizabeth of York was a masterpiece of Renaissance art. The chapel built around it remains one of the most beautiful buildings in Britain.

[00:11:46]Henry VIII wanted something even grander. Plans were drawn up for a enormous monument at St. George's Chapel in Windsor. The design included bronze statues, richly decorated columns, religious figures, and detailed carvings. It would have been one of the largest and most expensive royal tombs ever built in England. The king invested considerable resources into the project.

[00:12:12]Marble was acquired and bronze castings were prepared. Craftsmen worked on various elements of the monument. Henry clearly expected the tomb to become a lasting symbol of his greatness.

[00:12:24]However, there was one major problem.

[00:12:26]The tomb was not finished. As Henry grew older, England became involved in expensive wars against France and Scotland. Military campaigns consumed vast amounts of money, and at the same time, Henry's health began to deteriorate. By the 1540s, he was severely overweight and suffered from painful leg ulcers that limited his mobility. Although work on the tomb continued, progress was slow. The enormous monument required huge amounts of money, skilled labor, and time. When Henry died on the 28th of January, 1547, the age of 55, much of the project remained incomplete. His death created an immediate problem. A king could not remain unburied while workers finished his monument. Henry therefore had to be buried before his tomb was completed.

[00:13:17]And on the 16th of February 1547, after a lavish funeral procession, Henry's coffin was lowered into a vault beneath the floor of St. George's Chapel. The vault had been prepared as part of the overall burial scheme and was intended to hold the king until the grand monument above it could be completed. Nobody at the time imagined that this arrangement would become permanent. Yet, that is exactly what happened. After Henry's death, the throne passed to his 9-year-old son, Edward V 6th. And because Edward was a child, England was governed by powerful nobles acting as regents. The new government faced serious challenges.

[00:13:57]Religious reforms were transforming the country. Political disputes threatened stability. and England's finances were under pressure after years of warfare.

[00:14:06]Under such circumstances, completing an enormously expensive tomb for a dead king was not a priority. Money that might have been spent on marble and bronze was needed elsewhere. When Edward V 6 died in 1553, after a short reign, attention then shifted again. England experienced a succession crisis followed by the reign of Queen Mary I. She was then succeeded by Queen Elizabeth I in 1558.

[00:14:33]Neither daughter showed much enthusiasm for completing Henry's unfinished monument. Mary had painful memories connected to her father's treatment of her mother, Katherine of Aragan. Henry's divorce from Catherine had led to years of family turmoil and Mary's own temporary exclusion from the succession.

[00:14:53]Elizabeth's position was equally complicated. Her entire claim to the throne depended upon Henry's controversial marriage to Anne Berlin.

[00:15:02]While Elizabeth respected her father as king, she had many pressing concerns of her own, including defending England against foreign threats and maintaining religious stability. As a result, the unfinished tomb continued to sit unfinished.

[00:15:19]Years then turned into decades, and gradually the project was forgotten.

[00:15:26]Then the materials originally intended for Henry's monument did not entirely go to waste. Some of the bronze prepared for the tomb was later reused elsewhere.

[00:15:35]And ironically, parts eventually found their way into the monument created for King Charles I after the restoration of the monarchy in 1660. The great tomb Henry had imagined simply never appeared. As the years passed, changing fashions also played a role. The 16th century had loved enormous royal monuments, and later generations were less interested in spending huge sums commemorating long deadad monarchs. Once the opportunity to complete Henry's tomb had passed, there was little reason for future governments to revive the project. By the 17th century, Henry's unfinished monument was largely a historical curiosity. Meanwhile, the king remained in the vault beneath the chapel floor. Many modern writers use the phrase left to rot when describing Henry's burial. The phrase is dramatic and attracts attention, but it needs some explanation. Henry was not abandoned in the sense that people stopped caring about his burial place.

[00:16:34]He remained buried in one of the most important royal chapels in England. St. George's Chapel was and still is a prestigious royal burial site. Numerous kings, queens, princes, and princesses have been buried there. However, Henry's coffin did remain inside a relatively plain vault rather than beneath the magnificent monument that he had intended. There is also a famous story connected with Henry's burial. During the funeral journey from London to Windsor, the coffin reportedly burst during the night because of pressure caused by decomposition. Contemporary accounts describe liquid leaking from the coughing and according to later stories, stray dogs were seen licking the fluids. Whether every detail of these accounts is accurate remains debated by historians, but the story became famous because it appeared to fulfill a prediction made years earlier that Henry's body would be dishonored after death. Once buried at Windsor, the coffin then remained undisturbed. Unlike some royal tombs, Henry's vault has never been opened for archaeological investigation. The most famous glimpse inside came in 1813 when workers accidentally entered the vault whilst making alterations to the chapel.

[00:17:50]Witnesses reported seeing several coffins inside and Henry's coffin was found to be damaged and parts of the outer coffin had deteriorated over the centuries. This discovery reinforced the image of England's mighty king lying forgotten beneath the floor. Yet the reality is more complex. Henry was not forgotten. Millions of visitors know exactly where he's buried. Historians continue to study his life. Films, books, documentaries, and television programs constantly revisit his reign.

[00:18:20]And in some ways, Henry achieved the immortality he desired. He remains one of the most famous figures in British history. What he did not achieve was the physical monument that he had envisioned.

[00:18:33]There is a striking irony in this outcome. During the dissolution of the monasteries, Henry ordered the destruction of countless religious shrines, tombs, and monuments across England. Many medieval burial places were dismantled. Precious objects were removed, and ancient memorials disappeared forever. The king, who oversaw the destruction of so many monuments, ultimately never received the grand memorial he had intended for himself. Today, visitors to St. George's Chapel, often passed directly over Henry VI's burial place without realizing it.

[00:19:08]A simple black stone set into the floor marks the location, and compared with the magnificent monuments surrounding it, the marker appears surprisingly modest. Beneath that stone lies one of the most famous kings England has ever produced. He expected to rest beneath the towering masterpiece of Renaissance art. Instead, he remains inside a simple vault beneath the chapel floor. The reason was not deliberate. It was not neglect or disrespect. Rather, it was the result of unfinished plans, financial pressures, political changes, shifting priorities, and the simple fact that death arrived before his monument was completed. In the end, the king who spent his life pursuing magnificence became an example of how even the greatest rulers cannot always control what happens after they die. Henry VIII wanted a tomb worthy of an emperor.

[00:20:01]History gave him a vault beneath a chapel floor instead. And nearly five centuries later, the contrast remains one of the most remarkable ironies in the story of the Tuda monarchy.

[00:20:16]The trial of Louis V 16th marked a turning point in modern history. Once considered God's anointed sovereign, the king was reduced to the status of citizen Louis Capet. During his trial by the national convention, found guilty of high treason. He was sentenced to death by a narrow margin. On the morning of January 21st, 1793, Louie was taken to the Plaster Revolution, formerly Pl Louis 15th, and executed before a large, silent crowd.

[00:20:52]His final moments were recorded by various witnesses.

[00:20:56]After attempting to address the gathered citizens, declaring, "I die innocent of all the crimes imputed to me, his voice was drowned out by drum rolls, and moments later the guillotine's blade dropped. Blood spurted from the neck stump as executioners lifted his severed head for the crowd to see. And following the execution, Louis's body was treated with a strange mix of secrecy and procedural decorum. His remains were immediately taken to the nearby Meline Cemetery located behind the Agleiz de la Madeline where many of the revolution's victims were buried. The Meline Cemetery was a modest and relatively obscure burial site at the time. Bordered by a wall and used primarily for those guillotined at the Plasta Revolution, it was not a site of royal grandeur or religious significance. In fact, the haste and manner of Louis burial emphasized his fall from the throne.

[00:21:57]There was no ornate coffin, no elaborate tomb, and no markers of his once sovereign station. According to contemporary accounts, the king's body was placed in a simple wooden coffin, barely more than a crud box. The head was placed between his legs in the coffin as was customary after decapitations and the coffin was then taken the short distance to the Meline cemetery and buried in a pit filled with quick lime to accelerate decomposition.

[00:22:27]The use of quick lime was both a hygienic measure and a symbolic act intended to erase the physical legacy of the king and prevent the site from becoming a royalist shrine. However, despite the revolutionary favor, the precise location and the grave was remembered. A local parish official, a monarchist sympathizer, marked the spot in secret. His quiet act of memorialization would prove vital decades later.

[00:22:57]Following the defeat of Napoleon and the restoration of the Borbin monarchy in 1814, the surviving members of the royal family sought to restore dignity to their executed relatives. King Louis V 18th, the younger brother of Louis V 16th, initiated a campaign to locate the bodies of both Louis V 16th and his wife, Queen Marian Twuinette. In early 1815, official permission was granted to exume the remains of the Meline Cemetery. Delis Cl, who had maintained a secret record of the burial locations for over two decades, guided the officials to the approximate graves of both Louis V 16th and Marie Antoinette.

[00:23:39]Through the Meline Cemetery had been closed since 1794 and partially built over, the memory of the graves had not been lost. On January 18th, 1815, the exumation began under the supervision of the Councel Pradel and a commission of royal officials. What they uncovered was a gruesome and fragmented glimpse into the aftermath of revolution and the ravages of time.

[00:24:07]The grave identified as that of Louis V 16th was exumed first. The coffin, having been hastily constructed and buried in lime, had almost entirely disintegrated. The quick lime, intended to hasten decomposition, had indeed done that, but so inconsistently.

[00:24:26]Parts of the body had decayed entirely into bone, while other remnants of tissue and clothing lingered in the soil. Observers noted that a blackened human skull, was found, along with fragments of bone, particularly leg and rib bones, and decaying fabric likely from the clothes Louie wore at his execution. A small remnant of white shirt material, possibly stained with dried blood, was recovered. Most notably, a jawbone with worn mers were used to help identify the body, as it was known that Louisie had suffered from dental issues.

[00:25:03]Despite the destruction caused by lime and the passage of 22 years, the arrangement of the bones and the location of the burial matched Daklo's records. The committee concluded with confidence that these were the remains of King Louis V 16th.

[00:25:20]It was not a complete skeleton and certainly not a body preserved in any recognizably human form. The remains were partially liquefied in places and soaked into the surrounding soil. The stench was reportedly overwhelming. No flesh remained. The torso and limbs had disarticulated and the spine had collapsed. The decaying corpse was more accurately described as mortal residue.

[00:25:48]The grim physical reality stood in contrast to the reverence with which the remains were treated during excumation.

[00:25:55]The bones were carefully collected and wrapped in white linen, blessed by clergy, and later placed into a new royal coffin. The identification of the king's remains relied heavily on the testimony of Delo and the physical layout of the cemetery. Although there was no DNA technology at the time, the combination of circumstantial evidence and the skeletal characteristics such as the dental wear persuaded the authorities in the royal family that the correct body had been located. There was also the notable absence of any other burials in the exact section of the cemetery where Delo indicated the king had been interred. revolutionary authorities had reserved that plot for particularly high-profile executions, lending further credence to the claim.

[00:26:42]Nevertheless, some critics have questioned the accuracy of the identification over the centuries. The revolution produced countless victims, many of whom were buried without ceremony or record. But no serious alternative theory has ever gained traction and modern scholars generally accept the identification as accurate if somewhat imprecise.

[00:27:07]Following the exumation the remains of Louis V 16th were taken to the royal necropolis of the Basil of St. Denny just outside of Paris. There on January 21st, 1815, exactly 22 years to the day after his execution, the king was buried in a solemn ceremony. The remains of Marian Twinet, exumed in a similarly decayed condition, were interred beside him.

[00:27:32]Their new tombs were constructed with reverence, marked by simple but dignified monuments. The Latin inscriptions on the tombs commemorate their martyrdom and restoration to royal dignity. The decaying remains of Louis V 16th became a symbol of both the horror and the sanctification of the past. To royalists, the exumation was an act of redemption, bringing dignity back to a murdered monarch and reestablishing the continuity of divine rule. The decay of the corpses served to emphasize the suffering he had endured and his transformation into a martyr for the monarchy. An interesting postcript to the story involves relics said to have been taken from the scene to the execution. Some monarchist supporters were reported to have collected soil and blood from the plaster revolution. In one case, a handkerchief soaked in Louis blood was said to have been preserved and kept by monarchist families for generations. More curiously, there were rumors that the king's heart had been secretly removed after his death, where unverified, these stories reflect the deeply emotional response of some royalists to the king's martyrdom. In an age when the physical body of a monarch was believed to hold divine or national significance, even his bodily fluids or organs could become subjects of veneration.

[00:28:57]The exhumation of King Louis V 16th's decaying corpse in 1815 was a dramatic and symbolic moment in French history.

[00:29:05]The body of the executed monarch, fragmented, partially dissolved and buried in obscurity, had survived the very revolution that sought to obliterate him through time and lime had reduced him to a macabra collection of bones and rotted cloth. His rearial in the royal crypt of Sundeni represented the resilience of royal memory. His corpse, like his monarchy, had decayed, but it had not vanished. The retrieval and reinterment of his remains underscored France's complex relationship with its past. The tension between monarchy and republic, memory and oblivion, reverence and rejection.

[00:29:45]In death, Louis V 16th became more than a king. He became a symbol of a France divided by its history and struggling to reconcile with its revolutionary ghosts.

[00:30:00]King Edward V 6 is one of the most overlooked monarchs in English history.

[00:30:04]He ruled for only six years from 1547 to 1553 until he died before reaching his 16th birthday. As the only legitimate son of King Henry VIII and his third wife, Jane Seymour, Edward was once seen as the future of the Tuda dynasty. His birth in 1537 was celebrated across England. Yet, his early death changed the course of English history forever.

[00:30:29]Today, visitors to Westminster Abbey walk only a short distance from the place where Edward V 6 lies buried. Yet, few people realize that beneath the famous church rests the body of the boy king. Unlike the dramatic stories surrounding the remains of Henry VIII, Richard III, or the Romanovs, Edward's body has remained largely undisturbed since the day it was buried. His remains have never been scientifically examined, and much about the condition of his corpse remains a mystery. What is known, however, provides a fascinating glimpse into the TUDA burial practices and the royal vault that still contains him today. Edward was born on the 12th of October 1537 at Hampton Court Palace.

[00:31:11]His arrival was greeted with enormous joy. Henry VIII had spent decades trying to secure a male heir. He had divorced one wife, broken with the Roman Catholic Church, and executed another wife in his determination to produce a son. At last, Jane Seymour gave him what he so desperately wanted. The celebrations, however, were short-lived. Jane Seymour died less than two weeks after Edward's birth, probably from complications following childbirth. Edward therefore grew up without a mother, raised instead by nurses, tutors, and servants. And despite this, he received an excellent education and became one of the most highly educated monarchs that England had ever seen. When Henry VIII died in January of 1547, 9-year-old Edward became king. Because he was so young, the country was governed largely by powerful advisers.

[00:32:02]Nevertheless, Edward took a keen interest in government and religion. He strongly supported Protestant reforms and helped push England further away from Catholic traditions. His reign, however, would be tragically short.

[00:32:15]During the winter and spring of 1553, Edward's health began to fail.

[00:32:20]Contemporary reports describe a persistent cough, fever, weaknesses, and weight loss. Ambassadors visiting court noticed that the young king appeared increasingly thin and frail, and some observers reported that he had difficulty breathing and occasionally coughed up blood. For centuries, historians debated what exactly killed him. Earlier writers often suggested tuberculosis, sometimes called consumption.

[00:32:46]Tuberculosis was common in Tuda England and could certainly produce many of the symptoms described by witnesses. Modern historians are less certain. Some have proposed a severe lung infection, pneumonia, or another infectious disease. And because Edward's body has never been exumed or scientifically examined, no definitive diagnosis can be made. The exact cause of his death remains unknown. By July 1553, it was clear that Edward was dying. Fearing that his Catholic halfsister Mary would reverse his religious reforms, Edward supported a plan that attempted to place his cousin, Lady Jane Gray, on the throne instead. The scheme failed.

[00:33:29]Edward died at Greenwich Palace on the 6th of July 1553, aged just 15. The reaction was immediate and dramatic.

[00:33:38]Although Lady Jane Gray was briefly proclaimed queen, support quickly swung behind Mary and within days Mary had secured the throne and became Queen Mary I. Meanwhile, preparations began for Edward's burial. Tudtor royal funerals were elaborate affairs designed to demonstrate the power and dignity of the monarchy. Even though Mary disagreed with many of Edward's religious policies, she ensured that her brother received a burial fitting for a king.

[00:34:07]Edward's funeral took place on the 8th of August 1553 at Westminster Abbey.

[00:34:12]Thousands witnessed the procession through London. The event was unusual because it incorporated many Protestant elements reflecting Edward's beliefs. In fact, it was one of the first major royal funerals in England conducted according to Protestant practices. The coffin was carried into Westminster Abbey and lowered into a royal burial place beneath the church. From that moment onwards, Edward's remains largely disappeared from public view. Unlike some royal corpses that were later moved, disturbed, or re-eried, Edward remained where he had originally been placed. What happened to his body after death follows the normal pattern for a Tuda monarch. Embalming techniques of the 16th century were relatively crude compared with modern methods. The body would have been prepared, wrapped, and placed within a coffin designed to slow decay, but not prevent it entirely. Like all human remains, Edward's body gradually decomposed. Within weeks and months after burial, the soft tissue would have begun to break down. Over years and decades, this process continued. By the 17th century, very little would likely have remained apart from bones, fragments of dried tissue, and possibly traces of clothing or burial materials. Today, nearly five centuries after his death, Edward's remains are almost certainly skeletal.

[00:35:36]This conclusion is based not on direct examination, but on what is known about decomposition in sealed burial environments. Unless extraordinary preservation occurs, human bodies buried for such long periods eventually become skeletonized.

[00:35:52]Unlike the remarkably preserved body of Napoleon, which was protected by multiple coffins and usually favorable conditions, Edward's remains would have undergone the natural process of decay over hundreds of years. One reason we know so little about the condition of Edward's remains is that his tomb has never been opened for scientific investigation.

[00:36:14]Many famous historical figures have been assumed. Richard III's skeleton was discovered beneath the car park in Leicester in 2012. The remains of the Robinoff family were examined using DNA testing and even Oliver Cromwell's body was dug up after the restoration.

[00:36:32]Edward V 6th, however, has remained undisturbed.

[00:36:36]Westminster Abbey has traditionally shown great respects towards royal burials. Opening royal tombs is rare and generally only occurs when there is an overwhelming historical or practical reason. No such reason has existed in Edward's case. As a result, historians must rely on written records rather than physical evidence. The location of Edward's remains is itself fascinating.

[00:37:00]He lies within Westminster Abbey, one of Britain's most important royal churches.

[00:37:05]The abbey has served as the coronation church of English and British monarchs since 1066 and contain and and and contains the tombs of kings, queens, statesmen, scientists, and poets.

[00:37:19]Edward's burial place is associated with the chapel of Henry VIIIth, the magnificent structure built by his grandfather. This area became one of the principal royal burial locations of the Tuda dynasty. Over the centuries, additional royal burials took place nearby, and the exact arrangement of coffins beneath the abbey has changed as vaults were expanded, modified, and reused. Nevertheless, Edward's remains are still believed to rest within the same general burial area established during the TUDA period. The vault itself is not open to visitors. Millions of tourists visit Westminster Abbey every year, but the spaces beneath the floor remain closed. These underground burial chambers contain generations of royal dead and are carefully protected. This means that Edward's coffin, if any substantial part of it survives, remains hidden from public view. The original wooden coffin has probably deteriorated significantly. Wood buried underground for centuries often weakens, collapses, or decays. And in some royal burials, only fragments of the original coffin survive after several hundred years.

[00:38:31]Whether Edward's coffin remains intact is impossible to know without direct examination. One intriguing aspect of Edward's burial is how overshadowed it became. His halfsister Mary soon dominated the political scene. After her came Elizabeth I, one of England's most famous monarchs. Edward's short reign was often treated as a brief interruption between the better known stories of his sisters. As a result, his burial attracted far less attention than those of many other monarchs. Yet his historical importance was enormous. The religious changes introduced during his reign influenced England for generations. Many Protestant reforms later revived and Elizabeth I had their roots in Edward's government. His body may rest quietly beneath Westminster Abbey, but his impact on English history remains significant. The mystery surrounding his remains also adds to his story. Because his tomb has never been opened, historians cannot answer many questions. Was his skeleton affected by the illness that killed him? Are traces of TUDA burial garments still present?

[00:39:44]And does any evidence survive that might help identify the disease responsible for his death? At present, nobody knows.

[00:39:53]Future generations may never know either. There is little appetite for disturbing royal burial simply to satisfy historical curiosity. And Westminster Abbey remains both a historic monument and a place of worship. and respect for the dead continues to guide decisions about the royal tombs beneath it. Today, nearly 500 years after his death, King Edward V 6 still lies in darkness beneath the stones of Westminster Abbey. The energetic young king who once dreamed of shaping England's future has long since become part of history. His flesh has almost certainly vanished. His coffin has aged with the centuries, and the exact condition of his remains remain unknown. Yet unlike many famous rulers whose bodies were moved, opened, examined, or lost, Edward has enjoyed something rare in royal history. Peace.

[00:40:45]Beneath one of the world's most famous churches, the last surviving traces of Henry VII's only legitimate son remain hidden from view. The royal corpse of King Edward V 6 has become a mystery preserved by time itself, resting silently within the ancient walls of Westminster Abbey, where it has lain undisturbed since the summer of 1553.

[00:41:10]The execution of King Charles I was a horrifically sad event, and many people who witnessed the public slaying of the monarch sighed as the axe fell upon his shoulders. Despite his failings and the fact many viewed him as a tyrant, King Charles I many believe today should never have been executed. He lost his head on the 30th of January 1649 outside of the banqueting house in London on Whiteall. He was led through a window onto the scaffold where the executioner's block was found and he made a short speech to the crowd.

[00:41:46]It was hard to hear the king, but he said that an unjust sentence that I suffered to take effect is punished now by an unjust sentence on me. But I must tell you that their liberty and freedom consists in having government. It is not their having a share in the government.

[00:42:05]That is nothing appertaining unto them.

[00:42:08]A subject and a sovereign are clean, different things. before finishing. I shall go from a corruptible to an incorruptible crown where no disturbance can be. He knew that his time on earth was over, and he then around 2 p.m. gave himself to the executioner for his death. He knelt down and then had to lie down on the scaffold as the block was so low. He rested his head on the block and said a final prayer before giving the signal to the executioner that he was ready and he stretched out his arms.

[00:42:41]With this the executioner crashed down his sharp ax skillfully onto the neck of the king and his head was taken clean off in front of the crowd. Some thought in the crowd that by executing a king who was sent to rule by God that vengeance would occur upon England. But the executioner then displayed the head of Charles to the crowd before quietly making his getaway and the remains of the king were collected and were placed inside of a coffin ready for burial. His remains were taken to a place in the palace of Whiteall and they were imbalmed and his head was actually sewn back on. But for some time parliament were concerned about where they should bury Charles the first. He was in a leadlined coffin and his remains were wrapped in a thick sear cloth to prevent them from decaying quickly over the centuries and Parliament knew that if they buried him in central London, such as within Westminster Abbey, that there could be people who wanted to exume him.

[00:43:45]They did not want the burial place of Charles I to become a shrine either. And with this, they settled on Windsor Castle to bury the Steuart king, specifically within the walls of St. George's Chapel. And they knew that here was one very small vault which could fit one other coffin alongside a king. But this was the burial vault of King Henry VIII, the notorious six-wifed king. And inside of this vault, he was buried alongside his third wife, Jane Seymour.

[00:44:14]Preparation work was performed within the vault to allow one more coffin to be lowered in and fit in. And with this, Henry VI's coffin was moved to the side, and the trestle he was resting on actually broke. Henry VI's coffin was noted to have been in a very bad way.

[00:44:31]Also, at this time, on the night of the 9th of February, 1649, within two weeks of his execution, the coffin of King Charles I was taken under the cover of darkness from London on a short journey to Windsor. It was carried into St. George's Chapel and was lowered inside of the burial vault of Henry VIII and Jane Seymour right under the choir within the orders of the Garter Chapel.

[00:44:58]Later, Charles's son, King Charles II, planned to have his father exumed and interred in a huge mosoleum inside of Hyde Park, but this building work was never completed. And still today, the executed king lies inside of this burial vault next to King Henry VIII. But for centuries, the true location of Charles I's coffin was lost to time, and people forgot where he had actually been buried. His remains went missing. But the burial vault of him and Henry VII was actually broken into during building works in 1813, and the builder discovered a child's coffin at the foot of Henry VII. This was a child of Queen Anne and would have been a direct descendant of Charles. However, during these initial investigations, it was noted that Henry Ve's coffin was in a bad way, and then the coffin of Charles I was found, and it was noted that it had an inscription on the coffin, almost confirming that inside were the executed Stuart King's remains. Sir Henry Halford was the man who was asked to help investigate King Charles I coffin. And on the 1st of April 1813, in the presence of the future king George IV, the burial vault was opened again and the coffin of Charles was opened. It was first noticed that the sear cloth covered the body and the head, and when this was peeled away, it was discovered that the head of Charles I, which had previously been sewn back on, had come apart because the thread used had decayed. The wrapping of the king's body was so well performed and carried out that Henry Halford actually had to take the whole of the king's body out of the coffin to unwrap parts of it. The investigation was detailed, and Halford documented what he saw and did, and he said that at length the whole face was disengaged from its covering. The complexion of the skin of it was dark and discolored. The forehead and temples had lost little or nothing of their muscular substance. The cartilage of the nose was gone, but the left eye, in the first moment of exposure, was open and full, though it vanished almost immediately, and the pointed beard, so characteristic of the period of the reign of King Charles, was perfect. The shape of the face was a long oval. Many of the teeth remained and the left ear in consequence of the interposition of the yunuous matter between it and the sear cloth was found entire. It was difficult at this moment to withhold a declaration that notwithstanding its disfigurement, the countenance did bear a strong resemblance to the coins, the busts, and especially to the pictures of King Charles I by Van Djk, by which it had been made familiar to us. It is true that minds of the spectators of the interesting site were well prepared to receive this impression, but it also certain that such a facility of belief had been occasioned by the simplicity and truth of Mr. Herbert's narrative, every part of which had been confirmed by the investigation, so far it had advanced, and it will not be denied, that the shape of the face, the forehead, and eye, and the beard are most important features, which by resemblance is determined.

[00:48:26]When the head had been entirely disengaged from the attachments which confined it, it was found to be loose and without any difficulty was taken up and held to view. It was quite wet and gave a greenish red tinge to paper and to linen which touched it. The back part of the scalp was entirely perfect and had a remarkably fresh appearance. The pores of the skin being more distinct as they usually are when soaked in moisture, and the tendons and ligaments of the neck were of considerable substance of firmness. The hair was thick at the back part of the head, and in appearance neatly black. A portion of it, which had been since cleaned and dried, is of a beautiful dark brown color. That of the beard was a reddish brown. on the back part of the head. It was more than an inch in length and had probably been cut so short for the convenience of the executioner, or perhaps by the piety of friends soon after death, in order to furnish memorials of the unhappy king. Sir Henry Halford had opened the coffin of the executed king, and he confirmed that it was him completely. He also said that the muscles of the neck had evidently retracted themselves considerably, and the fourth cervical vertebrae was found to be cut through its substance traversely, leaving the surface of the divided portions perfectly smooth, and even an appearance which could only have been produced by a heavy blow inflicted with a sharp instrument. This added further evidence that it was the king, as confirmed that he had lost his head by a sharp weapon, such as an axe. But after this, it was said that following the examination of the head, which served every purpose in view, and without examining the body below the neck, it was immediately restored to its situation, the coffin was soldered up again, and the vault was closed.

[00:50:22]After this opening of the coffin, the burial vault of Charles I was never opened again and has since been left undisturbed. It's probable that the investigation caused significant decay and damage to Charles the First and that he remains today just as a skeleton.

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