Richard the Lionheart`s heart to be examined ... 812 years after mystery infection killed him
Baku, May 30 (AZERTAC). More than eight centuries after he fell in battle, the mystery of what actually killed one of England`s most famous kings could finally be solved.
Richard the Lionheart succumbed to a mystery infection while being treated for a crossbow wound during a siege of a castle in France on April 6, 1199.
But nobody has ever been able to work out what germ infected Richard`s bloodstream, so causing his death at the age of 42.
Now Philippe Charlier, a leading forensics expert, is to examine a miniscule sample of the 12th Century king`s heart so as to identify the cause of his death 812 years ago.
Dusty fragments of King Richard`s heart have been kept for centuries in Rouen Cathedral, in northern France.
Mr Charlier said that chemical tests on just `one or two milligrams` of the remains - just 1 per cent of the Rouen relic - will be enough to provide conclusive results, and they are likely to be ready in just three months` time.
`It is a forensic challenge,` said Mr Charlier. `We want to get the maximum information from the smallest possible sample.`
Initial tests uncovered the presence of human cells, as well as `vegetable, mineral and metal elements`.
It is thought that Richard I died of septicaemia, but this has never been proved. Mr Charlier also hopes to learn more about the embalming process on the King`s body, which would have been carried out by lowly servants.
Mr Charlier, who is dubbed the `Indiana Jones of the graveyards`, previously helped put paid to claims that Napoleon Bonaparte was poisoned by his British captors.
Richard I is one of the most popular kings in England history after leading the Third Christian Crusade against Muslims who had captured Jerusalem in the 12th century.
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