The woman who found the most hated king in England

King of England Richard III died in battle. His body was lost. Several centuries later, Philippa Langley began searching for the bones. The story is now in cinemas.

Mark von Lübcke/T Online

Richard III is said to be a kind of monster in human form. It has been. A monster like no other. He was never very good at any dishonorable act.

“Mutilated, neglected,” is how William Shakespeare described the English king in his play of the same name from the late 16th century. Poet Richard III. Unpleasant self-description in his mouth:

Richard III has nephews. He allowed himself to be assassinated in order to pave his way to the throne of England. The truth is: Richard III died on August 22, 1485. He was killed at the Battle of Bosworth during the so-called Wars of the Roses. Thus the king had the dubious honor of being the last king of England to lose his life on the battlefield.

Image: Imago Stock & People

History is written by the winners

Naturally, the victor at Bosworth, Henry Tudor and founder of the dynasty of the same name, had little interest in attesting to the good reputation of his deceased rival. In addition to the extremely bad reputation, Richard III had. They left little behind for future generations, apparently not even human remains. Legend has it that after widespread desecration, his bones were once thrown into the Sur River.

A legend concerns a woman named Philippa Langley in modern times Great Britain He had doubts. Richard III became her obsession, so she turned the search for him into a year-long mission. “The Lost King,” a film about the Langley saga, is currently showing Cinemas in this country. The lead role of Philippa Langley was played by two-time Academy Award nominee Sally Hawkins.

This success was made possible primarily because the amateur historian actually found what she was looking for in 2012. And therefore famous.

In the city of Leicester in the East Midlands, England, Langley’s team found the remains of the dead king, under a parking lot. There was once a church containing the remains of Richard III. He was buried without pomp and ornament, as was in fact worthy of a king. News of this sensation spread around the world, especially since subsequent DNA comparison with the king’s descendants removed any doubt.

But how did Philippa Langley, a working mother of two, become an amateur in the male-dominated world of historians and archaeologists in search of a king killed centuries ago? Ultimately, the challenge may have been part of her motivation. “Are you serious?” This was the question that haunted Langley when she returned from her search for Richard III. Tell. Followed by the general belief: “You will never find it.” I mentioned this in the materials accompanying the film.

Philippa LangleyImage: http://www.imago-images.de/

“A person who has been unfairly treated badly”

But it wasn’t just a challenge, it was Langley’s sense of justice. In 1998 she was in Richard III for the first time. I realized this when I read the dead man’s biography. The more I looked at the person, the more I was convinced that the king had been wronged.

Shakespeare depicts the body of Richard III. Such as deformed, “deformed,” “careless,” “lame,” and “lame,” and he had a hunchback too. In his depiction, physical defects are equated with a tendency to evil and cruelty. Philippa Langley didn’t want to leave it that way. “I’m here today to tell you a story about someone who was treated unfairly badly,” says Sally Hawkins, who plays Philippa Langley, in a scene from The Lost King in a school classroom.

Langley, who suffers from chronic fatigue syndrome, has experienced unfair treatment because of it in her life. In a sense, the circle had been completed between Langley and Richard III. Which in turn was a welcome connection to filmmakers about director Stephen Frears.

“Somehow the king, who was vilified and had a physical deformity, and Philippa, who reached her limits over and over again, merged in our minds,” said Jeff Pope, who wrote the script with Steve Coogan. Incidentally, Coogan can also be seen in front of the camera in “The Lost King,” where he plays Langley’s estranged husband.

“My kingdom for the horse”

The film’s star is Sally Hawkins, who brilliantly embodies Philippa Langley with her strength, conviction and perseverance. But also in Langley’s skepticism is the acceptance of failures, rejection, and, yes, even humiliation. However, “The Lost King” is not a documentary, but a drama. Because Langley’s search for Richard III. It took many years, and the plot was condensed in time.

In this way, Sally Hawkins, who plays Philippa Langley, accomplishes in a short period of time what the real Langley spent a large part of her life doing: collecting scattered information, connecting it, and drawing the right conclusions from it. Which then led them to the Leicester car park – and to Richard III.

And so the film, which is wonderful to watch, eventually gets its happy ending. Richard III received a burial, and his reputation was at least partially restored, while Philippa Langley was able to prove to the whole world that she was right. Less for herself, she says. But as an “inspiration to others,” “so they can stick to their dream.”

Richard III’s dreams ended at the Battle of Bosworth in 1485. The phrase “Horse!” horse! “My kingdom is for the horse,” William Shakespeare said in his play. But from then on this kingdom became the property of the Tudors, who rewrote history in their favor as victors.