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We often view history as a pre-written narrative. So, to uncover any truths, all it takes is searching for the facts, and the answers you seek will be right there. However, to the frustration of historians, history is filled with unresolved enigmas. Some of these mysteries seemed unsolvable, but thanks to scientific advancements, we're continually learning more about the past.
Here are ten royal enigmas that have been unraveled through the power of science.
10. The Romanovs
The Romanov dynasty reigned over the vast expanse of Russia for three centuries as absolute monarchs. Few royal houses in Europe enjoyed such wealth and influence as the Romanovs. In 1917, however, their imperial reign crumbled. After suffering losses in World War I and facing calls for reform, Tsar Nicholas II was forced to step down. He and his family were captured by Bolshevik forces and taken to a secluded location in Yekaterinburg, where they vanished from history in 1918.
Initially, the Soviet government declared that Nicholas II had been executed, but the fate of the rest of the royal family remained uncertain. This led to widespread confusion about whether any members had survived. Over time, several individuals came forward, claiming to be lost members of the Romanov family.
In 1991, the remains of several royal family members were discovered. By analyzing their DNA, researchers were able to confirm familial connections, but further testing was necessary to prove their Romanov identity. DNA samples from other royals, including Prince Philip of Britain—a grand-nephew of Alexandra Romanov—were used to positively identify most of the missing family members. However, the remains of Tsarevich Alexei and his sister Anastasia were notably absent.
9. Anastasia
Among those who claimed to be surviving Romanovs, Anna Anderson became the most well-known. In 1920, a young woman attempted suicide by jumping into a canal in Berlin. After being rescued and taken to the hospital, she refused to reveal her identity and was admitted as ‘Miss Unknown.’
A fellow patient at the hospital suggested that the unidentified woman might be Tatiana, one of the missing Russian princesses, but those familiar with the royal family did not believe she resembled the girl they had known. Others began to suspect that she might actually be Princess Anastasia. She adopted the name Anna Anderson. While some insisted she was Anastasia, others firmly declared, 'she is not Anastasia Nicolaievna, but simply an adventurer, a delusional hysteric, and a terrible actress.'
In the following years, Anna Anderson fought legal battles to claim parts of the Romanov fortune, but she never succeeded in convincing everyone that she was the lost princess. The truth was only revealed after her death.
After the Romanovs' remains were found, DNA tests confirmed that Anna Anderson was not related to them. Instead, she was identified as Franziska Schanzkowska, a Polish factory worker. In 2007, two additional bodies were found that contained Romanov DNA, thus confirming the identities of all the missing Russian royals.
8. Richard III
No English monarch has a more infamous reputation than Richard III. His enemies claimed he ascended the throne by murdering his nephews, the rightful heirs known as the Princes in the Tower. Edward V vanished when he was only 12, clearing the path for his uncle Richard to take the crown.
Richard III’s reign was brief. He was defeated and killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field by Henry Tudor, his rival for the throne. The only surviving details of Richard’s fate were concerning the treatment of his body after the battle: 'His body… (as tradition hath delivered) was borne out of the City, and contemptuously bestowed under the end of Bow-Bridge.'
Historians once believed they had located Richard III’s possible burial site in Leicester, but excavating the entire area was beyond their budget. They opted to excavate just 1% of the site in hopes of finding the lost king's grave. Remarkably, on the very first day, they discovered bones, and DNA tests later confirmed they belonged to Richard III.
Upon studying the remains, it was revealed that Richard III was not the hunchback his detractors had described, though he did suffer from scoliosis. While the exact cause of death remains unclear, his body showed significant signs of mutilation around the time of his demise.
7. Delphine Boël
Not all royal mysteries are rooted in the past. Some involve living individuals. For instance, in 1999, a Belgian teenager published an unauthorized biography of Queen Paola of Belgium, suggesting that King Albert II of Belgium had fathered an illegitimate daughter many years earlier. The press soon identified Delphine Boël as the possible daughter.
In a statement to the Belgian public, the king seemed to indirectly reference the allegations: 'The Queen and I remember very happy times, but also the crisis that we experienced more than 30 years ago. Together we could, over a long time, overcome those difficulties and recover a deep understanding and love for each other. This period was recalled to us recently. We don’t wish to dwell on that subject which belongs to our private lives.' However, he never confirmed the rumors.
When Delphine chose to confirm her paternity, it took a court order to compel Albert II to submit a DNA sample. For each day he refused, he faced a €5,000 fine. This sample ultimately proved Delphine was his daughter, granting her the title of Princess of Belgium. She is now known as Her Royal Highness Princess Delphine Michèle Anne Marie Ghislaine de Saxe-Cobourg.
6. Albert I’s Death
Albert II wasn’t the only Belgian king whose life was surrounded by mystery. Albert I of Belgium, an avid climber, embarked on a solo expedition to scale a rock face in the Ardennes in 1934. His body was later discovered hanging from a rope. Though initially considered an accident, rumors spread suggesting that the king had been murdered or had taken his own life elsewhere, with his body moved to make it appear as a climbing mishap. Some even speculated that the body found wasn’t where it was originally said to have been.
A major obstacle to solving the mystery was the large number of people who arrived at the scene, many of whom took souvenirs that could have aided the investigation. Among these were blood-soaked leaves, which later confirmed that Albert I was found at the location where authorities claimed.
The grisly souvenirs were subjected to DNA testing, confirming that the blood on them belonged to the king. Despite his severe farsightedness, Albert I was an expert climber. It appears that he simply slipped and struck his head, spilling blood that locals collected as mementos.
5. Hatshepsut
Hatshepsut was only the second woman to ascend the throne of Egypt. Following her husband’s death in 1479 BC, she ruled as regent for her stepson, Thutmose III. However, due to her royal bloodline, she ultimately became the ruling pharaoh. In statues and inscriptions, she was depicted with all the traditional regalia of a pharaoh, including the ceremonial beard.
After ruling Egypt for two decades, Hatshepsut passed away, and her successor, Thutmose III, took aggressive steps to erase her memory. Inscriptions that referred to her were chiseled away, and statues bearing her likeness were toppled. Although her tomb had been found, her mummy was mysteriously absent. Was this part of a broader attempt to wipe her from history?
In 1903, Howard Carter uncovered a small tomb containing two female mummies. One belonged to Sitre-In, Hatshepsut’s wet nurse. The other had no identifying marks, but a tooth had been discovered in a box containing Hatshepsut’s organs. By comparing the tooth to the jaw of the unidentified mummy, it was confirmed that the body belonged to one of Egypt’s most fascinating rulers. However, the reason her body was removed from her own sarcophagus remains an unsolved mystery.
4. Philip of Macedon’s Tombs
Philip II of Macedon, one of ancient Greece’s most renowned military strategists, might have been a household name if not for the legendary achievements of his son, Alexander the Great. In 1977, several royal tombs of Macedon were unearthed, and one was believed to belong to Philip II.
The tombs were filled with magnificent and priceless artifacts, but it remained unclear which, if any, belonged to Philip II. However, recent examinations of the remains discovered in one tomb have led to the conclusion that they indeed belong to Philip.
Though Philip was an exceptional military leader, he sustained several injuries during his career. At one siege, he lost his right eye, and in another, his right leg was severely wounded. When the bones from one tomb were studied, they revealed significant damage to the right knee, causing the leg bones to fuse. The age of the bones further supports the theory that these are the remains of King Philip. Meanwhile, the tomb of Alexander the Great remains one of the most elusive and intriguing archaeological sites yet to be discovered.
3. Louis XVII
The French Revolution led to the downfall of the French royal family. King Louis XVI and his queen, Marie-Antoinette, were both executed by guillotine. However, their young son, Louis, who was the heir to the throne, posed a dilemma for the revolutionaries. If they allowed him to live, he could challenge for the throne as King Louis XVII. But if they killed a child, they would be seen as ruthless. Instead, they confined Louis to a solitary prison cell and left him to perish in appalling conditions.
Two years of imprisonment left the young prince severely malnourished, with a bloated stomach and festering sores. A doctor was eventually summoned, but it was too late, and Louis died. A hasty autopsy was performed, but his body was quickly discarded in a mass grave. The revolutionaries hoped this would put an end to the matter. However, without a definitive identification, over 100 claimants emerged, all asserting their right to the French throne.
Luckily, the doctor who conducted the autopsy took the prince's heart. This dried, shriveled heart was passed down through generations until it was returned to the surviving Bourbon family members and placed in the royal crypt in Paris. A small portion of the heart was cut off and analyzed, confirming it belonged to Prince Louis. This verification was possible because a lock of his mother Marie-Antoinette's hair had been preserved in a necklace.
2. Tutankhamun’s Death
No Egyptian pharaoh is more widely known than Tutankhamun. His fame does not stem from any extraordinary accomplishments in his life but from the extraordinary discovery of his tomb. When Howard Carter opened Tutankhamun’s tomb in 1922, he was stunned by the “wonderful things” inside. The tomb was filled with a treasure trove of golden artifacts, providing a glimpse into the opulence of an untouched royal burial.
However, Tutankhamun's remains have raised several unanswered questions. The young king's death, suggested by bone fragments seen in x-rays, hinted at a possible head injury, sparking speculation that he was murdered. More recent scans, however, propose a different theory.
Tutankhamun's body was poorly preserved due to the embalming process. Resins had glued his body in place, and when it was discovered, his gold mask was removed by breaking his bones. Further CT scans revealed that one of the breaks, specifically on his leg, occurred just before his death. This suggests that the young pharaoh may have suffered an accident that led to a leg fracture, which became infected and ultimately claimed his life.
1. Eadgyth
The earliest verified royal remains from Britain belong to Eadgyth, the daughter of King Edward the Elder and granddaughter of King Alfred the Great, who passed away in 946 AD. Eadgyth was married to Holy Roman Emperor Otto I after being sent to Germany. She died in her thirties, and her passing was deeply mourned by her husband. Yet, the fate of her remains remained a mystery.
In 2008, a sarcophagus was unearthed in Magdeburg Cathedral. Inside were partial remains of a woman, accompanied by an inscription claiming them to be Eadgyth’s bones, reburied in 1510. DNA testing was not feasible, so researchers turned to other clues to verify the identity of the remains.
The remains were identified as belonging to a woman in her thirties, with evidence of wear on the bones indicating she was an accomplished horse rider, suggesting her high social status. Isotope analysis of the tooth enamel revealed that she had been raised in Wessex, matching Eadgyth’s origins. Further studies of her diet revealed a rich intake of fish and meat, typical of a person of wealth. With strong evidence pointing to her identity as Eadgyth, she was reburied in a titanium coffin, ensuring her peaceful rest.
