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This book argues that a serious, scholarly study on exhumation is long overdue. Examining more well-known cases, such as that of Richard III, the Romanovs, and Tutankhamen, alongside the more obscure, Michael Nash explores the motivations beyond exhumation, from retribution to repatriation. Along the way, he explores the influence of Gothic fiction in the eighteenth century, the notoriety of the Ressurection Men in the nineteenth century, and the archeological heyday of the twentieth century.
List of contents
Introduction.- Royal Bodies and Lesser Mortals.- Retribution & Reparation.- Identity & Investigation: I.- Identity & Investigation: II.- A Gothic Cult.- The Odour of Sanctity.- Royal Requiem.- Law Sacred & Secular.- Reasons many and various.
About the author
Michael L. Nash is a well-known legal and royal historian, consultant and broadcaster who teaches at the University of East Anglia, UK. He is a Judge of the Diocesan Tribunal of East Anglia and royal historian of BBC Radio Norfolk. He has contributed over 200 articles to legal and historical publications and his previous book, Royal Wills in Britain from 1509 to 2008, was published by Palgrave in 2017.
Summary
This book argues that a serious, scholarly study on exhumation is long overdue. Examining more well-known cases, such as that of Richard III, the Romanovs, and Tutankhamen, alongside the more obscure, Michael Nash explores the motivations beyond exhumation, from retribution to repatriation. Along the way, he explores the influence of Gothic fiction in the eighteenth century, the notoriety of the Ressurection Men in the nineteenth century, and the archeological heyday of the twentieth century.
