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Shakespeare , but a new analysis suggests England鈥檚 last Plantagenet king had a different spinal deformity 鈥� one with a cause that continues to elude modern medicine.

Richard is among the most controversial of English monarchs, accused by some of . He held power for just two years before his defeat 鈥� and death 鈥� at the battle of Bosworth Field in 1485.

Perhaps the earliest description of Richard鈥檚 unusual physique came from contemporary chronicler who wrote unflattering descriptions of the late king鈥檚 physical stature. Until recently, with the exact whereabouts of Richard鈥檚 body unclear, it was difficult to know whether Rous鈥檚 description of Richard as stunted and with unequal shoulders was accurate or was merely Tudor propaganda designed to vilify him.

Killed in battle

The situation changed in September 2012. In a Leicester car park just miles from Bosworth Field, archaeologists discovered the 500-year-old skeleton of a young adult with a twisted spine. The skeleton鈥檚 location, in the choir of an ancient church that once stood on the site, suggested that it belonged to an important individual, and injuries preserved in the bones are consistent with death during a fierce battle.

By February 2013, with preliminary genetic data suggesting that mitochondrial DNA from the skeleton matched that from two of Richard鈥檚 living maternal descendants, the researchers felt confident in claiming they had discovered the remains of the missing king.

Initial analysis of the skeleton confirmed that Richard really did have a spinal deformity that would have made his right shoulder higher than his left. Now, the team has used 3D CT scans to study the spine in more detail, which has revealed more about the exact nature of Richard鈥檚 condition and its effect on his physical movement.

Corkscrew twist

The mid-portion of Richard鈥檚 spine twisted up like a corkscrew, but the individual vertebrae are relatively free from abnormalities 鈥� a pattern that the team says is seen in people who develop a spinal abnormality late in childhood. Until the age of 10, Richard probably had a perfectly straight spine.

This is consistent with a condition called adolescent onset idiopathic scoliosis, says at the University of Cambridge, a member of the team that carried out the latest analysis of the skeleton. 鈥淚t tends to happen when people go through their adolescent growth spurt,鈥� says Mitchell 鈥� and it is more common in slim people who are going to be particularly tall. 鈥淚t seems that their growth spurt is just faster than the controls around the spine can balance everything, so you get this corkscrew forming in the curve of the spine.鈥�

But, as the 鈥渋diopathic鈥� label suggests, why some people develop scoliosis during adolescence is unclear. 鈥淚t鈥檚 slightly more common in certain families, and certain genes have been linked to it, but the vast majority of people with this form of scoliosis don鈥檛 seem to have an obvious gene abnormality,鈥� says Mitchell. It鈥檚 unlikely to have a common hormonal trigger either, or to be tied to nutritional deficiency. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 know exactly why it happens.鈥�

Richard鈥檚 scoliosis was severe but, perhaps surprisingly, it is unlikely to have caused him much trouble, says Mitchell. Despite the curve in the mid-portion of his spine, Richard鈥檚 straight lower back was aligned with his straight upper back. 鈥淭he good bits of his back effectively corrected for the bad bits,鈥� says Mitchell, suggesting that Richard could have walked and exercised as effectively as his subjects.

Unproved identity

That鈥檚 assuming 鈥� as the new paper does 鈥� that the skeleton is indeed that of Richard. Earlier this year, at the University of Winchester, UK, 鈥� particularly given that carbon dating can only place the skeleton鈥檚 date of interment to somewhere within an 80-year window, and that others alive in the late medieval period would have had mitochondrial DNA matching Richard鈥檚.

Until the DNA evidence can be firmed up with information from the skeleton鈥檚 nuclear DNA, the identity of the body should be treated as unproved, says at the University of Bristol, UK. 鈥淭here鈥檚 a real danger of circularity creeping in here before all the scientific evidence has been properly published,鈥� he says.

Mitchell says that extra evidence does strengthen the conclusion that the skeleton is Richard鈥檚, but he is unable to say more until the work is published. 鈥淥ur research team does have that evidence, and would not be claiming this is Richard III unless we had strong reasons to do so.鈥�

Journal reference: The Lancet, vol 383, p 1944