( CNN ) -- Richard III 's burial was hardly fit for a king . The awkward position of the English monarch 's body , and the inferior quality of his grave , suggests medieval gravediggers placed him there in a hurry or did n't care much for him , according to researchers . Or perhaps both . British archaeologists , in the first academic paper since the discovery of his skeleton under a parking lot , said Richard 's body was buried in Leicester , central England , `` with minimal reverence . '' The king , 32 , was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485 . It was the last fight in the War of the Roses , which ended with the ascension of Henry VII and the Tudors . Richard 's naked body was returned to Leicester for public display before he was interred three days after death . His torso was lowered into a too-short grave , leaving it in an `` odd position '' that left the head partially propped up against the grave side . `` Only a little extra effort by the gravediggers to tidy the grave ends would have made this grave long enough to receive the body conventionally , '' the University of Leicester researchers wrote in an article published Friday in the journal Antiquity . `` That they did not , instead placing the body on one side of the grave , its torso crammed against the northern side , may suggest haste or little respect for the deceased . '' They suggested one possible factor . `` The haste may partially be explained by the fact that Richard 's damaged body had already been on public display for several days in the height of summer , and was thus in poor condition . '' Richard was discovered buried among the remains of what was once the city 's Grey Friars friary . Other graves were of correct length and neat rectangular with vertical sides , according to researchers . `` This grave was an untidy lozenge shape with a concave base and sloping sides , leaving the bottom of the grave much smaller than its extent at ground level , '' researchers wrote . There was no evidence of a shroud or coffin . In February , scientists announced that they were convinced `` beyond reasonable doubt '' that the skeleton belonged to Richard . Mitochondrial DNA extracted from the bones was matched to Michael Ibsen , a Canadian cabinetmaker and direct descendant of Richard III 's sister , Anne of York , and a second distant relative , who wished to remain anonymous . Experts say other evidence -- including battle wounds and signs of scoliosis , or curvature of the spine -- found during the search and the more than four months of tests since strongly supported the DNA findings . Richard III met a very violent death . Some of findings have been publicized before . The king 's feet had been lost at some point in the intervening five centuries , but the rest of the bones were in good condition , which archaeologists and historians say was incredibly lucky , given how close later building work came to them -- brick foundations ran alongside part of the trench , within inches of the body . Archaeologists said their examination of the skeleton shows Richard met a violent death : They found evidence of 10 wounds -- eight to the head and two to the body -- which they believe were inflicted at or around the time of death . Wounds to the face and two other cuts to the body may be `` humiliation injuries '' delivered after death , scientists said . The skeleton also showed marks that could have come from period-appropriate weapons . In particular , a large wound at the base of his skull seemed likely to have been made by a blade like a halberd . Other wounds seemed similar to those inflicted by daggers and knives of the time . Richard 's hands also may have been bound . More recent analysis of the remains , using radiocarbon dating , indicates a high-protein diet , heavy on seafood , indicating a high status in society . After centuries of demolition and rebuilding work , the exact location of Richard 's grave had been lost to history , and there were even reports that the defeated monarch 's body had been dug up and thrown into a nearby river . `` The skull was in good condition , although fragile , and was able to give us detailed information , '' bioarchaeologist Jo Appleby , who led the exhumation of the remains in 2012 , said earlier this year . Clues coaxed from the skeleton may shed `` a new light '' on the physical description of Richard III as a humpbacked man with a `` withered arm , '' which was used to support history 's evil image of him , Professor Lin Foxhall , head of the University of Leicester 's School of Archaeology and Ancient History , said then . One immediate discovery was that the skeleton does not have a `` withered arm '' as depicted by Shakespeare , researchers said . While not humpbacked , Richard III did suffer from the `` severe scoliosis '' that appeared to start around the time of puberty , they said . The king will finally get respect next year . His remains will be reburied in Leicester Cathedral , close to the site of his original grave . CNN 's Bryony Jones , Alan Duke and Alden Mahler Levine contributed to this report .
Researchers update their research on Richard III . They say gravediggers appeared to be in a hurry , may have shown disrespect . Archaeologists found the body of a man buried beneath a parking lot in Leicester . DNA tests confirm `` beyond reasonable doubt '' the identity of the bones .