The Secrets Within the Casket of the Emperor Henry VII at Pisa

[@filippofior3722]

Henry VII's body has been treated in my little village of Suvereto and rested there for two years before being transferred to Pisa. The location is just out of the walls and still called "poggio delle insegne"

[@marthavanbeek-putters]

Dr. Barton I saw the tomb of Emperor Henry VII in the Duomo in Pisa and also the beautiful statues of the tomb. I thank you for the explanation of Henry VII’s death and the opening of his coffin. Martha

[@deniseatkins9407]

Fascinating and yes I was eating at the time but not affected as I would like to be subjected to hydrolysis rather than burial or cremation. Being done so in wine sounds more delightful

[@Marian-pb7fd]

Thank you so much for this channel. I so enjoy history and I always learn something new from you. I am most fascinated by Westminster Abbey and St Paul, that ought to keep you teaching us the history for years and years. Looks like you have a long road ahead of you. Thank you again.

[@allanbarton]

Thank you Marian for your kind words. I find history endlessly fascinating, I hope I won’t run out of material for years and years.

[@Marian-pb7fd]

@@allanbarton You were born in a country that has given the world almost a 1000 years of Royal history years alone, I doubt you will run out. Lol. You are a very good teacher

[@charleshellens6166]

Another fantastic video Allan. As a history student at University with an interest in all things medieval, your content is superb! Great to see you branching out from English history. Speaking of tomb openings, have you considered a video on the opening of the tombs of English monarchs ? I know there's a fascinating article online for the general public, and it would be great to see you cover it.

[@AdamosDad]

This was a very interesting history and seems to me very unusual that you could be elected King when Kings were generally hereditary. My ancestor Richard of Cornwall was King of the Romans from 1257 until his death in 1272. He was the second son of John, King of England, and Isabella, Countess of Angoulême. Richard was nominal Count of Poitou from 1225 to 1243, and he also held the title Earl of Cornwall from 1225. He was one of the wealthiest men in Europe and joined the Barons' Crusade, where he achieved success as a negotiator for the release of prisoners and assisted with the building of the citadel in Ascalon.

[@annettewillis2797]

A deeply fascinating slice of history Allan. Henry VII's tomb is truly a treasure trove and a real insight into medieval burial practices. I guess he was very unwell and in a lot of pain prior to his death. Also the politics of power saved his tomb in the end! Wonderful stuff! Thanks again for sharing your insights. More please!

[@allanbarton]

Glad you enjoyed it 😊

[@lianefehrle9921]

2:07 I’ve been to that castle if I’m not mistaken. I was a teenager when I went. That was a long time ago though. So my memory isn’t that good. I’ve gone to many churches and castles in Germany, Australia and Switzerland.

[@freedpeeb]

I am so curious about the regalia and shroud found in the tomb. Were they reburied with the remains or put on display? Thank you for this excellent content.

[@allanbarton]

I believe they are now in the museum next to the Duomo.

[@freedpeeb]

Thank you!@@allanbarton

[@christinewells-leddon9287]

I cannot tell you how much I love your stuff! It is always informative, superbly researched and very well presented.

[@allanbarton]

Thanks very much! Glad you're enjoying my channel 😊.

[@christinewells-leddon9287]

@@allanbarton I enjoy your stuff so much, that yours is the ONLY channel I support financially...

[@davidd6171]

Wonderful and educational video as always Allan! As an atheist I still have a lot of respect for religion due to how much influence it has had on human history. Keep up the great work!

[@allanbarton]

Yes, regardless of your own beliefs, you can't really study human history divorced from its religious contexts without getting a distorted and very incomplete picture. Glad you're enjoying my channel!

[@rhiannonpoole6019]

Thank you for another fascinating video - there was enough content there for half a dozen videos! I'm just reading about this period of turbulent Italy in the last volume of Gibbon, I do wonder sometimes how the Christian faith has survived despite these frankly appalling leaders of the Church. But then you see that wonderful image of Christ Pantocrator, and it puts the wars and intrigues into perspective.

[@Oldsmobile69]

I'm glad Garibaldi came to sort it all out a few centuries later.

[@excession3076]

@@Oldsmobile69 He made nice biscuits too, a very talented man.😋 (sorry couldn't resist, I never even knew there was such a person for years.)

[@jeffreymontgomery4091]

Very cool. yes, it is fascinating to see what is in a coffin, a casket, tomb, etc. It's a kind of time capsule. Up in the far north or south, where there is permafrost all year long, Graves and their occupants are remarkably well preserved. Those 2 graves up in Beechy Island in Canada's far North from Franklin's doomed Expedition were some of the best preserved bodies I've ever seen. Still, it is amazing to see something that hasn't seen the light of day for centuries! What a fascinating time we live in! Please keep em coming!!

[@4sstg]

Wonderful visuals.

[@Connie-z6k]

Very interesting and thought provoking

[@davidmclaughlin2796]

That's a great video Allen, thank you. David

[@allanbarton]

Glad you liked it!

[@joycemichelin250]

This answers several questions for me about the Holy Roman Empire. Something of the quantum physics of Royal European history. I find the structure somewhat baffling. But this helps. Appreciate you.

[@stepps511]

What fascinating history! Thank you for showing us "who" Henry was and how his body was treated after death. You are the BEST!

[@allanbarton]

My pleasure, thanks for your support! Glad you continue to enjoy my videos 😊

[@liberty_and_justice67]

Thanks!

[@allanbarton]

Thank you.

[@MisterSplendy]

Another fascinating and fun sojourn into the medieval era. Thank you!

[@allanbarton]

My pleasure, glad you enjoyed it!

[@hythekent]

A well produced and excellently narrated video

[@allanbarton]

Thanks very much, glad you enjoyed it!

[@teprakp]

An absolutely lovely story. Thank you

[@allanbarton]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@alalder1533]

The Italians seem to be very enthusiastic about 'digging up' historic prominente. The Medici tombs were opened in Florence not too long ago and I think also some of the Scala tombs in Verona. Great video!

[@overworlder]

The wooden casket is in amazingly good nick.

[@JohnDoe-px4ko]

I wonder if there was a job called “Royal Bone Scraper”🤔

[@allanbarton]

😂 it’s not one I would volunteer for.

[@EllenCFarmGirl]

As always a wonderful told historical tale. Thank you! ❤

[@allanbarton]

Thank you Ellen. I hope all is well, Merry Christmas.

[@EllenCFarmGirl]

Always love when you get to the juicy bits…tehe ❤

[@kfandrey9]

I find it rather ironic how we consider modern shipwrecks (last 100 years or so), etc as grave sites and untouchable, yet here we are digging through the remains of a king.

[@red.aries1444]

Why should this be ironic? It's just a question of practical reasons. It's very difficult and expensive to retrieve human remains from ships deep under the sea. This was impossible in war times. To keep trophy hunters away, the ships were declared untouchable grave sites. Nobody can really control if some deep diver get's inside the ships. But this is dangerous and if you can't sell anything you find inside - and more important, if you can't sell a documentaion of yourself diving inside these ships to the media, what's the point to have a look? Historians and other scientists would show very low interest to analyze human remains in shipwrecks, which have been in the sea water for decades. It would be difficult enough to find and identify them, even if you have the list of passengers. Tombs of monarchs in churches are normally not in the reach of treasure hunters. It's mostly not very difficult and expensive to open them. It's very interesting to give answers to long lasting questions. In this case: Was there any evidence Henry VII. had been poisened? Had his body really undergone the procedere of the mos teutonicus? When the grave was opened in 1921 only few scientific test were possible, but I'm sure an inventory of the box would have been made, so it wasn't a surprise to find the crown, orb and sceptre inside. The Holy Roman Empire is long gone, also the monarchy in Germany and Italy. There isn't any real family member of this emperor left, so very few people would oppose to open this tomb. Don't expect that the Roman Catholic Church would veto - just think about how often they open and rebury graves and remains of people who have been declared saints. The United Kingdom still is a monarchy, and the Kings and Queens don't want scientists to mingle through the remains of their ancestors. There are a lot of interesting questions that could be answered, but some dark secrets could also be revealed and new questions could arise. So they rather prefer not to touch the graves. Only the remains of Richard III. of England underwent a lot of scientific research, because this was necessary to indentify the bones.

[@AJNpa80]

I think we called shipwrecks graves and imparted that status in custom to cope with the fact it was impossible. We came up with a custom so that being lost at sea would also be acceptable to the great moralizer in the sky. To override our other silly customs. so when you don't get the body washed and planted in time to please your preacher you can still believe they weren't damned by the big spirit for having the body lost. And you can even put them there intentionally out of convenience. So you don't have to keep a body in a cramped ship. I'd imagine it was an easy addendum to make to our rules back in the day. More comfortable and sanitary for the other sailors. I've always thought it's a good way to dispose of us. Our matter rejoins the food chain at a higher level and sooner. I'd rather be left in the grass on a hill for the critters or dropped in the sea. A part of my matter being digested and worked into more creatures that are eaten by more creatures, starting higher up the food chain than microbes in an airtight box. No spirit magic, just if I was to guess if there was anything after, trapping our leftovers forever in a box is selfish, and though it makes no difference, our parts won't go around on the wheel again. I'd prefer instead to feed the grass that feeds the cow that feeds the man. (Or fish to bigger fish etc.) That's just if I think about it. Really I don't think it much matters what they do with my leftovers later. What really matters is what best soothes the people we leave behind. Definitely don't want them on a time table (chop chop, wash and bury by tomorrow).

[@rodneymize9116]

What is the grey tube looking object at the foot of the Emperor?

[@truthinesssss]

Well done, thank you.

[@gonefishing167]

Fascinating, absolutely fascinating. Thank you so much. Drat, we went to Pisa many years ago now but I would have loved to have seen his coffin . Hope that doesn’t sound to gory of me 🙏🙏🙏👵🇦🇺

[@allanbarton]

Glad you enjoyed it - not in the least gory!

[@christinesuccop1812]

As usual very interesting 👍Thank You

[@pasmyth1963]

Excellent. First Class.

[@AulicExclusiva]

Outstanding!

[@michaelbedinger4121]

Interesting video, thank you very much.

[@allanbarton]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@judycater2832]

This is an area I don’t know too much about. Thank you for increasing g my knowledge in such an interesting way.❤❤❤

[@allanbarton]

Glad you found it interesting!

[@dianespears6057]

Fabulous video. Thank you.

[@allanbarton]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@pixbychris3182]

Thank you again a fascinating video.

[@allanbarton]

My pleasure, glad you liked it!

[@sweptashore]

The bad news is you have a nasty sore. The good news is we just got in a new supply of arsenic. 🤦🏼‍♀️ Thanks for another intriguing bit of history. I imagine the prep method for Henry's remains was instrumental in the burial cloth being so well preserved. I'm actually amazed that the regalia has never been pilfered.

[@chicktait5544]

I think the regalia has been swapped!!!!?

[@wolfa5151]

@@chicktait5544yes, we can all imagine why it was swapped. It just shows, that R.I..P, as pronounced over a body in those days, meant precious little. There is no peace to be found dead or alive on this planet:-) never mind Emperor or King or pauper. Why open the tombs, graves of the rich and powerful? In the hope of finding valuable artefacts of course. Money, rules all. And nothing is more hypocritical than a human being.

[@helza]

Fascinating stuff thank you

[@allanbarton]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@educanassa100]

Great video, Allan

[@allanbarton]

Thanks! Glad you liked it.

[@David.M.]

Excellent video, thanks!

[@allanbarton]

Glad you liked it!

[@dianetheisen8664]

Thanks for another interesting video 📹 ‼️. I have never heard of this particular Henry VII, before.

[@allanbarton]

Glad you enjoyed it, thanks for watching!

[@Noonespecial237]

Fascinating..

[@allanbarton]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@FidesAla]

Nice video and wonderful Historical context about an important figure… Not like this was a massive element of a musical I’m obsessed with or anything. …. … TENGOKU NI MUKAERARETA, HITOBITO GA SUWARUUU- (A lot of other things were happening in Florence in 1494, though. Like Savonarola…) (Did Henry really rescue one of the grandsons of Ugolino, though?)

[@mariasussman-rb9em]

Thank you

[@allanbarton]

Glad you liked it!

[@joseph8468]

Thank you.

[@allanbarton]

You're welcome!

[@standard74521]

Ty

[@albertsmyth9616]

This obsession with opening tombs strikes one as macabre on one level and frankly irreligious on another. Whatever happened to ‘requiescat in pace?’ No ‘pace’ for poor King Henry’s mortal remains.

[@allanbarton]

The permanent repository of human remains in one place wasn’t really an idea that Henry or anyone else in Christendom would have understood in the 13th century. He was boiled and then had his bones moved three times before 1500! To be honest in many parts of the world, notably Greece and the Middle East Christians still practice routine exhumation and burial in ossuaries.

[@lindasanderson1699]

@@allanbarton an Italian friend of ours told us that when his father died in Italy his coffin was placed in a wall and after 10 years he witnessed the coffin being opened but the body was not fully decomposed so the coffin was closed again and replaced in the wall. A year or so later it was opened again and the body was fully decomposed so the bones were taken out washed and placed in a smaller ossuary. Our friend stated that land is so expensive and the reason why this is done. His mother later died and his dad's bones were placed in her coffin.. I have just come across your videos and are thourouly enjoying them. Thank you

[@ahmedelshafey7602]

Well, imagine he had this post-mortem treatment and still go to hell😂😂😂!

[@kaloarepo288]

Under the emperor Frederick II who was known as the wonder of the world (Stupor mundi) the capital of the Holy Roman empire was transferred to Palermo in Sicily as he inherited Sicily and southern Italy from his mother and Frederick is buried in the cathedral in Palermo. His tomb was subject to similar inspection in modern times as was done to Henry VII of the Luxembourg dynasty.

[@jldisme]

I would love to see the shroud in person. I am interested in textile history.

[@allanbarton]

Me too - I think it is on view in the museum next door.

[@charliekezza]

Kings stew. Yum👹

[@GodsOath_com]

Were there any good Roberts?

[@allanbarton]

Or Henrys? 😂

[@causticchameleon7861]

Probably not the best idea for me to watch this before thanksgiving dinner today. 🤣

[@kerryrwalton7791]

Thank you for this fascinating video. What is the white pillar like object in the coffin?

[@allanbarton]

It is a lead cylinder that contains details of he previous openings of the tomb.

[@Daughterofminerva]

In Italy we call him Arrigo VII ( Arrigo is an old version of the name Enrico ). I didn't know his tomb was opened .

[@elizabethmcglothlin5406]

Sheesh, and that was respectful treatment.

[@allanbarton]

They certainly had very different ways of doing things.

[@ludovica8221]

Love it!! I am guessing this burial practice renders the body unsuitable for DNA testing

[@Siegbert85]

Are you sure that Luxembourg at the time was mainly French speaking? From what I can glean it was German/Moselle Franconian with only the most Western part being French speaking.

[@a.t.c.3862]

Did all these Anjous, Hapsburgs, Hoffens and Zollerns every worry about the lives of ordinary people?

[@allanbarton]

Probably not.

[@georgina3358]

No, there was very little reason for them to do so

[@davidkennedy8929]

Rulers of all periods including our own have never worried about everyday people unless they want their votes!

[@excession3076]

How common was this method of preparing bodies for internment, the boiling ect.? I presume only the wealthy/important could afford that much trouble? Or was it only for when there was going to be a delay to burial/entombment? (If common, I would strongly suggest not eating any stews/casseroles at Inns nearby, Sweeny Todd is not going to be the only one in history. Herbs and spices you say?...hmmm)

[@allanbarton]

It was fairly common, but yes only for the really wealthy nobility and royalty - Henry V of England was treated in this way too.

[@carolinegreenwell9086]

history can get very gory

[@paulp5775]

I love the drawings and how they all resemble each other …. All related ?

[@kerryrwalton7791]

Thank you! I guess it's a sort of time capsule and appropriate nod to the future. Too bad this was not done for other royal bodies especially in the Tower even if there was some written though not 100% reliable documentation.

[@Oldsmobile69]

The crown doesn't look like it fits a human head either.

[@Siegbert85]

I think the burial crowns were placed on the body's chest.

[@TerryC69]

Hi Allan! A privileged yet troubled life indeed. More than anything else, it would seem he was a victim of a treacherous political environment. Henry is proof that being the "boss" is not a guarantee of respect or happiness and even when it is only transitory.

[@charlesferdinand422]

"In order to preserve the body we gotta destroy it".

[@allanbarton]

I should do a video on the medieval understanding of bodily integrity, as that would explain the attitude.

[@sasropakis]

So what happened to the shroud and regalia? Were they put back into the casket?

[@allanbarton]

I think they may be in the museum next door.

[@faragraf9380]

this grave don’t look for a king. but a grave mustn’t. His life has to be.

[@youngimperialistmkii]

Wine anyone?🍷☠

[@allanbarton]

😬

[@Cornflakes234]

No matter how rich, powerful and important or poor we will all end up as a pile of dry bones.

[@lievenmoelants]

Sorry, Avignon is on the Rhône, in the south of France.

[@allanbarton]

No need to apologise. I wasn’t talking about modern geography of course, in the early 14th century it was within the kingdom of Arles, formerly the kingdom of Burgundy.

[@frauleintrude6347]

Slow cooked to pulled king, what a burial method. I did not know there was such a tradition in the Holy Roman Empire. The once golden lion embroidery was very nice. Must have looked stunning with blue and red.

[@stefanwild326]

[@nadiabrook7871]

💞👍👏❤

[@peterjensen4190]

It looks like you were never really a king or an emperor unless you were dug-up at least once.

[@Terrachroma_911]

😊

[@wyldebill4178]

What about the object that looks like a piece of pipe?

[@allanbarton]

That is a lead cylinder that contains details of the previous opening of the tomb.

[@cjscorah]

Great channel, though you deserve to have a microphone that doesn't make you sound like you are speaking from a casket!

[@deutschermichel5807]

Ich aß dabei

[@SonOfTheOne111]

The regalia seems kind of cheap doesn’t it?

[@donaldnoonan]

Modern day grave robbers

[@floydiandreamscapes5145]

It seems the Roman Empire may have fallen, but it still carried on in the catholic church.

[@a.t.c.3862]

No.

[@floydiandreamscapes5145]

@a.t.c.3862 did you watch the video? Because it sure looks that way to me. The Pope and the Emperor merged.

[@s.k.3891]

Neither holy or Roman or much of an empire!

[@richm9455]

No more chicken for me… 🤢

[@davidkoehler136]

Ah but there was no Germany then

[@allanbarton]

Germany as we know it is a product of Napoleaonic meddling and Prussian domination.

[@ManuelFSX]

It could be interested if you do a video about some spanish medieval mummy like Ferdinand de la Cerda.