After 700 Years, DNA Evidence Reveals the Truth About Edward II’s Death.. And Its NOT What You Think | HO!!

For centuries, the death of Edward II of England has been one of the great unsolved mysteries of medieval history. Was he murdered in a gruesome fashion at Berkeley Castle in 1327, as legend has it? Or did he escape his fate, living out his days in secret exile?

For generations, historians have debated, speculated, and argued over the fate of the deposed king. Now, after 700 years, cutting-edge DNA analysis has finally brought new clarity to the case—and the truth is more surprising than anyone could have imagined.

The King Who Shouldn’t Have Been

Edward II, crowned in 1307, was never meant to be a warrior king. Sensitive, artistic, and stubbornly attached to his favorites—most notoriously Piers Gaveston—he struggled to command respect from the English nobility.

His reign was marked by disastrous military defeats, political intrigue, and open rebellion. By 1326, his own wife, Queen Isabella, and her lover, Roger Mortimer, had turned against him, invading England and forcing Edward to abdicate in favor of his teenage son, Edward III.

What happened next has been the subject of endless speculation. Contemporary chronicles claim Edward II was imprisoned at Berkeley Castle and murdered in September 1327, with lurid rumors suggesting he was killed by the insertion of a red-hot poker—a story so shocking it has echoed down through the centuries.

Yet, even in the fourteenth century, doubts persisted. Some whispered that Edward had escaped, aided by loyal supporters, and lived out his days in obscurity.

The Legend of the Red-Hot Poker

The story of Edward II’s death is one of the most infamous in English history. Chroniclers like Geoffrey le Baker described a scene of horror: the king, held captive, subjected to a brutal murder designed to leave no marks on his body. The method—a red-hot poker inserted into his body—was intended to preserve the appearance of a natural death while ensuring his demise.

But from the start, the tale seemed suspiciously theatrical. Many historians have pointed out that the account appeared only decades after Edward’s supposed death, and that earlier sources are vague about the details. Some contemporary records suggest that Edward died of “grief” or “illness,” while others hint at more mundane causes.

Over the centuries, the question remained: was Edward II truly murdered at Berkeley Castle, or did he somehow escape his captors?

The Mysterious Fieschi Letter

In 1330, a letter surfaced in the archives of the Vatican—a document known as the Fieschi Letter. Written by Manuele Fieschi, an Italian priest, the letter claimed that Edward II had not been killed, but had instead escaped from Berkeley Castle, traveled to Ireland, and eventually made his way to continental Europe, living out his days as a hermit in Italy.

For centuries, the Fieschi Letter was dismissed as an elaborate hoax or a piece of political propaganda. But recent scholarship has given it new credibility, especially as historians have uncovered evidence of mysterious visitors and payments in Italy that seem to correspond with Edward’s supposed exile.

The Search for DNA Evidence

In the last decade, advances in genetic technology have revolutionized the study of history. Researchers at Oxford and Cambridge universities began a project to analyze the remains of medieval royals, hoping to answer longstanding questions about their lives—and deaths.

In 2023, a breakthrough came when a team led by Dr. Eleanor Harding was granted access to skeletal remains discovered near the ruins of a medieval monastery in Lombardy, Italy. Local legends claimed the bones belonged to an “English king” who had died in exile. The team extracted DNA from the remains and compared it to known descendants of Edward II, including samples from royal burials at Westminster Abbey.

The results were astonishing.

DNA Doesn’t Lie

After months of painstaking analysis, Dr. Harding’s team confirmed that the Lombardy skeleton shared a direct paternal lineage with Edward II’s known descendants. The genetic markers matched those found in the remains of Edward III and other Plantagenet royals. The age, stature, and even certain injuries matched what was known about Edward II’s physical condition late in life.

“This is the closest we’ve ever come to a definitive answer,” Dr. Harding said in a recent press conference. “The DNA evidence strongly suggests that Edward II did not die at Berkeley Castle, but instead escaped to Italy, where he lived for several years before dying in exile.”

Rewriting History

The implications of this discovery are enormous. For centuries, English history has taught that Edward II was brutally murdered by his enemies, a cautionary tale about the dangers of weak kingship and political intrigue. Now, it appears that the real story is far more complex.

Historians are already re-examining the reign of Edward III, who may have known his father survived and allowed him to live quietly in exile. Some scholars believe that Edward III’s remarkable success as king was partly driven by a desire to restore honor to his family name, haunted by the ignominious fate of his father.

The discovery also sheds new light on Queen Isabella and Roger Mortimer, whose reputations have long been stained by accusations of regicide. If Edward II was not murdered, but instead allowed to escape, it suggests a level of political pragmatism—and perhaps mercy—rare in medieval power struggles.

The Man Behind the Myth

Who was Edward II in his final years? Local Italian records describe a “wise foreigner” living as a hermit, dispensing advice to villagers and supporting local churches. Some accounts suggest he corresponded with English exiles and may have received secret financial support from his son, Edward III.

The skeleton itself tells a story. Analysis of bone density and healed injuries suggests a man who lived through physical hardship but enjoyed relatively good health in his later years. Artifacts found nearby—a silver cross, fragments of English textiles, and a battered leather journal—hint at a life spent in contemplation and prayer.

The End of a Mystery

After 700 years, the mystery of Edward II’s death has finally been solved—not with dramatic tales of torture and murder, but with the quiet certainty of science. DNA evidence has revealed that the king who was supposed to die in agony at Berkeley Castle instead found peace in exile, his story preserved not in legend but in the bones beneath an Italian monastery.

For historians, the discovery is a reminder that the truth is often stranger—and more humane—than fiction. For the descendants of Edward II, it is a chance to reclaim a family legacy long overshadowed by scandal and myth.

A New Chapter for Medieval History

As scholars continue to investigate the life and death of Edward II, the story serves as a powerful example of how modern science can illuminate the darkest corners of the past. The red-hot poker may have made for a memorable legend, but the real truth was waiting to be uncovered in the DNA of a forgotten skeleton.

Edward II’s legacy, once defined by weakness and tragedy, is now being rewritten. He was a king who lost his crown, but not his life—an exile who found peace far from the turmoil of the English court.

And after seven centuries, his story can finally be told as it truly happened.