Multidisciplinary Identification of the Controversial Freedom Fighter Jorg Jenatsch, Assassinated 1639 in Chur, Switzerland.

ABSTRACT: Jörg Jenatsch, a leading freedom fighter during the Thirty Year's War in Graubünden, Switzerland, was assassinated on carnival 1639. Jenatsch's controversial biography and the unclear circumstances of his death inspired the formation of various legends, novels and films. In 1959, a skeleton discovered in the cathedral of Chur with remains of wealthy baroque clothing was tentatively attributed to Jenatsch. Here, we reassess the skeleton based on a new exhumation. Our multidisciplinary analysis and the head injuries are consistent with reports of the eyewitnesses of the crime, demonstrating that Jenatsch was killed from behind with a semi-sharp implement, supposedly an axe, as well as by a blow with a broad-surfaced object. Moreover, our facial reconstruction closely matches an oil portrait

SUBMITTER: Haeusler M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5193413 | biostudies-literature | 2016

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature