Richard III and Heinrich IV
Sep. 3rd, 2013 09:53 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
It rather amuses me that the recent reconstruction of Richard III's face, based on his skull, means that Aneurin Barnard of The White Queen is likely the most accurate Richard III, at least looks-wise, in media history.


More obscurely (and unjustly so), the emperor Heinrich IV was the closest thing the medieval Holy Roman Empire had to a Caligula. He was memorably described by the chronicler Ekkehard as "arch-pirate and heresiarch and apostate and persecutor of souls". Bishop Erlung of Wuerzburg also tells us that he had "piercing" eyes like that of a lynx; all the more striking a detail when you consider what a Eurasian lynx's eyes look like:

Although rare, humans can have amber eyes of similar color, like so:

We also know, from analysis of Heinrich's skeleton and skull in 1900, that he stood at least six feet tall, had broad shoulders, an athletic body, "a sharpely chiseled, narrow face", large eyes, and "a finely-shaped mouth"; together with those eyes, he must've been a handsome man. No wonder Matilda of Tuscany and Pope Gregory VII wanted to see him grovel before them half-naked! Heinrich's mother Agnes of Aquitaine was from a good-looking family -- her brother was Eleanor of Aquitaine's great-grandfather -- so likely he inherited his looks from her.


More obscurely (and unjustly so), the emperor Heinrich IV was the closest thing the medieval Holy Roman Empire had to a Caligula. He was memorably described by the chronicler Ekkehard as "arch-pirate and heresiarch and apostate and persecutor of souls". Bishop Erlung of Wuerzburg also tells us that he had "piercing" eyes like that of a lynx; all the more striking a detail when you consider what a Eurasian lynx's eyes look like:

Although rare, humans can have amber eyes of similar color, like so:

We also know, from analysis of Heinrich's skeleton and skull in 1900, that he stood at least six feet tall, had broad shoulders, an athletic body, "a sharpely chiseled, narrow face", large eyes, and "a finely-shaped mouth"; together with those eyes, he must've been a handsome man. No wonder Matilda of Tuscany and Pope Gregory VII wanted to see him grovel before them half-naked! Heinrich's mother Agnes of Aquitaine was from a good-looking family -- her brother was Eleanor of Aquitaine's great-grandfather -- so likely he inherited his looks from her.
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Date: 2013-09-06 07:09 pm (UTC)Actually, looking at the thick dark hair and the eyes and cheekbones, I think young Aneurin would make a good Julian (thinking of the Musée de Cluny statue likeness). Wonder if he suits a beard?
Re: Heinrich IV: Yeah, he sounds like a stunner. The Pope and Matilda must've enjoyed getting an eyeful of that in his undies... And his great-grandsons were the Montferrat boys, who were also not lacking in the eye-candy department.
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Date: 2013-09-07 02:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2013-09-07 09:31 am (UTC)Aneurin's a wee cutie. I could only endure the last episode of The White Queen: he was almost the only person who looked recognisably like his character. (Elizabeth of York was quite good, too; but the rest?!!)
Diana Ross played Billie in Lady Sings the Blues. I agree – she's attractive, but not a good match for the role. (Or did Donna play her in something else?)
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Date: 2013-09-06 07:13 pm (UTC)