Portrait of Louis XVI by Antoine-Fran?ois Callet (Wikimedia Commons)
It's been more than 200 years since King Louis XVI was beheaded by French revolutionaries. But a team of scientists believe a recently-discovered gourd contains traces of his blood.
According to the BBC, the scientists say a dried, hollowed-out squash that had been kept by an Italian family as a souvenir contains a handkerchief that was dipped in the king's blood by a spectator.
A message on the outside of the gourd reads: "On January 21, Maximilien Bourdaloue dipped his handkerchief in the blood of Louis XVI after his decapitation."
According to the findings published in Forensic Science International, analysis of DNA taken from the blood revealed it to be similar to DNA from a mummified head believed to belong to Henri IV, Louis' 16th Century predecessor.
The genetic connection led the scientists to conclude the blood found inside the gourd was indeed that of the king.
Louis XVI as killed by guillotine on Jan. 21, 1793; Henri IV was killed in 1610.
Source: http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/sideshow/louis-xvi-blood-gourd-171046607.html
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