title: Multidisciplinary Identification of the Controversial Freedom Fighter Jörg 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 of Jenatsch, and the HIrisPlex system applied to DNA-extracts from the femoral bone reveals brown eye and dark brown hair colour, which coincides well with the portrait, too. Finally, isotope analysis of the femoral bone and a molar support Jenatsch's high social status, luxury diet and a high mobility in the last decade of his life. This multidisciplinary approach thus reinforces personal identification and provides additional insight into the life of this important historic person beyond written resources.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.|Institute of Anatomy, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Haeusler
authors.affiliation: Zurich Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Cordula
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Haas
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Anthropology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lösch
authors.affiliation: Department of Physical Anthropology, Institute of Forensic Medicine, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Negahnaz
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Moghaddam
authors.affiliation: Institute of Geological Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.|Centro Universitario Datazioni e Archeometria, Università di Milano Bicocca, Milano, Italy.
authors.forename: Igor M
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Villa
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), Indianapolis, Indiana, United States of America.
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Walsh
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetic Identification, Erasmus MC University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Manfred
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kayser
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Seiler
authors.affiliation: Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Frank
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ruehli
authors.affiliation: Archäologischer Dienst Graubünden, Chur, Switzerland.
authors.forename: Manuel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Janosa
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Anthropology, Department of History and Ethnology, Demokritus University of Thrace, Komotini, Greece.
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Papageorgopoulou
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D004247:DNA / Q000032:analysis; D049249:Exhumation; D005127:Eye Color; D005145:Face; D005260:Female; D018732:Forensic Anthropology; D006200:Hair Color; D006708:Homicide; D006801:Humans; D007554:Isotopes / Q000032:analysis; D008297:Male; D012886:Skull / Q000293:injuries; D013557:Switzerland; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007554:Isotopes; D004247:DNA