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Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/59151
Genomic analysis of the blood attributed to Louis XVI (1754-1793), king of France.
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A pyrographically decorated gourd, dated to the French Revolution period, has been alleged to contain a handkerchief dipped into the blood of the French king Louis XVI (1754-1793) after his beheading but recent analyses of living males from two Bourbon branches cast doubts on its authenticity. We sequenced the complete genome of the DNA contained in the gourd at low coverage (similar to 2.5x) with coding sequences enriched at a higher similar to 7.3x coverage. We found that the ancestry of the gourd's genome does not seem compatible with Louis XVI's known ancestry. From a functional perspective, we did not find an excess of alleles contributing to height despite being described as the tallest person in Court. In addition, the eye colour prediction supported brown eyes, while Louis XVI had blue eyes. This is the first draft genome generated from a person who lived in a recent historical period; however, our results suggest that this sample may not correspond to the alleged king.
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OLALDE, Iñigo, et al. Genomic analysis of the blood attributed to Louis XVI (1754-1793), king of France. Scientific Reports. 2014. Vol. 4. ISSN 2045-2322. [consulted: 10 of August of 2026]. Available at: https://hdl.handle.net/2445/59151