- If you won’t be remembered for your reign, dying in a ridiculous fashion is one way to go down in history book.
No king rules forever. Eventually, death ends the reign of all royals.
We’re sure all of them hope their end will be remembered as a noble and honorable one. That said, people — even the nobility — sometimes drop dead due to bizarre reasons or the most unlikely coincidences.
Here are 10 stories covering some of the weirdest royal deaths in history.
1. Overeating — Adolf Frederick
King Adolf Frederick ruled Sweden from 1751 to 1771. Despite a respectable 20-year reign, he’s remembered more for his taste for fine living than for being an effective king.
In fact, he’s rumored to have died from overeating. The story states that the night before his death, he ate a giant feast of lobster, caviar, sauerkraut, champagne — and 14 of his favorite pastries.
According to modern scholars, this story may be propaganda and Adolf Frederick died from a simple heart attack. That said, who’s to say a ridiculously heavy meal wasn’t behind his heart failure?
2. Nosebleed — Attila the Hun
Attila the Hun is a name that still strikes awe into your heart. The self-declared Scourge of God died from a rather mundane cause.
On the night of his death, he was celebrating his marriage to his latest wife. However, as the couple retreated to their chambers, the guests suddenly heard the bride screaming in horror.
As people went to check on Attila, they found him dead with blood gushing from his nose. Although there have been plenty of rumors of murder, it’s likely Attila died from a severe, potentially alcohol-induced brain hemorrhage.
3. Skewered on His Own Saddle — William the Conqueror
William the Conqueror did the impossible and conquered England in 1066. The warrior king met his death on the battlefield in 1086, but not from an enemy’s weapon.
You see, William had grown quite fat in his older age. As he was riding to battle, he managed to skewer his paunch on a spike on his saddle.
Complications from his gut wound eventually killed him. To add insult to injury, his decomposition gas-filled stomach burst during his funeral.
Gross.
4. Assassinated on the Toilet — Edmund Ironside
Edmund Ironside was an English king with an awesome nickname earned for his valor. Sadly, his end was… Not quite so glorious.
Edmund was assassinated as he sat on his royal toilet. The murderer had hidden beneath the toilet seat and struck when Edmund’s rear appeared above him.
There’s debate over whether the assassin stabbed or shot Edmund with a crossbow. Either way, at least he died sitting on one kind of throne.
5. Drowned in Poo — Duke Jing
Duke Jing of China is another victim of the royal bathroom. The death of the ruler of the State of Jin is much grosser, however.
It’s said that he fell down into the cistern of the royal toilet. Unable to get out, he eventually drowned in the filthy water.
Whether Jing’s fall was due to an accident or assassination, nobody knows. Still, we can’t help but feel sorry for the guy — although he was quite the tyrant.
6. Monkey Bite — Alexander I
Alexander I of Greece, ruling from 1917 to 1920, had a lot of pets. They included Barbary macaques, which would eventually kill him.
The young king was walking his dog in his palace grounds, when his pet monkeys attacked the poor pooch. Alexander intervened, but got bitten by the monkeys as well.
Sadly, Alexander’s wounds grew infected, and his doctors refused to amputate his gangrenous leg — because they were afraid they might accidentally kill. Well, their inaction is what finally killed Alexander at the age of 27.
7. Dead Man’s Bite — Sigurd
Sigurd Eysteinsson was the Jarl of Orkney from 875 to 892. Like Alexander I, he died from an infected bite, but he didn’t get it from a monkey.
Instead, he got it from a dead man.
Sigurd had just defeated one of his enemies in battle and — as was the style at the time — had hacked his head off and tied it to his saddle. Unfortunately, as he rode, the severed head’s teeth grazed Sigurd’s leg, resulting in the fatal infection.
8. Collapsing Throne — Bela I
Dying under your own collapsed throne must be one of the most ironic ways for a king to die. That’s what happened to Bela I of Hungary.
Bela was a formidable king, who brought a semblance of stability to his kingdom and enacted a successful monetary reform. Yet, he was getting tired of ruling Hungary, and had prepared a feast at which he planned to abdicate in favor of his nephew.
At the party, however, Bela’s elevated throne collapsed and he died from his injuries shortly afterward. We’re pretty certain this wasn’t how he planned to give up the crown.
9. Flaming Brandy — Charles II
Charles II wasn’t the most beloved king of Navarre, considering he bears the nickname “the Bad.” However, he will always be remembered due to his bizarre death by burning in brandy.
At the time of his death, the 54-year-old Charles was quite sick. So, according to the best medical knowledge, his doctors soaked a linen sack in high-proof brandy and placed the king inside the sack.
Unfortunately, during the “treatment,” a candle fell onto the alcohol-drenched sack, setting it aflame. The gathered people got terrified and ran away, leaving Charles to burn alive in the thing that was supposed to cure him.
10. Lethal Immortality Potion — Qin Shi Huang
Qin Shi Huang is a legendary Chinese ruler, the first emperor of a united China. He knew he had it good, and that presented a problem — he wanted to have to good forever.
To stave off death, Qin Shi Huang tasked his court alchemists to concoct an elixir of immortality. They did so, and the emperor guzzled the potion down every day.
Want to know the main ingredient of the potion? Well, that was pure mercury.
Suffice it to say that the stuff had the exact opposite effect Qin Shi Huang wanted.