The Grim End of William the Conqueror

September 9, 1087 – William the Conqueror died on this day. His death came after weeks of suffering in agony following a freak accident on his horse. The king was riding through the smoldering ruins of a town his army had just raided when his horse suddenly stumbled. William lurched forward and was disemboweled by the high wooden pommel of his saddle.

It took at least 2 days to move the king’s body from Rouen (where he died) to Caen (where he would be buried), but there were obstacles along the way. There was a dispute over the burial location, and a fire broke out in the town that caused a significant delay.

Finally, many days after his death, the time came to lower William’s badly bloated body into his tomb, but it didn’t fit. Attendants tried to force things along, but the pressure literally caused the corpse to explode, spraying noxious fluids all over the mourners.

Some people fainted, others ran away, and the unlucky funeral workers somehow managed to shove the putrid remains into the tomb before sealing it shut.

Sadly, William would get no rest. His grave would be disturbed and/or desecrated multiple times, starting in 1522. Finally, during the French Revolution the tomb was torn open and the only thing left of William was his thigh bone – which was removed and eventually lost.