Kings live some of the most extraordinary lives of any human beings. They can have seemingly limitless wealth, power, and time to do what they want. But one thing seems to mirror extraordinary lives: extraordinary deaths.
The kings on this list have some of the most unusual, sometimes painful deaths you may ever heard of - from a mouthful of molten gold to the nastiest case of gangrene you can imagine. And while some of these deaths were ordered by the hands of others, some of them are just outright bad luck.
1. Charles II Was Soaked In Wine To Treat His Illness - Then Accidentally Set On Fire
Sometimes when we look back at history, we find ourselves thinking, "How did they think that was a good idea?"This is one of those moments. Back in the late 14th century, medical knowledge was nowhere close to where it is today. So, when King Charles II of Navarre (northern present-day Spain) was ill, his doctors decided to soak his sheets in a solution of distilled wine in hopes of drawing out the sickness.But they didn't stop there. Then, a maid sewed him up in the sheets, to really make sure the healing powers were able to set in. You can probably see where this is going.Either from the maid burning the thread or from coals kept on the bed to keep the king warm, an ember struck the highly flammable king. In a moment, he went up in flames, unable to escape the fabric coffin he'd been sewn into. Charles II burned to death on the spot.
2. William The Conqueror Was Conquered By His Belly (And Later Exploded)
William the Conqueror is known for his victories on the battlefield. William was the first Norman king of England, after defeating the Anglo-Saxons in 1066. Throughout his life, he often found himself on the battleground - which is where his final blow was dealt.
William had been an athletic figure in his youth, but had grown quite overweight in the intervening years. It's said that while on his horse, William's paunch was thrust into the pommel of his saddle (the knob at the front of the saddle). Back then, pommels were wooden, quite high, and sometimes with metal in them. It was described that William's belly struck the pommel at such force that it delivered the fatal wound.
After the hit, William's internal organs were ruptured and failing - and he died shortly after. But his body did not come to a peaceful end.
First, his body was looted - with the thieves leaving the king's naked body on the floor. Then, fires broke out in the village, delaying the funeral. When it was finally time to lay the king to rest, the body had bloated so much that it wouldn't fit in the stone sarcophagus. As the monks forced his body into the tomb, supposedly his bowels burst - releasing a horrendous stench for the grieving audience in the building.
3. King Alexander I Was Killed By A Monkey (Bite)
King Alexander I of Greece is one of our most recent dead kings on this list - passing away a little more than 100 years ago at the age of 27.
In 1917, there was a great disagreement brewing in Greece about whether the country should join the Great War (WWI) or not. Ultimately, Alexander's father, Constantine I, was forced to abdicate - making Alexander a king at just 24 years old.
Alexander didn't play a huge role in the war, but he was set to make his mark by expanding Greece's borders. But before he could, he decided to go for a walk with his dog.
This walk was in a private park outside Athens; and apparently, a few of the palace workers' monkeys were also wandering around. One monkey, a Barbary macaque, attacked Alexander's German Shepherd. While trying to separate them, another monkey attacked Alexander - with the two primates getting some pretty nasty bites on the king.
As servants flocked to the royal's aid, they cleaned Alexander's wounds - and he said he was fine.
He was, in fact, not fine. By nightfall, the bites became infected, and Alexander became quite ill. Doctors proposed amputating his leg, the site of at least one of the bites; but none wanted to take responsibility if the amputation went awry. So, the doctors really didn't do anything, and the poor young king of Greece died a quite painful death 23 days after the initial attack.
4. Emperor Valerian May Have Been Forced To Swallow Molten Gold
Death by molten gold likely triggers flashbacks to Season 1 for Game of Thrones fans. But it turns out this form of death isn't strictly fictional - history claims more than a few kings and emperors were sentenced to death by molten gold.
This may have been the case for Valerian, the Roman emperor, who ruled most of western Europe from 253 to 260 CE. But rather than getting piping hot gold poured over his head, à la GOT, Valerian may have been forced to swallow the molten gold. If this was the case, it's likely that the intensely hot steam, rather than the metal, actually delivered the fatal blow in mere seconds.
However, it's also been claimed that Valerian was flayed alive by his enemies, and his body later stuffed with straw.
5. Herod The Great Died From Maggot-Infested Gangrene Of The Genitals
It is claimed that this is how King Herod the Great, ruler of ancient Judaea, died. While it's long been speculated that Herod passed due to some kidney condition, scholars put together the bits of writings about his symptoms. They now believe that the king suffered from gangrene, a condition where a lack of blood flow causes tissue to die. Unfortunately for Herod, his case was bound to his genitals.
Herod may have gotten this rare infliction in a few different ways. An abdominal infection may have spread. The king may have contracted gonorrhea, and gotten an infection from that. No matter the cause, the outcome ensured a very painful death.
6. Qin Shi Huangdi Died Seeking Immortality (And Eating Mercury Like Candy)
If you're not familiar with the name Qin Shi Huangdi, you're likely familiar with his "undead army" - the Terracotta Army.
The Terracotta Army consists of over 8,000 delicately crafted, life-sized terracotta soldiers, which were built during Qin Shi Huangdi's rule. The idea was that these soldiers would protect the first Emperor of China in his reign of the afterlife.
While commissioning an entire army of statue soldiers seems like a great task to take on, Qin Shi Huangdi was the one to do it. In his lifetime, he united China, and introduced a common system for money, writing, and measuring. He was one of the greatest leaders of the world in life; so it makes sense he wanted to secure that role for himself in death.
At the same time, the Terracotta Army was kind of Qin Shi Huangdi's back-up plan. Because in reality, he didn't want to ever die. And he was convinced he had found the way to live forever: mercury.
Considered an elixir of life at the time, we now know that mercury is highly poisonous. So it makes sense that after some time of enjoying honey and mercury-laced wine, Qin Shi Huangdi died.
To this day, the area where the Terracota Army was found is considered highly toxic. The tomb of Qin Shi Huangdi has not been disturbed, one of the reasons being that there are said to be rivers of mercury surrounding his tomb.
7. The Fearsome Attila The Hun Died Of A Nosebleed
It's pretty bad luck to get a nosebleed on your wedding night, right? But even more - it's really bad luck to die from a nosebleed on your wedding night. How many people in the history of the world has that happened to?
Well, it turns out that was how one of the most fearsome warriors in history, Attila the Hun, succumbed to death.
Attila had taken yet another bride in 453, and he was celebrating his wedding night by drinking a great amount of alcohol. The next morning, the soldiers could not find their esteemed leader. As they burst into Attila's tent, they found his new bride weeping over his bloody body. It appeared that Attila had gotten a nasty nosebleed in his sleep, and choked on his own blood.
There have been rumors that there was sabotage or assassins connected to his death, but most people believe it probably was just a freak accident.
There has never been a body to exhume, however, because we don't know where Attila was buried. It's said that his troops diverted a river to find the perfect resting spot for Attila - then released the water back to its natural path to hide his grave forever.
8. Bela I Died From His Wooden Throne Collapsing
Is there anything more ironic than a king dying after falling off his throne?
Well, it turns out that this really did happen to King Bela I of Hungary. Bela was doing well as a monarch in the 11th century - he had waged a successful war against the Holy Roman empire to keep Hungary a free nation. He was about to begin another battle to further stake his claim as king.
But as they were celebrating for this new battle, the royal woodworker (or whoever made chairs back then) messed up pretty bad. Apparently, the throne the king sat on was not stable enough; it collapsed while Bela was sitting on it, and he died from his injuries from the fall.
9. King Edward II Allegedly Met His End By Red Hot Poker, But The Truth Remains Unknown
The circumstances around King Edward II's death has long intrigued scholars. Why? Because there are two very different stories floating around.
Before we get to his alleged death, let's give some highlights about Edward's life. By most accounts, he wasn't a great king. He lost land his father had conquered. He angered the nobility by giving high-standing roles to his father's enemies (as well as one of his possible lovers). He royally ticked off his wife, who eventually overthrew Edward with her lover, replacing him with Edward's son.
And here is where the two stories divert. The more widely accepted story is that Edward was imprisoned in a castle and was killed in 1327. But the rumor that has haunted Edward's legacy ever since is that he met his demise from a red hot poker being inserted into his anus. However, this has never been proven.
The other suggestion is that Edward escaped the castle, and was still alive in 1330 - though it's unclear how long after he supposedly survived.
10. George V Was Secretly Euthanized By His Doctor
If you want to talk about a scandal, let's go back to the fateful day in 1986 - when it was revealed that King George V's doctor had killed him and kept the secret the remainder of his life.
There is of course more to the story than this. More than 50 years earlier, in 1936, George was very ill. His doctor, Lord Bertrand Dawson, was often by his side in his final days.
Now what exactly led the doctor to make the impossible call of killing the king is up for debate. It's been said that the queen and the king's son may have asked that the king not suffer needlessly if he was in his last moments.
However, we do know that part of the decision came down to Dawson wanting the news of the king's death to break in the morning paper, rather than the "less appropriate evening journals."
So, Dawson injected George with morphine and cocaine, and he died shortly after.
11. Adolf Frederick Allegedly Ate Too Many Sweet Treats
King Adolf Frederick of Sweden got his kingdom after his aunt, Empress Elizabeth of Russia, won the Russo-Swedish war and plopped him on the seat. However, Adolf was more of a figurehead, not really having much power.
So what did he do to fill his days? He enjoyed the throne - and this included hosting lavish parties. This was the case in 1771, when he hosted a grand feast for fettisdag (what we call Fat Tuesday).
On this day, Adolf really went for it - eating lobster, caviar, fish, and saukerkraut. But to top this all off, he ate some semla, cream-filled buns. To be precise, he ate 14 servings of semla.
The overindulgence of the day led to digestive track issues, and ultimately, King Adolf's death.
12. King William II Was Fatally Shot By An Arrow On A Deer Hunt
In the olden days, even a leisurely activity could end up being your last. This was the case for King William II of England (son of William the Conqueror).
While out hunting deer with his entourage, the king shot an arrow at a deer. While he struck it, he didn't kill it. Another man in his party, Walter Tirel, also shot his bow about the same time. It's said there was a glare from the sun - but regardless, Tirel struck William in the chest.
Tirel fled and was not pursued. It's been hotly debated if it was an genuine accident, or if Tirel was acting on behalf of someone else - notably William's younger brother, Henry, who took the throne upon his brother's death.
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