William the conquerer literally exploded at his own funeral

History of Man. By Lena Yang September 15, 6 mins read Views. William the Conqueror, sometimes known as William the Bastard, and, of course, William I, reigned from until his death in while leading a campaign in northern France. He grew immensely fat, and he died with the pommel of his saddle literally driven into his intestines.

William the Conqueror died after six weeks of intestinal torture, as the medicine of the time could not help him at all. A man with a fierce temper and no friends, his corpse lay in a surgical facility in Rouen for a few days, before being brought out to be embalmed by a dutiful knight performing his vassalage.

How old was william the conqueror when he died

They left him, "as if he had been a barbarian. There, a fire broke out in the city, further delaying the funereal process, followed by a land ownership dispute by a man who claimed that the church was built on his ancestral land. The one who had granted the church this land? William the Conqueror himself! It reached such a stage that the gravediggers were unable to fit his body into the hole!

As they attempted to literally force his corpse into the grave, his body burst and pieces rained upon the mourners. Naturally, a horribly putrid stench filled the air, leading some people to become sick or pass out.

William the conqueror grave

Lots of mourners ran away, traumatized. An undignified ending for a man unloved even by his own son. He became the Duke of Normandy as early as , still over three decades away from becoming king. He was not a well-liked ruler, or as effective an administrator as he potentially thought.