So the other night I couldn’t sleep as we were having an epic thunder storm and I hate thunder. So what was I thinking about while hiding under the bed cover? Well obviously how many monarchs of England and Great Britain dies of the same thing or similar. So here we go.
Let’s start with illness. Well this can be divided into 5
main categories. 5 monarchs died from dysentery. Can you imagine, you’re a
monarch, the most powerful person in the country and you end your days on the
toilet with your hose round your ankles. Well not really, more likely in bed
dying from the dehydration. Well this was the way Henry the Young King in 1183,
King John in 1216, King Edward I in 1307, King Henry V in 1422 and King James
VI ended their days. Although Henry V may have died from heatstroke or both.
The dysentery Kings. From left to right. Henry the Young King, King John, Edward I, Henry V (Image courtesy of ancestryimages.com) and James VI |
4 other monarchs died from the result of a stroke. These
were King Edward III in 1377, Queen Anne in 1714, King George I in 1727 and
Queen Victoria died.
Now onto TB. This was the final cause of the deaths of 2 of
the Tudor monarchs. It took King Henry VII in 1509 and then his grandson King
Edward VI in 1553.
Heart attacks took the lives of King William IV in 1837 and
then King Edward VII in 1910 along with bronchitis.
18 of the other monarchs died as a result of illness. These
were due to a wide spectrum of conditions.
Stomach conditions from overeating was a cause in the case of King Henry
I and possibly King Edward IV although there is some evidence it was the
purging after over eating got King Edward IV and most notably King Henry VIII
but he had lots of other things as well. Brain conditions were also a cause.
King James VII died from a brain haemorrhage in 1701 while in exile and King
George III died from the result of dementia. King George IV must have had a
massive death certificate from all the things that lead to his death. They
included upper gastrointestinal bleeding due to a rupture blood vessel in the
stomach as well as bladder tumours, an enlarged heart and obesity.
Let’s consider those who died as a result of an accident or
injury. The most noticeable accident was probably King William II in 1100. He
died while out hunting in the New Forest. He was hit by an arrow that no one
knew where it came from. So thought it was probably a stray arrow that got to
close during the hunt. Others thought it was deliberate and done so that his
younger brother Henry could take the throne. If it was it worked as he became
King Henry I. He got his comeuppance thought as he died from over eating on
lamprey’s, gross eel fish things. King
Richard I also died as a result of an arrow wound. He was shot with one while
from a crossbow at the siege of the castle of Chalus-Chabrol in France. William
I may also have died as a result of injury. He is reported to have been injured
by the pommel of his horse which caused him to suffer internal injuries which
eventually cost him his life in 1087.
Surprisingly since as a nation we have engaged in many wars
with other countries especially the French and Scottish, only 1 monarch has
died in battle. This of course was the King in the car park King Richard III.
He died in 1485 at the Battle of Bosworth during the Wars of the Roses. Richard
from the house of York was against the house of Lancashire’s Henry Tudor.
Now murder played a part in the death of 6 monarchs. So
we’ve already looked at King William II and King Richard I. Many believed that
King Edward II was murdered in a most unusual way while in the hands of his
wife and her lover. He may have had a red hot poker stuck up his bottom. This
would mean there would have been no noticeable wound and the reason of
depression while in captivity could be used. Which it was who knows? Then there
is King Edward V. What did happen to him after his uncle Richard III usurped the
throne from him? Was he one of the bodies found under a staircase in the Tower
of London alongside his brother or did something else happen to him? I guess we
shall never know.
The possibly murdered monarchs. From left to right King
William II, King Richard I, King Edward II and King Edward V. All images
courtesy of ancestryimages.com |
Technically these 2 were not murder, but then what is
execution if not sanctioned murder. Anyway. Queen Jane was the first monarch to
be executed in 1554. Whether she was actually a monarch is open to contention,
but I regard her as a monarch, not matter how short the time. In short the dying
Edward VI didn’t what his catholic sister Mary to take the crown so he gave it
to his cousin’s daughter. Jane was the daughter of Frances Brandon and her
husband Henry Grey. Frances was the daughter of Mary Tudor the dowager Queen of
France, Duchess of Suffolk and her husband Charles Brandon the Duke of Suffolk.
Mary Tudor was King Henry VII daughter and King Henry VIII sister. Edward’s
sister Mary didn’t like that she had been passed over so she marched to London
and with her supporters took the throne. Jane was imprisoned and eventually
beheaded so that her followers couldn’t rise against her.
Charles the second had a similar fate to Queen Jane in 1649.
Charles effectively got too big for his boots and felt he was above the laws of
the land and felt he should rule without the interference of the Government and
his Lords. In short a civil war began with the Royalist Cavaliers on the side
of the King and the Roundheads fighting for the Commonwealth under Oliver
Cromwell. Charles was captured and tried. He was executed in Whitehall in front
of a crowd of on looker.
So our past monarchs have died from a variety of causes
ranging from illness to murder and it just goes to show that even if you are
the Monarch you can still die of the same things as the rest of the country.
And don't forget Henry II and his surfeit of lampreys :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post - I knew a lot of this, but cool to see it all in one place!!
Oops - I thought for sure it was Henry II and the lampreys, not Henry I...mea culpa...
ReplyDelete