The Death of William
William the Conqueror had a very unusual, and somewhat disturbing, death. William died in the morning of September 9, 1087. He died at the age of 59. On August 15, he was on his way to Vexin(the border between France and Normandy) when his horse stumbled and he was thrown hard against the saddle pommel. His injury turned out to be mortal and they took him to Rouen. He stayed there for several weeks in horrible pain. There he repented and was forgiven by a bishop. On Friday, September 9, 1087 he breathed his last breath and died.When it was time to bury his body in a casket, they ran into a problem. They found out that William's body was too big to fit in his casket. After shoving and pushing his body to fit into it, his insides apparently exploded. Apparently, his swollen bowels had burst. A horrible, intolerable stench filled the air and everyone ran out to escape it, and the concluding rites of his funeral were hurriedly finished. William's memorial was suppose to last until 1522, when his body was examined and reinterred, but it was destroyed forty years later when a Calvinist mob attacked it and his remains were scattered. Only a single thigh bone survived and was buried in 1642. Even that was destroyed during the French Revolution and now all that is left is simple stone slab.