He was called “the conqueror William” during his reign. But the story after the Emperor’s death is even more exciting.
A fierce childhood usurped from the English throne
William I is the only son of Robert I – Duke of Normandy (in today’s France). Her mother is said to come from a family working in tanneries – the lowest job at the time.
When William was only 8 years old, his father passed away, passing the throne to his son. However, the “Game of Thrones” took place very exciting and cruel not long after.
Very early on, William had to learn to protect himself, gradually developing a habit of suspicion and a brutal temper.
During a crackdown on a cousin’s rebellion, the young duke cut off all of the chief’s hands and feet to gain prestige.
The year 1066 marks a major turning point in William’s journey of power. That year, King Edward of England chose another descendant to the throne (Edward had no son), despite his promise to hand over the throne to his cousin William.
Eventually, William decided to march from France to England, using force to take the throne. After the bloody Battle of Hastings, Duke William officially became King of England on Christmas Eve.
Blood has stained my whole life …
The king of foreign origin was often called “William Conqueror”. He dramatically changed the constitution and social system, and ended Viking influence on England.
Victorian painting depicts the Battle of Hastings, with the Duke victorious and the loser offering the throne.
In 1069 he began his operation to conquer the north of England, crushing the rebels. Everywhere he went, the king destroyed the village and the crops arrived.
Cattle and humans were mercilessly slaughtered. Those who remained also gradually died of hunger or had to eat their flesh to survive!
On the contrary, William eats like … a king! He was losing more and more control of his weight, becoming too fertile – unaware that it would end tragically later.
… and a strange “smelly” ending
King William took refuge in the city of Rouen for 6 months. Beside him were the Marquis, the aristocracy and the clergy.
Here, with excruciating pain, the tyrant William began to regret his life of sin. But too late!
The tyrant William fell from his horse during the French expedition.
On a cold autumn day in September, William died. Soon after, the king’s relatives also quickly “evaporated”. The servant and servant who saw this also quickly picked up weapons, horses, jewelry, and cloth and dispersed.
The body of “William the Conqueror” was left naked on the ground every day like a wild beast.
And that’s the real problem: nobody seriously thinks of burying the king!
In the end, the Marquis Enter Herluin – who with divine kindness and national pride – decided to bring King William to his resting place.
Herluin paid out of pocket to hire a funeral car to take the king’s body to the Seine station, then travel by water to his hometown in Normandy. The journey took a little over 100 kilometers, but many things happened.
First, because the train was traveling at a “creeping” speed, the bacteria in the king’s intestines spread to the rest of the body. The cells rot at a frightening rate and the king’s corpse swells from the accumulation of gas.
After that, the convoy reached Normandy but had to be interrupted by a big fire which has just occurred! The whole city moved to put out the flames.
Yet when the weary funeral team reached the cemetery, a man appeared out of nowhere to claim it was his land, which had previously been appropriated by King William.
People came to claim land as soon as the king’s funeral.
The funeral was suspended again to turn into … a legal negotiation, at the end of which adequate compensation for the people. He was so happy that he finally waited for the “day of righteousness.”
However, the king’s body could not wait. In the last years of his life, the king was already fat, but now his body was so swollen. When he lowered the grave, the body was suddenly … oversized compared to his grave.
Amidst the confusion over how to proceed, the body’s intestines exploded! The stench hits the faces of the people standing near the grave and the crowds around. There was no way to stop the smell, so the funeral ended faster than expected.
Yet, after being buried, King William still cannot rest. His tomb was dug three times by the Romans, Calvinists and during the French Revolution.
The king’s bones were then strewn everywhere. So far, only … the femur has been preserved, marked by a roadside stone.
King William lived a magnificent but also very brutal life and then received such a tragic and humorous death!
