A Dwarf's Butt, a Doorframe, and Other Ridiculous Reasons Why Kings Died (11 photos)

Monarchs not only live, but even die more interestingly than their subjects. At least, those we want to tell you about in this article.





Some of them were brought to the next world by an overly funny story, some killed themselves on a doorframe while chasing a beautiful maiden, and some were even brought to the next world by the backside of a court jester. Read our article to find out what other absurdities led to the deaths of famous kings.

Adolf Frederick, King of Sweden. Died because of buns

On February 12, 1771, the descendant of Vikings, Adolf Frederick, deigned to have a snack. As befits a king, he was served whatever delicacies he asked for, and His Majesty asked for quite a bit. He began his meal with lobster and caviar, which whetted his appetite, continued with salted herring and crispy sauerkraut, finished it all off with zucchini soup, and finished with dessert—traditional Swedish buns with buttercream and almond paste.



Clearly, one of the dishes was unnecessary—perhaps the herring, or perhaps the 14 buns washed down with warm milk. In any case, before he could even rise from the table, Adolf Frederick complained of illness, and soon afterward, he passed away.

Béla I, King of Hungary. Died of a Broken Throne

King Béla I of Hungary was sitting on his wooden throne when, for some reason, the gigantic structure literally collapsed beneath him. The monarch fell, and the injuries he sustained from the fall led to his instant death. To this day, historians cannot understand why the throne fell.





By the way, after this incident, the broken chair was inherited by Béla I's nephew, Solomon, who had long threatened to overthrow his uncle. Coincidence? We don't think so.

Louis III, King of France. Died from hitting his head on a doorframe.

For his absurd death, King Louis III of France even won the Darwin Award in 2018. Louis ascended the throne at the age of 16, after the death of his father, but his reign was short-lived—only three years. He might have continued to lead the West Frankish Kingdom, if not for one incident...



One fine day in 882, the young king saw a beautiful girl and decided to make advances. But the stranger was apparently not ready for a new relationship, as she began to run away from Louis, who, by the way, was galloping after her on horseback. The beauty ran out the gate, and the king followed. But the monarch forgot to duck as he raced through the gate at full speed, and so he hit the edge of the gate, which had not yet been fully raised.

According to another version, the king hit his head on the doorframe when the girl ran into her father's house, fleeing pursuit. In any case, a pursuit of a beautiful stranger took place. It should be noted that this is far from the only case of a woman causing a man's death.

Martin I, King of Aragon. Died laughing

On May 31, 1410, King Martin I was peacefully eating a goose in his bedchamber when the jester Borra appeared. The king asked the jester where he had been, to which he replied:

In a nearby vineyard, he saw a young stag, hung by its tail—like some fig thief!

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The king was so amused by this joke that he laughed and laughed and laughed... until he could hardly breathe. As you can see, the humor of the time was quite strange. Fortunately, over the years, the jokes have become truly funny.

Edmund Ironside, King of England. Shot with a crossbow in the lavatory.

There are several versions of the death of King Edmund Ironside. According to one, the monarch was stabbed to death by unknown assailants while going to the lavatory. Another version says he was shot with a crossbow, just like Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones.



Some also say the king died directly from a sharp dagger thrust into his anus. Decide for yourself which of these stories to believe.

Edward II, King of England. Died from a red-hot poker in his anus

King Edward II of England is another monarch who had the murder weapon thrust directly into his anus. This happened in 1327, when Edward's ex-wife overthrew him and imprisoned him in Berkeley Castle. It was there that the ruler met his death, allegedly at the hands of his ex-wife's hired assassins.



There are also rumors that conspirators in Berkeley brutally murdered the king by inserting a red-hot poker into his anus. Allegedly, they wanted to punish him for his homosexuality. This version was included in many chronicles and Edward's official biography. However, it is possible that he was simply stabbed to death.

Henry II, King of Jerusalem. Killed by a Jester's Butt

Ironically, King Henry II of Jerusalem was killed by a man who had served him faithfully for many years. It all happened like this: one warm day, the monarch was enjoying the beautiful view from his window when he leaned on the grating, which, unable to support his weight, broke, sending Henry plummeting to the ground.



He might have survived, had not his dwarf servant, Scarlett, fallen after him. It was he who literally finished off His Majesty, landing on top of him with his backside. The king died instantly from severe injuries, while the dwarf himself suffered a serious hip fracture and died a few days later.

Charles the Evil, King of Navarre. Burned Alive

At the end of 1386, the health of the King of Navarre deteriorated sharply – due to complications from some illness, the ruler practically lost the use of his limbs. The doctors at the time prescribed bed rest for Charles, as well as linen wraps soaked in brandy.



And so the maid had already created a kind of "cocoon" in which to wrap her king, when she suddenly noticed a thread sticking out of the fabric. The girl decided it needed to be removed, and since this was all happening at night, she used a candle instead of scissors, so as not to, God forbid, cut the monarch in the dark.

As soon as the maid held the candle to the protruding thread, the alcohol-soaked fabric instantly burst into flames. Frightened, the girl ran out of the room, leaving the king to burn.

Alexander I, King of Greece. Died from a monkey bite

In the 1920s, King Alexander I of Greece had a beloved dog, a German Shepherd named Fritz. Alexander was practically inseparable from his pet, even taking him with him to official events. Once, during one of these meetings, the king was strolling through a garden where two monkeys were kept.



For some reason, Fritz didn't like the primates and grabbed one by the neck. Alexander tried to pry the dog's jaws open, but the second monkey, defending its friend, bit the king. The monkey's saliva infected the wound, resulting in the monarch's death shortly thereafter.

Prince Sado, Crown Prince of Korea, died after being trapped in a chest for a week.

Sado-seja was the second son of King Yeongjo of Korea of ​​the Joseon Dynasty. When his elder brother died in 1728, Sado became the sole heir to the throne. However, he never succeeded to power, as he himself died under rather strange circumstances.



Sado was known for his bad temper and, according to historians, suffered from mental illness. In fits of rage, the prince would easily kill one of his servants. He did this with remarkable regularity—sometimes several bodies were carried out of the palace a day.

When Sado's cruelty reached its peak, King Yeongjo decided to punish him. But the ruler could not do this in the usual way, such as by beheading—the lofty ideals of Confucian morality forbade the execution of monarchs. So the ruler decided to teach Sado a lesson and ordered him locked in a rice chest to "rethink his behavior."

After eight days in the chest, Sado died of starvation and suffocation.