Royal Deaths from Hunting Accidents

compiled by Susan Flantzer

This does not purport to be a complete list. All images are from Wikipedia unless otherwise indicated.

King William II Rufus of England

  • Born: circa 1056 in the Duchy of Normandy, now in France
  • Parents: King William I (the Conqueror) of England and Matilda of Flanders
  • Died: August 2, 1100, aged circa 43 – 44, in the New Forest, in Hampshire and Wiltshire, England
  • Buried: Winchester Cathedral in Winchester, England
  • Unofficial Royalty: King William II Rufus of England

On August 2, 1100, King William II Rufus rode out from Winchester Castle on a hunting expedition to the New Forest, accompanied by his brother Henry (the future Henry I) and several nobles. His elder brother Richard, in 1099, and his nephew Richard, the illegitimate son of his brother Robert, in May 1100, had both been killed in hunting accidents in the New Forest.

According to most contemporary accounts, William Rufus was chasing after a stag followed by Walter Tirel, a noble. William Rufus shot an arrow but missed the stag. He then called out to Walter to shoot, which he did, but the arrow hit the king in his chest, puncturing his lungs, and killing him. Walter Tirel jumped on his horse and fled to France.

The next day, William Rufus’ body was found by a group of local farmers. The nobles had fled to their Norman and English lands to secure their possessions and ensure law and order following the death of the king. The farmers loaded the king’s body on a cart and brought it to Winchester Cathedral where he was buried under a plain flat marble stone below the tower with little ceremony.

It is still unsure whether William Rufus’s death was an accident or a planned assassination. See Unofficial Royalty: Suspicious Death of William II Rufus, King of England for more information.

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King Christian V of Denmark

  • Born: April 15, 1646 at Duborg Castle in Flensburg, Denmark. now In Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
  • Parents: King Frederik III of Denmark and Sophie Amalie of Brunswick-Lüneburg
  • Married: Charlotte Amalie of Hesse-Kassel
  • Died: August 25, 1699, aged 53, at Copenhagen Castle in Copenhagen, Denmark
  • Buried: Roskilde Cathedral in Roskilde, Denmark
  • Wikipedia: King Christian V of Denmark

Christian V died from the after-effects of a hunting accident that occurred on October 19, 1698. Christian was hunting with his two sons and his half-brother. While they were taking a break, they received the news that the hunting dogs had exhausted and surrounded a deer. Christian immediately left to give the deer the death blow. Instead, he missed and the deer kicked him. The injuries were severe and Christian never recovered, dying on August 25, 1699.

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