compiled by Susan Flantzer

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

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King Louis III of France

• Born: 863/865
• Parents: King Louis II of France and Ansgarde of Burgundy
• Died: August 5, 882, aged circa 18, in St. Denis, near Paris, France
• Buried: Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France
• Wikipedia: King Louis III of France

While mounting his horse to pursue a girl who was running to seek refuge in her father’s house, Louis hit his head on the lintel of a low door and fell, fracturing his skull.

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Prince Philippe of France

Philippe’s death

• Born: August 29, 1116
• Parents: King Louis VI of France and Adélaide of Maurienne
• Died: October 13, 1131, aged 15, in Paris, France
• Buried: Basilica of Saint-Denis near Paris, France
• Wikipedia: Philippe of France

Philippe was riding through Paris when his horse tripped over a black pig running out of a dung heap. He was catapulted over the horse’s head. Philippe died the next day without regaining consciousness.

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King Henry I of England

• Born: probably September 1068 in Selby, Yorkshire, England
• Parents: William the Conqueror (King William I) and Matilda of Flanders
• Married: (1) Matilda of Scotland in 1100, died 1118 (2) Adeliza of Louvain in 1121
• Died: December 1, 1135, aged 66–67, in Saint-Denis-en-Lyons, Duchy of Normandy, now in France
• Buried: Reading Abbey in Reading, England
• Unofficial Royalty: King Henry I of England

Henry fell ill after eating a number of lampreys against his doctor’s advice and died. It is possible that the cause of death was ptomaine poisoning.

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John of Luxembourg, King of Bohemia

• Born: August 10, 1296 in Luxembourg
• Parents: Heinrich VII, Holy Roman Emperor and Margaret of Brabant
• Married: (1) Elizabeth of Bohemia (2) Beatrice of Bourbon in 1334
• Died: August 26, 1346, aged 50, at Crécy-en-Ponthieu, France
• Buried: Kloster Altmünster in Luxembourg; in 1543 to Kloster Neumünster in Luxembourg; in 1945 moved to Notre-Dame Cathedral in Luxembourg City, Luxembourg
• Wikipedia: John of Luxembourg, King of Bohemia

John of Bohemia, after being blind for ten years, died in the Battle of Crecy when his companions tied their horses’ reins to his reins and charged.

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King Charles II of Navarre

• Born: October 10, 1332 in Évreux, Duchy of Normandy, now in France
• Parents: King Philip III of Navarre and Queen Joan II of Navarre
• Married: Jeanne of France
• Died: January 1, 1387, aged 54, in Pamplona, Kingdom of Navarre, now in Spain
• Buried: Pamplona Cathedral in Pamplona, Kingdom of Navarre, now in Spain
• Wikipedia: King Charles II of Navarre

Charles was suffering from illness and could not use his arms and legs. He consulted his physician who ordered the king to be tightly sewn into a linen sheet soaked in brandy. The highly flammable sheet accidentally caught fire and Charles later died of his injuries.

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King Martin of Aragon and Sicily

• Born: July 29, 1356 in Girona, Spain
• Parents: King Pedro IV of Aragon and Eleanor of Sicily
• Married: (1) Maria de Luna (2) Margaret of Prades in 1409
• Died: May 31, 1410, aged 53 at the Monastery of Valldonzella near Barcelona, Spain
• Buried: Royal Abbey of Santa Maria de Poble in Catalonia, now in Spain
• Wikipedia: King Martin of Aragon and Sicily

Martin of Aragon died from a combination of indigestion and uncontrollable laughing. According to tradition, Martin was suffering from indigestion on account of eating an entire goose when his favorite jester, Borra, entered the king’s bedroom. When Martin asked Borra where he had been, the jester replied, “Out of the next vineyard, where I saw a young deer hanging by his tail from a tree, as if someone had so punished him for stealing figs.” This joke caused the king to die from laughter.

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George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence

• Born: October 21, 1449 at Dublin Castle in Dublin, Ireland
• Parents: Richard Plantagenet, 3rd Duke of York and Lady Cecily Neville
• Married: Lady Isabel Neville in 1469
• Died: February 18, 1478, aged 28, at the Tower of London in London, England
• Buried: Tewkesbury Abbey in Tewkesbury, England
• Wikipedia: George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence

George was the brother of King Edward IV of England and King Richard III of England. He was allegedly executed by drowning in a barrel of Malmsey wine, apparently his own choice.

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King Adolf Frederik of Sweden

• Born: May 14, 1710 at Gottorp Castle in Gottorp, Duchy of Schleswig now the city of Schleswig, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
• Parents: Christian August of Holstein-Gottorp, Prince of Eutin and Albertina Friederike of Baden-Durlach
• Married: Princess Louisa Ulrika of Prussia in 1744
• Died: February 12, 1771, aged 60, at the Royal Palace in Stockholm, Sweden
• Buried: Riddarholmen Church in Stockholm, Sweden
• Unofficial Royalty: King Adolf Frederik of Sweden

Adolf Frederik died after eating a meal consisting of lobster, caviar, sauerkraut, kippers, and champagne, which was followed by fourteen servings of his favorite dessert semla, served in bowls of hot milk. In Sweden, he is remembered as “the king who ate himself to death.”

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Archduke Alexander Leopold of Austria

• Born: August 14, 1772 in Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany, now in Italy
• Parents: Leopold II, Holy Roman Emperor and Maria Luisa of Spain
• Died: July 12, 1795, aged 22, at Laxenburg Palace in Laxenburg, Austria
• Buried: Imperial Crypt at the Capuchin Church in Vienna, Austria
• Wikipedia: Archduke Alexander Leopold of Austria

Alexander Leopold was very interested in chemistry, especially pyrotechnics. He decided to create a fireworks display to surprise his sister-in-law Maria Theresa of Naples and Sicily, the wife of his brother Holy Roman Emperor Franz II (later Franz I, Emperor of Austria).  Alexander Leopold made all the fireworks and lit them himself, attended by a few of his servants. Right after the first rocket was lit, a draft of air threw the rocket back on the gunpowder. The gunpowder exploded and Alexander Leopold was burned all over his body.  He died immediately as did his servants.

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