What do we know about the deaths of medieval kings? Usually, our only details come from chroniclers, who can sometimes be very terse and sometimes can provide a lot of details. History of the Dukes of Normandy and the Kings of England by the Anonymous of Béthune is a good example of this.
In the first quarter of the 13th century, a writer in Flanders began to compose a chronicle detailing events in England, northern France and the Low Countries. He is called the Anonymous of Béthune, a name that comes from his apparent connection to the Count of that city. While his chronicle is one of many that we have from this period, it is considered a good source for events in the early 13th century, especially the reign of King John.
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History of the Dukes of Normandy and the Kings of England offers some details about the death of rulers, and here is how the writer describes the passing of the English kings from Harold Godwinsson to John. In the earlier cases, the anonymous writer was using older sources, while in the more recent deaths he was probably basing it on multiple written and oral reports.
Harold Godwinsson (died 1066)
Harold Godwinsson – Cotton MS Vitellius A XIII
Then Duke William went into England with his Normans and all the men he could get. When he heard that Count Conan was dead, he set off from St Valéry and landed at Pevensey. There he built a castle, and another at Hastings, where King Harold fought him on a Saturday, and you must know that King Harold was defeated in this battle and no one knew what became of him, unless by divination.
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The chronicler here is describing the Norman conquest of England and the Battle of Hastings, He is correct in saying that the battle took place on a Saturday – October 14, 1066. The note about not knowing Harold’s fate, unless by divination, is an interesting one – while most sources are definite that Harold was killed in the battle, a few sources did emerge in the later 12th century that claim that Harold had somehow survived, and had even become a monk.
William I (died 1087)
William I – British Library Cotton MS Vitellius A XIII
After this King William went to Normandy and he died in Rouen and was taken for burial to Caen to the abbey of St Stephen which he had founded, and you must know that he was most richly buried.
The anonymous chronicler seems to not know, or at least wanted to avoid, some of the sad details about William’s burial, which includes the story that his attendants tried to force his body into a grave that was too small, which resulted in the corpse bursting from the pressure.
William II (died 1097)
William II – British Library Cotton MS Vitellius A XIII
But when the king heard him talk like this, he laughed at him and called him a cousin to the clerks. And after this it was hardly any time before the king went hunting in a new forest he had had made out of 18 parishes which he had destroyed for its sake. There the king was accidentally killed by an arrow with which Tyrell of Poix intended to kill an animal, but he missed and hit the king, who was on the far side of the beast.
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This is only part of a longer account in History of the Dukes of Normandy and the Kings of England, in which the death of William II Rufus is detailed as a kind of morality play. The chronicler criticized William for his habit of stripping the wealth and properties of his subjects, and tells of how the king had a vivid dream. Although the dream was interpreted to be a warning to William, he choose to ignore it and went to New Forest, a piece of land that he converted into a hunting zone at the expense of people living there. You can read another version of this account in The Nightmare and the Accident: How King William Rufus died.
Henry I (died 1135)
Henry I – British Library Cotton MS Vitellius A XIII
King Henry died in the forest at Lyons at St Denis and was taken to England for burial in the abbey of my lady St Mary in Reading, his own foundation.
This is one of the shortest accounts of a king’s death. One can notice that the anonymous chronicler found it important to note the place these kings were buried at.
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Stephen (died 1154)
Stephen – British Library Cotton MS Vitellius A XIII
This King Stephen was very kind, very good natured and very compassionate, so that he did not maintain firm justice. Eighteen years he held the kingdom and then died and was buried in an abbey of his own foundation at Faversham beside a harbour on the coast, seven leagues from Canterbury near the road running from Canterbury to Rochester and London, and nearby there is a good crossing place which is called Ospringe. Queen Matilda lies beside him under another piece of marble.
Henry II (died 1189)
Henry II – British Library Cotton MS Vitellius A XIII
So hard did King Philip and Count Richard fight against King Henry that they took Le Mans, which King Henry burned together with its people. Once the town was burnt, the king and all his men spurred away to Chinon. The king fell ill the day he reached Chinon, for he had been very hot and then had drunk cold water, and because of this he died. Others say he had a disturbance of the blood. Very poor he was when he died, and then was buried at Fontevraud.
While the anonymous chronicler is correct in his description, it is not very detailed compared to other accounts. Like with the next account, the writer notes that people were speculating on the cause of his death.
Richard I (died 1099)
Richard I with an arrow through his arm – British Library Cotton MS Vitellius A XIII
Afterwards it happened that King Richard, during a truce between himself and the king of France, attacked the viscount of Limoges, who had wronged him. There in an assault he was wounded by a crossbowman, receiving a quarrel in the chest. Several said that he was struck through the thick of his arm, and a grievous ill struck him there and he died, but this is nonsense; he was wounded in the chest between the shoulder and the breast, the quarrel was pulled out and he died of the wound. But before he died he made all his barons swear fealty to John his brother and that they would make him king. Then good King Richard died and was buried at Fontevraud, the good abbey of nuns which had been so dear to him. He was buried at his father’s feet and his heart was taken to Rouen to the mother church.
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Other sources give more a detailed account of Richard’s death, with the wound said to be in the shoulder.
John (died 1216)
John – in other accounts it was said he was poisoned – British Library Cotton MS Vitellius A XIII
As soon as he heard the news he fell ill, and ill as he was, he travelled to the bishop of Lincoln’s castle at Newark, where he died. He was taken for burial to the mother church in Winchester, but before he died he sent word to William Marshal, earl of Pembroke, telling him that he placed his eldest son Henry in the keeping of God and himself and asked him for God’s sake to give thought to his wellbeing.
Anonymous of Béthune is one of our best sources for the events of the final years of King John, when he was at war with both his rebellious nobles and Prince Louis of France. According to our chronicler, John had become upset at the news that Louis and his men were besieging Dover Castle. A scholar looking at this account would probably be a little disappointed, hoping that the anonymous writer would have had more to say about John’s demise.
What do we know about the deaths of medieval kings? Usually, our only details come from chroniclers, who can sometimes be very terse and sometimes can provide a lot of details. History of the Dukes of Normandy and the Kings of England by the Anonymous of Béthune is a good example of this.
In the first quarter of the 13th century, a writer in Flanders began to compose a chronicle detailing events in England, northern France and the Low Countries. He is called the Anonymous of Béthune, a name that comes from his apparent connection to the Count of that city. While his chronicle is one of many that we have from this period, it is considered a good source for events in the early 13th century, especially the reign of King John.
History of the Dukes of Normandy and the Kings of England offers some details about the death of rulers, and here is how the writer describes the passing of the English kings from Harold Godwinsson to John. In the earlier cases, the anonymous writer was using older sources, while in the more recent deaths he was probably basing it on multiple written and oral reports.
Harold Godwinsson (died 1066)
Then Duke William went into England with his Normans and all the men he could get. When he heard that Count Conan was dead, he set off from St Valéry and landed at Pevensey. There he built a castle, and another at Hastings, where King Harold fought him on a Saturday, and you must know that King Harold was defeated in this battle and no one knew what became of him, unless by divination.
The chronicler here is describing the Norman conquest of England and the Battle of Hastings, He is correct in saying that the battle took place on a Saturday – October 14, 1066. The note about not knowing Harold’s fate, unless by divination, is an interesting one – while most sources are definite that Harold was killed in the battle, a few sources did emerge in the later 12th century that claim that Harold had somehow survived, and had even become a monk.
William I (died 1087)
After this King William went to Normandy and he died in Rouen and was taken for burial to Caen to the abbey of St Stephen which he had founded, and you must know that he was most richly buried.
The anonymous chronicler seems to not know, or at least wanted to avoid, some of the sad details about William’s burial, which includes the story that his attendants tried to force his body into a grave that was too small, which resulted in the corpse bursting from the pressure.
William II (died 1097)
But when the king heard him talk like this, he laughed at him and called him a cousin to the clerks. And after this it was hardly any time before the king went hunting in a new forest he had had made out of 18 parishes which he had destroyed for its sake. There the king was accidentally killed by an arrow with which Tyrell of Poix intended to kill an animal, but he missed and hit the king, who was on the far side of the beast.
This is only part of a longer account in History of the Dukes of Normandy and the Kings of England, in which the death of William II Rufus is detailed as a kind of morality play. The chronicler criticized William for his habit of stripping the wealth and properties of his subjects, and tells of how the king had a vivid dream. Although the dream was interpreted to be a warning to William, he choose to ignore it and went to New Forest, a piece of land that he converted into a hunting zone at the expense of people living there. You can read another version of this account in The Nightmare and the Accident: How King William Rufus died.
Henry I (died 1135)
King Henry died in the forest at Lyons at St Denis and was taken to England for burial in the abbey of my lady St Mary in Reading, his own foundation.
This is one of the shortest accounts of a king’s death. One can notice that the anonymous chronicler found it important to note the place these kings were buried at.
Stephen (died 1154)
This King Stephen was very kind, very good natured and very compassionate, so that he did not maintain firm justice. Eighteen years he held the kingdom and then died and was buried in an abbey of his own foundation at Faversham beside a harbour on the coast, seven leagues from Canterbury near the road running from Canterbury to Rochester and London, and nearby there is a good crossing place which is called Ospringe. Queen Matilda lies beside him under another piece of marble.
Henry II (died 1189)
So hard did King Philip and Count Richard fight against King Henry that they took Le Mans, which King Henry burned together with its people. Once the town was burnt, the king and all his men spurred away to Chinon. The king fell ill the day he reached Chinon, for he had been very hot and then had drunk cold water, and because of this he died. Others say he had a disturbance of the blood. Very poor he was when he died, and then was buried at Fontevraud.
While the anonymous chronicler is correct in his description, it is not very detailed compared to other accounts. Like with the next account, the writer notes that people were speculating on the cause of his death.
Richard I (died 1099)
Afterwards it happened that King Richard, during a truce between himself and the king of France, attacked the viscount of Limoges, who had wronged him. There in an assault he was wounded by a crossbowman, receiving a quarrel in the chest. Several said that he was struck through the thick of his arm, and a grievous ill struck him there and he died, but this is nonsense; he was wounded in the chest between the shoulder and the breast, the quarrel was pulled out and he died of the wound. But before he died he made all his barons swear fealty to John his brother and that they would make him king. Then good King Richard died and was buried at Fontevraud, the good abbey of nuns which had been so dear to him. He was buried at his father’s feet and his heart was taken to Rouen to the mother church.
Other sources give more a detailed account of Richard’s death, with the wound said to be in the shoulder.
John (died 1216)
As soon as he heard the news he fell ill, and ill as he was, he travelled to the bishop of Lincoln’s castle at Newark, where he died. He was taken for burial to the mother church in Winchester, but before he died he sent word to William Marshal, earl of Pembroke, telling him that he placed his eldest son Henry in the keeping of God and himself and asked him for God’s sake to give thought to his wellbeing.
Anonymous of Béthune is one of our best sources for the events of the final years of King John, when he was at war with both his rebellious nobles and Prince Louis of France. According to our chronicler, John had become upset at the news that Louis and his men were besieging Dover Castle. A scholar looking at this account would probably be a little disappointed, hoping that the anonymous writer would have had more to say about John’s demise.
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