Random Stupidest, Least Dignified Ways Royals Have Died (15 items)

(#4) Charles VIII of France
- Dec. at 27 (1470-1498)
In 1498, King Charles VIII of France hit his head on the lintel of a door while walking out to watch a tennis match. He hit it so hard, in fact, that he subsequently died from the accident. Today, doctors believe he likely sustained cranial trauma when he hit his head, which is what caused his quick death.

He's remembered for this unfortunate and unlikely cause of death—and for his troops, who spread syphilis across mainland Europe.
(#3) Henry I Died After Going Against His Doctor's Orders And Feasting On Eels

King Henry I ruled England with an iron fist. One of his weaknesses was lampreys, an eel-like bloodsucker. Henry's physician expressly forbade him to eat lampreys, but the king paid no mind. In 1135, he indulged in them while on a hunting trip and died soon after, likely as a result of the feast.
(#8) Alexander of Greece
- Dec. at 27 (1893-1920)
The 23-year-old Alexander succeeded to the Greek throne in an entirely political move in 1917. Europe was shoulder-deep in World War I, and Alexander's father, King Constantine I, refused to drag Greece into the disastrous war. The Allies then forced Constantine to abdicate in favor of his son, who more or less became a puppet of the Allies; thus, Greece entered the war.

On October 2, 1920, Alexander was walking on his estate when his dog got into a fight with a monkey that belonged to a member of his staff. While attempting to break up the fight, a second monkey bit Alexander on the leg. The wound became infected, and the infection spread. While he suffered for weeks, royal doctors debated whether to attempt to amputate the bitten leg, unsure whether it would solve the problem or if they would be blamed should it make things worse. The young King Alexander finally died age 27 on October 25, 1920.
(#5) George II of Great Britain
- Dec. at 76 (1683-1760)
George II reigned as king of Great Britain from 1727 until 1760, a period of tremendous growth and development for both the British nation and empire. Though George was the last British monarch not born in Britain—he spoke English with a heavy German accent—he was also the last monarch to personally fight in a battle.

But his death was decidedly less regal than his tenure as British king. On October 25, 1760, the 76-year-old king visited the toilet, and while using this un-royal throne, George overstrained himself and died.
(#7) James II of Scotland
- Dec. at 29 (1430-1460)
James II's tenure as King of Scotland began when his father was murdered. The remainder of his reign would be defined by his attempts to manage rival clans - and these attempts were downright bloody. Prominent Scots were killed before his eyes, and his own mother orchestrated the bloody downfall of a rival faction.

Indeed, both his reign and his random death were marked by violence. In 1460, James had laid siege to Roxburgh Castle in the Scottish Borders and wanted to celebrate by firing a salute with giant cannons - James had long been fascinated with the new technology of war. When it was lit, the cannon did not fire like it was supposed to; it backfired, killing the king.
(#10) William Adelin
- Dec. at 17 (1103-1120)
William Adelin was the oldest male heir of his father King Henry I of England, so the future of the English monarchy rested on his shoulders. He would die senselessly before ever getting the chance to take up that responsibility.

On November 25, 1120, the royal family was heading back to England from Normandy. The king had gone ahead in his own ship. William Adelin, his illegitimate half-sister Matilda, and their half-brother stayed behind and planned to return in a separate vessel, the White Ship, the fastest ship in the fleet. But by the time the ship set sail, the crew and most of the passengers were rip-roaring drunk, and the revelry only continued onboard the vessel.

When the prince drunkenly urged the captain to catch up with Henry's ship and beat the old man back to England, disaster ensued: the ship slammed into a rock and began to sink. Though William Adelin made it into a lifeboat, he heroically turned back to save his sister. However, other survivors of the shipwreck scrambled to get into his boat, pulling William under and drowning him.

The king lost three children that night and was heartbroken. Henry had no choice but to make his other, legitimate daughter Matilda his heir. Though a civil war would break out challenging her legitimacy as a female ruler, her son—also named Henry—would eventually ascend the throne as Henry II of England and bring stability to a fractured monarchy.