APPALLING FATE OF WILLIAM THE CONQUEROR’S BODY | Gruesome dead body story | History Calling. Normans

[@HistoryCalling]

Do you believe the femur is likely to be the real deal, or is it a fake? Let me know in the comments below. You can also find me on Patreon at www.patreon.com/historycalling and on my Amazon storefront at www.amazon.com/shop/historycalling

[@sweptashore]

So very doubtful. As you mentioned, the "chain of custody" is a disaster of epic proportions. The near-contemporary accounts and later exhumation details are wildly disparate. It would be interesting to get a bone sample for dating and DNA analysis.

[@ItsJustLisa]

What SweptAshoreStudios said. ☝️

[@Amaleen6]

I think it's probably fake. However, given the unreliability of the witnesses, I'm sure of nothing other than he's definitely dead.

[@JohnTLyon]

Is this the same chap referred to as Longshanks?

[@Amaleen6]

@@JohnTLyon No, that was Edward I, a while later.

[@bevinboulder5039]

I'm beginning to think that the Pharaohs of Egypt had the right idea by being buried in some obscure canyon in the dessert . . . except that didn't work either. The chances that the femur buried under that slab is actually from William are slim and none IMO. Thank you for another great video.

[@sonder122]

Honestly the story of William’s death and burial sounds like something dreamt up by Monty Python. Also the repeated digging up and pilfering ofWilliam’s bones reminds me of the late Dave Allen’s joke about the medieval hawker offering to sell the skull of St Peter to a visiting clergyman. When said clergyman points out that the skull of the saint it supposedly buried in the Vatican the hawker replies that the Vatican skull is from when he was an adult and his one is from when he was a youth. So I’m not sure, that without being able to somehow genetically test the femur, anyone can be sure that a 1000 year old bone belongs to any named individual; particularly with the, shall we say, exciting afterlife that the king’s corpse has led.

[@sweptashore]

Very, very Python-esque. 🥥

[@greywebs1944]

Well we did do the 👃🤣

[@kristinawilde5931]

😂❤ Just going through comments coz sometimes bored of the video, you're s the one I loved, thank you 😊Realised how bad that sounds, ABSOLUTELY love this channel which is why I binge old videos

[@claire2088]

I feel like a big theme to the stories of dead monarchs seems to be 'they waited too long to bury them and the body got nasty af'

[@davidlancaster8152]

Wow! So much to happen to just one person's remains. It's like the stories of apostles remains. Incredible. The provenance of thigh bone is definitely dubious and I wouldn't be surprised if it was someone else's. Stellar story. Thanks for all your hard work and knowledge. You are one of a kind. A good kind. Lvya much

[@HistoryCalling]

Thanks David. Yes, I have my doubts about that thigh bone as well. It was essentially missing for a very long time after all.

[@elisabethhopson5639]

Loads of excellent research here, so thank you HC. Since William the Conqueror was such a brutal king, it isn't surprising that his body was mistreated right from the minute he died. People think that Daenerys from GoT, went mad at the end, but in comparison to William the Conqueror and how he treated the people of southern England after the battle of Hastings, she was positively mild. His middle name was "destruction" and he reaped what he sowed. Is the thigh bone his? Highly unlikely and a bit of poetic justice really. Somebody else's bones in your coffin. Again the peace of the dead completely ignored, which I find abhorrent and unchristian. I fail to understand why other generations think that this is ok. They should have left him to rot in his own box. Thanks HC.

[@andrealuisecandido1154]

and am born as a daughTer A girl i === will have no battle

[@marywest2896]

Elizabeth Hopson, I always say the difference between archaeology and grave robbing is 100 years..

[@chrismc410]

Real question is why would anyone bother to dig him up to desecrate his grave?. Number one and/number two on his grave and call it....well bad and leave it at that. He's well past caring at that point. Everything else was too much work.

[@Sassenach4life]

Wow, how amazing and gross lol! I had no idea Williams’ body endured such treatment after death! I don’t believe it to be his thigh bone! Also, I have a question for you. I am not sure if I missed it if I did forgive me, long day, but why didn’t his son come in immediately and take over the funeral processions? Now I will look at William and remember the story of his corpse! Poor man!

[@stephencarrillo5905]

A very worthy addition to your gruesome corpses playlist, HC. Wow. After my second viewing I'm tending toward the view that William's actual femur is long gone based on your thorough examination of the sources. Just another testimonial to peoples' disrespect for historical remains. Still, a little mystery is not a bad thing in this case. A bit late today in dropping a Like; was out until the wee hours of the morning attending a rock concert. Getting old really sucks sometimes. 😉

[@HistoryCalling]

I've never been to a rock concert. I hope you had a blast :-)

[@chrisbanks6659]

Us old hippies, eh? Living life - how dare we? 😂🤘🤘

[@stephencarrillo5905]

@@chrisbanks6659 🤣🤣 Actually, I was at the historic Fillmore in San Francisco and their gallery is full of posters from The Summer of Love. ☮

[@savagedarksider2147]

My Yorkie dog has volunteer to be your guard dog; he gets overprotective over you. He doesn't want to lose his second favorite aunt.

[@HistoryCalling]

Very kind of him :-)

[@WVgrl59]

@History Calling i think it is very kind. ❤️

[@beth7935]

Very interesting! I'd heard a couple of details (the Horrible Histories Monarchs Song has the line "so fat on death, my body burst", so I'm not going to forget that!), but I didn't know it was this whole saga over 1000yrs, ending with a single possibly-misidentified bone. I also didn't know that some Huguenots went around destroying tombs in the French Wars of Religion- I was expecting William's to be messed with during the French Revolution, ofc, but large-scale destruction before then surprised me.

[@HistoryCalling]

I actually didn't know about the destruction during the French Wars of Religion either. Like you, I was waiting for some French Revolution action, but nothing else.

[@Metadasius]

I'm not going to lie. I love these stories.

[@thomasspicer4130]

Williams brother Robert is buried in Gloucester cathedral too I believe it would be interesting to see a video on him

[@reaymackay7634]

I remember reading a book about this story in a library as a kid, in Valcartier Quebec (in French). It was a VERY long time ago, but l do recall reading that the stone was broken apart by revolutionary soldiers and the pieces were sold as relics. Don’t know if that was accurate though. Keep up the good work. Thank you!!

[@greywebs1944]

Never trust the French 🤫

[@reaymackay7634]

@@greywebs1944 as someone from Quebec, l can confirm that.

[@FandersonUfo]

God bless you for awesome dead body content

[@HistoryCalling]

Thank you. I aim to please :-)

[@FandersonUfo]

@@HistoryCalling - 🛸👽💚✨

[@philipthomas8893]

It is amazing that the two Caen churches in which the tombs of William and his wife are located survived the mass bombing of Caen shortly after D Day in 1944. My dad was located and watching outside the city, apparently both churches remained upright whilst the surrounds were flattened.

[@amymahers2957]

I don’t believe the thigh bone is the real deal. I’m sure he never imagined that as “the Conqueror” we are now debating the authenticity of body parts. HC your video, as always, informative, and obviously well researched. You do it every time and I thank you for your hard work. You are very talented. Have a great week!

[@auntlynnie]

Great video. Also, I’d like to thank you for the work you do on the captions. ❤

[@HistoryCalling]

Thank you. The captions are created using my script, so they should be nearly perfect (though I confess I do make the odd typo). It's lovely to know they're helpful for some people. The auto-generated ones were, I discovered, pretty rubbish as they couldn't understand my accent! :-)

[@LisaBlauvelt]

You have retold my daughter's bedtime (she is an adult now) story so very well and with more detail than I could remember. Though, I ended the story with the statement that during WWII British forces made a point of not damaging the abbey. Then, I would end the story with the statement that the king received the most respect in his death by the people he had conquered.

[@tonyk1584]

As a historian, you are excellent. I would suggest that you stay out the interior decorating field. Unless, of course, using bones as fireplace ornaments is a fashion in Ireland of which I am totally unaware. Good stuff though : > )

[@HistoryCalling]

Haha, no. We don't really go in for that thankfully :-)

[@simon112]

There is no way of knowing if the femur bone is William's, chances are it is not, yet another grusome tale to the list, thank you HC as always. 😊

[@susanlett9632]

I haven't watched yet. Just started. DNA test would prove it if you tested it against some of his descendants

[@kkryie]

@@susanlett9632 Since William lived a thousand years ago, the majority of people with European descent can trace back their ancestry to him. So it is not quite helpful even if we compare it with his most senior bloodline today

[@caramia4143]

The highlight of my Fridays (besides pay day lol). Can't wait to see what next Friday's video is going to be!

[@HistoryCalling]

OH WOW! THANK YOU SO MUCH CARA MIA for such an incredibly kind donation. It's something Tudory on Friday. No dead bodies, promise :-)

[@woodenbeast9337]

Very good story and always well done delivery. Parts of the story did Stink, I also keep hearing that old song Dry Bones The toe bone connected to the heel bone,The heel bone connected to the foot bone,The foot bone connected to the leg bone, etc. Even back then people in power were allowed to do whatever they wished. *-)

[@hannahb5411]

Thanks for doing this video! William is my 30th Great Grandfather through my father's maternal side and i've always struggled to find enough information about him. I knew his body 'exploded' after death but i didn't know about all the desecrations! Very sad tale indeed. I don't think the thigh bone is his unfortunately as too many stories of him being desecrated. Would be wonderful to know where his body actually ended up. It's a shame really as i would love to have gone to his grave. Really informative video! I hope you'll do more on William and his family ❤️

[@COBO2]

I wonder what happened to the rest of his remains. People are so weird I don’t know why some people would steal bodies 😂

[@PrincessQ-fj9ly]

Some people are just sick. At least that's what my mom says when it comes to things like this. And I share her opinion. The fact that we humans are capable of desecrating and destroying the remains of our fellow humans is sickening. 🤢

[@beastieber5028]

Good morning to history calling

[@JohnTLyon]

I think we should all remember that Willaim the First's moniker was "the Conqueror." He led a foreign force to British shores and took the land by force. I don't believe the native people and the deposed King had any love for Willy. I feel certain that the native Brythons would do all they could to desecrate his corpse.

[@allewis4008]

William was a vile butcher who made the English second class citizens in their own nation to the Norman French.

[@catherinenewman6516]

Harold was not merely deposed but killed in the battle of Hastings which took place not at Hastings but a smaller place csll edd, bsttl

[@markadams7597]

Great review, Ty. I can hear Harold Godwinson, and all the other Saxon rulers, cheering and laughing at "the conqueror" (from wherever monarchs go for death)! "Dead famous", nicely done!!

[@jamesmackey2120]

Hi HC, thanks for another brilliant video and opening these events up to us. A pleasure to watch this again tonight. 👍🏻

[@HistoryCalling]

Thanks James. It's always fun to go medieval for a little while :-)

[@csh43166]

Thank you for another interesting, albeit gruesome, tale. So much disrespect! I agree - the chain of evidence is so shaky here, and so far removed, it's hard to say if it's really William's femur in the tomb. I admit, I'd be (pleasantly) surprised if it actually is. On a bit of a lighter note, I keep thinking about all those poor people around when the corpse exploded. That must be a truly horrific thing to witness - a horrible assault to the senses. Ewwww...

[@stuffedninja1337]

Video: “I hope you’re not eating.” Me: * continues making dinner *

[@susanlett9632]

I'm in the drive thru waiting for my Arby's. I'm a home health aide. It takes a lot to make me sick! 😆

[@triciaphillips4271]

You had me at bursting bowels 😍

[@HistoryCalling]

Yeah, that usually gets people's attention (as I'm sure it did on the day of the funeral too!)

[@Bus_Driver_Jay]

So damn strange to think that such a fate fell upon one of englands most famous/infamous kings. The tomb being raided is why many famous ancients didn’t want a big tomb. Cao Cao, of Romance of the Three Kingdoms fame, is a good example. His so , Cao Pi, built one against his wishes then realised he was forever having to have it guarded, so had the building removed stone by stone. As for the bone, it’s damn hard to call. It certainty wouldn’t shock me to find out it’s true. It’s probably in a loft somewhere in England. 😂

[@titanscerw]

My lady historian, dear, just had to pause (even after binge listening to several of your exposes here) and run check the channel info as for the source of your beautiful accent. It is absolutely lovely and it gives such human dimension and personal flair to your oratory work. God bless! :) Also couldnt help but comment on that :)

[@lisaganje7894]

Thanks!

[@HistoryCalling]

THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE DONATION LISA. I hope you found the story of William's gruesome end interesting :-)

[@terryroots5023]

Thanks for the warning. My wife found me retching, 'History Calling?', green faced nod from me. But seriously, the trade in femurs and other relics must have led to false attributions galore. It's not William's.

[@chrisbanks6659]

So about 400 years in the past from a Tudor perspective. Excellent. Something I know very little about - Harold at Senlac and all that!! I shall watch later and, as ever, thanks for the Friday post. Nearly as regular as 5pm Crackerjack (if you're old enough you'll remember it 🤓)

[@HistoryCalling]

I'm not I'm afraid. Sorry! Hope you enjoy the video though.

[@chrisbanks6659]

@@HistoryCalling Crackerjack - a British children's television series which was initially aired on the BBC Television Service between 14 September 1955 and 21 December 1984 (with no series in 1971). The series was a variety show featuring comedy sketches, singers and quizzes, broadcast live with an audience.

[@HistoryCalling]

Ah, I see. No, I'm afraid I wasn't around for that. I don't really remember any TV before the 90s (not to give away my age or anything!)

[@elisabethhopson5639]

@@chrisbanks6659 I always wanted to win those covetted colouring pencils. Never did. Never forgotten. Totally scarred for life! It's Friday, it's five to five and it's Crackerjack! Hey ho. 😁

[@chrisbanks6659]

@@elisabethhopson5639 Me neither re the pencils. BUT - I do have a Blue Peter badge from Peter Purves!! 😂

[@crysblac4944]

One of the reasons I subscribed is the breathtaking footage of the castles and what's inside . I almost feel like Im there, just incredible. Such a silent and strong witness of so many generations of activities nd the lives therin. Thank you

[@johnslaughter5475]

The story of William's corpse is a tragic comedy of errors. Half the time I want to laugh and the rest I want to cry. I always thought that the peoples of that time had a reasonably high regard for the dead. They buried them respectfully. But, when it comes to royalty, the exact opposite seems to be true. As for his femur, I just don't know. If you believe in the theory of alternate universes created by each and every decision point, I'd love to visit the one where Harold defeated William the Bastard. Even that would have a couple universes created, one in which William survived the Battle of Hastings and another in which he was killed. I would be interested in just how England would have evolved without the Normans.

[@nancyhammons3594]

William is my 28th Great Grandfather on my father's maternal side, so I've done as much research that I could do on line. William's mother was Herleva de Falaise, in the Find A Grave Memorial is the name Herluin de Conteville, her second husband. Perhaps this is the man who "claimed" the body. Thank you for this story.

[@maureentweedly]

Moi Aussi....so we are really distant cousins. Also, this makes you a descendant of Charlemagne. Great story!

[@donnamcnicol5247]

I'm a descendant as well from both parent's lines. I hadn't heard about all this but I admit I haven't put a lot of research in as of yet. I find all of this very interesting. I also have a DNA match to him but now I'm wondering if they got that DNA from that bone but I can't seem to find how they have it. Very interesting and thank you for talking about it.

[@areiaaphrodite]

Mine too. I'm his descendant of William's through Edward I (Longshanks) of England 😊

[@areiaaphrodite]

@@maureentweedly Apparently so am I lol

[@maureentweedly]

@@areiaaphrodite Me too. There are thousands of descendants but not all have a link.

[@naomiskilling1093]

I feel like the funeral should have the Benny Hill theme playing over the top of it, as probably disrespectful as that sounds. It was just an absolute shambles. Man is arguably one of the most influential figures in English history and yet his death and afterlife was awful. I think tho that perhaps Katherine Parr may be slightly worse in that regard but I'd say William was a very close second place. At least William wasn't beheaded with a spade.

[@HistoryCalling]

That's true about the spade. Poor CP 😥

[@EmoBearRights]

@@HistoryCalling Still at least it didn't happen while she was alive - that made her luckier than two of Henry's queen.

[@MissMentats]

Now that’s a funeral that would have been worthy of televising 😂

[@lfgifu296]

Oh Lord this tale!😭 though ngl I dislike William so IF it is true, well deserved 👀 ok jk ofc no one deserves disrespect like this, but I maintain that he was not much to my taste

[@HistoryCalling]

Yup. People kept asking for it, so I decided to acquiesce. Enjoy :-)

[@savagedarksider2147]

I have A question: which wedding night was worse in your opinion: Ferdinand the seventh wedding night to his third wife or King George the fourth wedding night ?

[@HistoryCalling]

Oh no comment I'm afraid. I don't know anything about Ferdinand VII. As for George - it depends which wedding night you're talking about. He had that other marriage to Mrs Fitzherbert after all.

[@d0lph1n63]

@@HistoryCalling I believe he’s referring to George’s wedding to Caroline of Brunswick

[@HistoryCalling]

Oh I know. I'm just teasing. I'm sure he and wife no. 1 got along famously :-)

[@savagedarksider2147]

@@HistoryCalling Well, at least George wife didn't use the bathroom on herself while, you know.

[@Ellen24493]

What a clusterfuck of a funeral.

[@gospelaccordingtojohn8959]

I wonder why Henry VIII wasn’t involved with the exhumation in 1522, since Henry was the descendant of William the Conqueror.

[@redemptivepete]

There's no way of deciding whether the femur is what remains of William beyond hoping it is! Along with Catharine Parr a very good argument for cremation rather than burial. Don't even want my ashes collecting even though I hope and believe it will make no difference to 'me!'

[@HistoryCalling]

Yes, it's a wonder more royals aren't cremated actually. I think Princess Margaret was, but she's the only one I can think of.

[@redemptivepete]

There's a memorial marker for Princess Margaret at St Georges Chapel Windsor though if I remember correctly? For my part I would want nothing at all on Buddhist lines. Still discussing this with my wife because, of course, all this is as much for the living than the deceased!

[@PrincessQ-fj9ly]

​@@HistoryCalling Maybe cremation wasn't possible during the medieval times. Or maybe they thought that by burning the body, you'd be condemning the late monarch's soul to hell. Who knows? 乁⁠(⁠ ⁠•⁠_⁠•⁠ ⁠)⁠ㄏ

[@BarbosaUral]

What???? 1:58...the monk on the far left is Mr. Bean! Or Tony Robinson on a bad day...lol.

[@Nana-vi4rd]

I'm confused, you said that William had been embalmed if that is the case it would not have explored. Because even back then they would have drained the body of all fluids. Maybe when they attempted to force the body into the coffin it split opened but having no fluid in it there would not have been any horrid smell.

[@annabasnatural]

The quickness at which they got out the incense and candles has the exact energy of my mum and dad when they dont have time to take the bin out before company arrives 😂

[@sallyspencer5624]

The first skeleton shown had a pelvis that looked like that of a female, the 2nd skeleton looked like a male pelvis. I look forward to History Calling each week and enjoy your presentations.

[@TheTesemeau]

Thank you, your scholarship is impeccable and your delivery immaculate.

[@dfuher968]

5:24 I wouldnt call William French. He was Norman, directly descended from the Danish Viking Rollo, who about 150 years b4 the conquest conquered, what became Normandy (named after the Normans aka the Men from the North) and became the first Duke of Normandy. According to some chronicles Danish was still spoken in the streets of Caen at the time of the Norman Conquest. So yeah, he and his men spoke Norman French and technically came from, what is now France. But ethnically? I would argue not really French.

[@MadMatTom7769]

Rather obvious that it was about culture, not genes.

[@WayneMoore-ui8pm]

No way to verify or deny it.

[@2004082]

I’m guessing he’s under a car park somewhere…. I’m not even making a joke considering we found Richard III under one and it’s alleged that Henry I is under one 🤣

[@susanlett9632]

He was saving the space!!😂😅

[@GrumpyMeow-Meow]

Why did I look at this thumbnail and at first glance, think it was The Beatles?

[@sweptashore]

I'm always keen for a tale of an exploding corpse. History does seem, uhhhhh, littered with them.

[@HistoryCalling]

Yup, the downside of not having modern embalming techniques or refrigerators yet I guess.

[@sweptashore]

I never thought I'd feel nostalgic for evisceration, sere cloth, and a lead coffin, but 😱

[@annmoore6678]

This is another fascinating video, meticulously researched and presented with your usual dry wit! It really is impossible to tell whether the femur is that of William the Conqueror or a later substitution. I suppose a DNA study could be done, but since the present royal family has been reluctant to allow that for the (possible) bones of Edward V and his brother which are now located in that urn in Westminster Abbey, I doubt they'd allow anyone to go taking samples from what's left of either of William's sons who ruled after him, and I don't know whether any of his many other children's remains are accessible. So I won't speculate further. I'm sure one of your other fans will decide to point up something I've missed with this comment, as simple as I've tried to make it, but that's all part of the fun, so please keep bringing us these fascinating historical tidbits!

[@ruthannemackinnon588]

Re onset of putrefaction after death has much to do with severity illness. An relatively healthy body with sudden death will be much slower than one with chronic illness that dies a slow death by infection for instance. With advanced protracted illness in fact decomposition can begin before the heart stops.

[@lindasadler6338]

I bet you never thought you might have a “Dead Bodies Playlist”??😂 Love your channel!

[@DiddlyPenguin]

The poor king. I’m sure that if the bone is his it’s a miracle, thrown around &’robbed several times. Not the way to treat a nobleman of his importance. But as been shown more than once. Bodies are unimportant & getting the jewels from his tomb is far more important. It’s sad really that he was treated like this.

[@sarahkoch7694]

I have to say, I'm not a fan of the gory episodes, but many are and it's so smart to offer the wide variety of subject matter that you do. Your so-pleasant voice and well-phrased scripts make it a lot easier to take! Speaking for myself, should you want to offer more episodes like those about the Amber Room or about crown jewels, or the exploration of characters like Robin Hood, et al., that'd be terrific, too. Thanks for what you do!

[@BrunoDeMarques]

I’d like to know how this could have happened? No wife or children by his side (or in the next room)? No extensive funerary/parade honors? Is there a reason or are nobles and servants at the time such savages?

[@MadMatTom7769]

His wife died before him, obvious. As for being savages, i think that's just germanic blood lol

[@SurferJoe1]

Nobody does exploding corpses like History Calling!

[@tinygrim]

You could say anything grotesque and it would sound good. Or maybe its that your voice is so beautiful, its a bit awkward ... like 😮😅🤭 WHY ??? 😊 Love that thank you. And always, great videos.

[@michellebruce5092]

Hi, how are you? I'm doing well. Awesome live video I enjoyed it can't wait to see more soon. Have a great day greetings from Canada 😀

[@HistoryCalling]

Hi Michelle. I'm not doing too bad. Have a lovely day over in Canada :-)

[@CaptRobertApril]

I'd consider it a minor miracle that the femur can even be definitely said to be human.

[@itsjustme7487]

I know little about William I as an American. Do you have plans to make videos about his reign? Or possibly could you suggest any books that I might seek out?

[@allewis4008]

Any youtube video on "William the Conquerer" should help

[@itsjustme7487]

@@allewis4008 Thank you. 😊

[@denyseleonard240]

I recently saw a « Who do you think you are » I think it was of Courtney Cox in which she is said to be a direct descendant of the Conqueror. Maybe they could make a DNA match with that femur 😊 just a thought. 💁🏼‍♀️

[@HistoryCalling]

I don't think they could tell at this distance (even assuming DNA could be recovered), but if they were prepared to dig up a much closer relative of his, you never know! :-)

[@michaelball93]

@@HistoryCalling DNA could be collected from inside the bone in theory but you would need to match it with DNA from the remains of one of his children. Henry I is missing (as you mentioned in another video) and William Rufus's bones are allegedly scattered around a group of mortuary chests at Winchester Cathedral (worth a video in itself) but the tomb of his eldest son Robert Curthose still exists at Gloucester Cathedral and is a possibility for further study if researchers ever wanted to seriously try and identify the bone.

[@bauhnguefyische667]

I thought the channel thumb nail looked like the Beatles. Anybody else?

[@susanlett9632]

😮😅😂 YES!!!! Me too!

[@carlabraenne3469]

Thanks for doing a video about my 30th great Grandfather...lol

[@stephenhoward2245]

I'm getting cremated.. just in case Sir Tony Robinson shows.up. What happened to rest in peace? Rest in pieces...

[@chrismc410]

Check out Henry VIII's explosion. Personally, i think he wanted to torment, troll and punish his subjects and daughter severely one last time, hence he made himself explode from wherever he ended up

[@konstantinavalentina3850]

I wonder if the original stone sarcofogus that william was supposedly too "big" for remains, or perhaps enough pieces what might inform us more properly with better provenance of this figure's height than the thigh bone? Much of his resting place was destroyed as described, if the stone casket were below ground, it may have not suffered as much interference. The interior volume could then be given some measure. Perhaps this can be done with ground radar data? Maybe there is a local academic PHd of History you may know you could ask and propose this to? Using GPR data is non-destructive, so getting permission for an updated scan may offer some answer?

[@chrisbanks6659]

Thank you. I claim total ignorance on this and had no idea about all the mullarkey regarding Guillaume Le Conquerant! Sounds like he had an afterlife journey to make the Pharaohs of old envious.

[@Moebian73]

Jolly gruesome! Nothing about intestines coming out of a body acting like a snake dancing to the music of a pied piper, but jolly gruesome nontheless. lol Hey wait a minute, are you saying a 5 foot 6 inch bloke can't be a conqueror? I'm 5 foot 6 inches, I can rule my tool shed just fine. lol

[@raumaanking]

Hi history calling if Mary queen of Scots had became queen of England in 1603 and avoid being killed then would the town in Virginia that was called Jamestown in 1607 when John smith and his sailors went to America better known as Pocahontas story when the sailors came to Virginia if Mary queen of Scots was alive in 1607 then would that town be called Marytown instead of Jamestown that the men lived and kidnapped Pocahontas

[@HistoryCalling]

Oh, I don't know I'm afraid. I've never been very good with the 'what ifs' of history. There are just too many variables.

[@od1452]

Wow ! One , well .... I , would expect such a famous king .. even in the field, would be surrounded by loyal retainers who would treat his body with respect. and see to a proper burial. .... Although I have read of many desecrations of famous peoples graves and bodies that often happen in times of chaos like the French Revolution etc. I can understand the poor or thieves thinking they could find treasure in the grave as a reasonable motivation to dig them up... but it seems that all people would know of this possibility and long ceased to bury anything of value with a loved ones body ... But in my experience people's morbid curiosity or meanness is not to be underestimated. I wonder if Harold was chuckling up his sleeve from his grave.... ( I don't know what happened to his body.) William ruled when Might made Right..but I confess I am stunned to hear he had no close Number 2 who would insure his body was treated with dignity . Is this a reflection of what people really thought of their Warrior King? Thanks Doc for another visit into history's fun morbid past. lol. ..... Let me warm up my tea.

[@Nixijokenzi]

Do you have other videos about how royalty began in England before 1066?

[@dilly1863]

It may be possible today to do tests on bones claimed to be from the King's corps, through DNA. Descendants being from our Royals as a comparison group.

[@nancyM1313]

🧡🤗thanks

[@HistoryCalling]

You're very welcome :-)

[@ns-wz1mx]

i’m torn here, but i gotta say i feel like it is a fake. perhaps they gave him a description of being so large, to create a sort of “great”idea of him? either way i loved this vid HC, excellent work!

[@ernestgrouns8710]

I'd hate to see the photo from that "photo finish" of who was the most desecrated. Yikes! :). Fantastic video to an always phenomenal channel!!

[@katherinecooper6159]

If possible DNA could identify who the thigh belonged to, but I doubt this could be accomplished

[@pammienakh]

Would carbon dating be possible? Or DNA if there is a verifiable descendant? Nice vid.

[@lionhawk555]

I was always told that he earned the name "conqueror" for the earlier conquest of Maine.

[@zulu7441]

Your a very clever young lady. Excellent history. UK veteran

[@areiaaphrodite]

"I'm William the Conqueror, my enemies stood no chance. They call me the first English King, although I come from France 🇫🇷 1066, the Domesday book, I gave to history; So fat on death my body burst, but enough about me!" - William the Conqueror (Horrible Histories) 😏 (First thing that popped into my head when I saw this video 😅)

[@AK-dw8jo]

Can I be honest? I fear dying on the bog with my trousers down but once I am dead, I won’t really care about my body whatsoever

[@Yeoman1346]

This was really interesting. Thank you. This part of English history is so very fascinating to me. This and the White ship disaster are the least talked about by historians. At least as a Yank any history of this kind is hard to find. Let me say again, Thank you.

[@therealhellkitty5388]

Charles Spencer has written a book about the White Ship. Haven’t read it yet but it would be interesting to hear what he said.

[@lisaharner3720]

Ick! And double that! But well done at the same time. No chance that is his femur. 😖

[@ninavongunten122]

Who was William the Conqueror's wife, and where is she buried?

[@sheilabloom6735]

I doubt if the thigh bone is real after so many centuries and such destruction. It really is a wild and wooly tale but then truth is stranger than fiction,

[@plaarnold]

A great warrior living amongst treachery from birth

[@HistoryCalling]

It was certainly an eventful and very interesting life, that's for sure.

[@eliscanfield3913]

eeeeeeeeewwww. Ah well, he was beyond caring for most of that,

[@maryellencook9528]

Ahh! Plagiarism, gotta love it! I am referring to the alleged source who wrote the account of William 's demise closest to his actual death. At least William I didn't die from eating too many eels like his son, Henry I.

[@cupcakeordeath]

“Escutcheon” is “eh-skuh-chun” not “es-koo-chee-on”. It’s got the same origin as “McCutcheon”.

[@crysblac4944]

New subscriber from the Bay Area in Cali 😊 Your videyare fascinating, no doubt a lot of work and personal integrity goes into them. I don't know anything near what the group here does, but I'm loving the history, and personalities, and just how brave people were in such awful circumstances. Enough of my run-on sentences, lol Anyways, thank you. I absolutely the fact that you do one every week! ❤🎉

[@alabamatruthseeker454]

Thank you so very much for this video. Like millions of others, I descend from William I (my 32nd ggrandfather). I knew that there had been an "explosion" of his body at his burial, but learned so much more here.

[@pheart2381]

Exploding corps,yay!!

[@kristinemiddleton7665]

Did the take any Marrow for DNA??