#kinghenryi — Public Fediverse posts

The King Who Was Killed By… Lampreys??

Kings are supposed to die gloriously.

Leading armies.

Defending kingdoms.

Perhaps whispering profound words before slipping peacefully into history.

King Henry I of England managed to avoid doing any of the above.

Instead, if medieval chroniclers are to be believed, he may have eaten one too many lampreys.

Now, if you’ve never encountered one, a lamprey resembles the sort of creature nature might have invented after a particularly bad day. They’re long and eel like with a circular mouth with rows of sharp teeth. in fact, they’re often described as looking a bit like a swimming nightmare. For reasons best known to medieval gourmets, they were considered a delicacy.

Henry adored them. His physicians, however, repeatedly warned him against overindulging.

By 1135 the King was in his late sixties – an impressive age for the period – and no longer in the robust health of his youth. Ignoring medical advice, Henry reportedly tucked into a hearty meal of his favorite lampreys while travelling through Normandy. A few days later, he fell violently ill.

On 1 December 1135, King Henry I died at Lyons-la-Foret.

Modern historians are not convinced the lampreys were sole-ly (sorry!) to blame. Food poisoning, dysentery, typhoid or another infectious illness are all plausible explanations, and medieval medicine wasn’t exactly renowned for accurate diagnoses, but history has stubbornly clung to the tale. After all ‘King dies of natural causes’ is easily forgotten. ‘King dies after a lamprey feast’ tends to stick around.

But Henry’s death had consequences far beyond one unfortunate dinner. With his only legitimate son already dead in the White Ship Disaster, England plunged into a bitter civil war known as The Anarchy, as rival claimants fought for the throne. Castles were besieged, loyalties shifted and the kingdom endured nearly two decades of instability.

Mad, isn’t it? One questionable seafood platter may have changed the course of English history…

Whether lampreys killed Henry or merely received the blame after the event, they remain forever linked to one of England’s most famous royal deaths.

It rather puts your Friday fish and chips into perspective, doesn’t it?