7. King Henry II's Heart Is Buried At A Convent In Edinburgh... While His Body Is At Fontevrault Abbey In France
One of the most successful kings in the history of the British monarchy, King Henry II ruled on the throne of England between December 19, 1154 and July 6, 1189. Constantly the subject of various rebellions from his children throughout his reign, the final one came from his son Richard the Lionheart (latterly King Richard I) in 1188 and 1189, during which time Henry II was suffering from a bleeding ulcer that would prove fatal. After Richard and King Philip II of France launched a surprise attack on Henry II, the English King originally set course for the safety of Normandy before turning against the advice of his officials to head back south towards Anjou. However, extremely hot weather forced Henry into bed with a fever at the castle in Chinon - with the King learning the heart-breaking news that his favourite son Stephen had joined forces with Richard while on his deathbed. Despite wanting to be buried at Grandmont Abbey in the Limousin, the hot weather forced his officials to instead inter Henry II at Fontevraud Abbey in Anjou. Bizarrely the French tried to smash into the coffin in 1793 but could only find Henry II's heart - which was then preserved in a leaden case. Bought by a museum in Orléans, it was then entrusted to the care of Scottish Catholic bishop James Gillis in 1857 who then asked for it to be moved to Westminster Abbey - but British Prime Minister Lord Palmerston refused his request. Strangely, instead, it ended up in a new chapel that was being built at St Margaret's convent, Whitehouse Loan, Edinburgh. It remains in that crypt to this day.
First Posted On:
24th Mar 2015
