8. An Arrow Through The Heart Killed King William II On A Hunting Trip (1100)
Mystery still surrounds the death of King William II, who died after an arrow pierced his lung while he was out hunting in the New Forest on August 2, 1100. Some chroniclers cited that William Rufus was "shot by an arrow from one of his own men", while others even go further and name the killer as nobleman Walter Tirel, although no-one is exactly sure. Tirel is an interesting character though, because it is believed he was a keen bowman and an accurate marksman - so the likelihood of him missing by such a distance and striking the King accidentally appears extremely unlikely. Bizarrely, the King's body was left by the noblemen, who continued on the hunt, and it was instead found by a peasant. So hated was William that contemporary Church chroniclers proclaimed his death to be an "act of God". Harsh, perhaps?
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.
