He was a giant of a man who spent his life at war, but his death was a scene of dark obsession. Edward I was so consumed by his hatred for the Scots that even as he lay dying of dysentery on the border, he issued a final, terrifying command. He ordered his son to boil his body until the flesh fell away from the bones. He wanted his skeleton carried at the head of the army so he could “witness” the final defeat of his enemies from beyond the grave. He also ordered that his heart be cut out and sent to the Holy Land with 140 knights. His son was too horrified to follow the instructions for the bones and buried him in a massive, plain black marble tomb in Westminster Abbey. But the King’s final vengeful energy remained; when his tomb was opened centuries later, his body was found perfectly preserved in a shroud of gold cloth, standing over six feet tall, with his skin still stretched tight over his skull like he was waiting for the signal to wake up and finish the war.
Interesting Fact Edward I was so tall for his time (6’2”) that he was nicknamed “Longshanks.” His height and his violent temper made him one of the most feared men in Europe, and his tomb is one of the only royal monuments in the Abbey that remains completely unadorned, reflecting his brutal, soldier-like nature.
