William the Conqueror, quite
fat before death, had an, er,
unseemly burial. Those with
strong stomachs, read on...
Well, after death, it seems poor William's body bloated a bit, so that he wouldn't fit in his stone coffin. So, the bishops presiding over the funeral tried to force him in. They pushed so hard on his stomach, Willy's abdominal wall burst, releasing great amounts of pus and putrid gases. A riot ensued, and the surrounding neighborhood burned.