2. King Harthacnut Drank Himself To Death
While King Harthacnut, who ruled England for two years before his untimely death, was not the groom at the wedding, he did become one of the most memorable guests. King Harthacnut, whose name means “tough knot” ruled from 1040-1042. He was at a wedding for Tovi the Proud and Gytha in 1042 when he was asked to make the toast for the couple. In typical fashion, King Harthacnut rose to give the salute, however, he was not able to finish his speech.
Like all the other guests, King Harthacnut had been drinking. And when he rose to give the toast, he started speaking, but then he suddenly fell to the floor and started convulsing. Of course, the guests who were closest to him reportedly ran to help him; unfortunately, King Harthacnut would never speak a word again. No one knows if the king died at that moment of if he died later. It is also not unclear if the king really drank himself to death or if he was poisoned. Nevertheless, with how the story goes, many people believed he was murdered.
