This King's Final Hours SHOCKED Medieval Europe

It's 1327, and the English crown is in turmoil. King Edward II has been imprisoned, and on the night of September 21 is murdered in a particularly horrifying manner. Or was he? Did he escape and instead live out his life in exile? The details surrounding this controversial King's death remain uncertain, making it one of history's enduring mysteries.

If there’s one thing most historians agree on, it’s that Edward II was one of medieval England’s least capable rulers. He is chiefly remembered for squandering his father, Edward I’s, military gains in Scotland , and alienating his wife and barons by promoting personal favourites to positions of power.

But how did Edward die? We know that Queen Isabella’s patience with her husband snapped in 1326, and that she invaded England with her lover, Roger Mortimer, who were living in exile in France. Edward was forced to abdicate and was then imprisoned at Berkeley Castle, where the official record states he was murdered (with, as legend would have it, the assistance of a red-hot poker).