@queen.of.arts3: Did King Henry VIII’s decomposing body explode in his coffin? It’s definitely possible. On a cold dark wintery February night, whilst Henry’s coffin was housed at Syon Abbey on its way to Windsor, legend has it that there was noticed, an offensive putrid matter leaking from the King’s casket, and stray dogs wandered in to lick it up. The King had been dead since the 28th January and had died morbidly obese with septic ulcers on his legs. There was no way to refrigerate and preserve a corpse in those days, but court embalmers would have most certainly removed his internal organs and filled the cavity with sawdust, resin, and herbs to slow the decay of his body, which was then encased in lead. However, we now know that corpses can technically "explode" or rupture due to the buildup of decomposition gases, a phenomenon commonly associated with ‘exploding casket syndrome’, which is caused by gas-producing bacteria that naturally live throughout the whole body, not just in the internal organs. During the putrefaction stage, bacterias ferment sugars and break down soft tissues, they produce gases like methane and hydrogen sulfide, which can cause significant swelling and, if sealed tightly (e.g., in a mausoleum or sealed casket), can cause the coffin or body to rupture. Today, many modern metal caskets that are marketed as "protective" or "sealed" are equipped with one-way pressure release valves, colloquially called "burpers". These gaskets allow accumulating gases to "burp" out of the casket while preventing outside elements like water or soil from entering. However, while intended to prevent explosions, they are not always foolproof, especially if the pressure builds too rapidly. So could Henry VIII have decomposed so quickly that his coffin suddenly burst to release the built up gases and putrefaction liquid? The simple answer to this is, yes. In the months before his demise, Henry’s infected leg ulcers had almost certainly become septic. Septicaemia significantly accelerates decomposition. This happens because the severe, body-wide bacterial infection (sepsis) introduces a massive volume of microorganisms into the bloodstream and tissues prior to death. Following death, these multiplying pathogens rapidly consume the body from the inside out. Added to the fact that individuals with higher body fat and mass experience faster putrefaction because fat liquefies and retains heat and fluids, which accelerates the decomposition process. My conclusion is that if the legend is true, that some dogs most likely would have smelled Henry and paid him a nocturnal visit. #henryviii #story #thetudors #HistoryTime #coffin

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Monday 04 May 2026 10:25:34 GMT