[MR] Death of Henry II of France

[Garth Groff]

Noble friends,

Today is the anniversary of the accidental wounding and subsequent death 
of Henry II of France in 1559. He was speared through the eye by a 
fragment of broken lance while jousting against Gabriel de Lorges, Comte 
de Montgomery: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel,_comte_de_Montgomery 
and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_II_of_France . Henry II finally 
died ten agonizing days later, after absolving Montgomery of any 
wrong-doing.

I find Montgomery a fascinating figure. For one thing, he was commander 
of Henry's /*Garde Écossaise*/  or Scots Guards, who were among the 
French kings' most trusted servants. By this time, the Guarde was no 
longer commanded by Scots, though sons of Scottish nobles and burgesses 
were still rotating through service there to polish their diplomatic 
credentials and their French.

Aren't y'all glad we have such strong safety rules for our combat sports?

Kind regards,


Lord Mungo Napier, That Crazy Scot