A quiz question · hard
How did King Henry VI survive the 1184 floor collapse at Erfurt that dropped his assembled nobles into the cesspit below?
The masonry niche held while two timber floors failed. Around 60 nobles died, most drowned in the latrine beneath the building.
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The Erfurt Latrine Disaster of 1184, When the Floor Gave Way Beneath an Assembly of Nobles In July 1184 King Henry VI convened an assembly at Erfurt to settle a feud. The packed upper floor collapsed, dropping dozens of nobles through the storey below and into the cesspit beneath the building. Around 60 died, most drowned in the latrine. The king survived by sitting in a stone window alcove.
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