
The life of King Henry I of England could be mistaken for a subplot in "Game of Thrones": He acquired the throne after bloody wars with his brothers, was as well-educated and cunning as he was harsh and ruthless, and ultimately died in a rather undignified manner: gorging himself on a quite disgusting eel-like fish that resembles nothing more than a teethed funnel with a tail.
"There is a quaint tradition that the city of Gloucester sends the Monarch a pie made out of lampreys that goes back to the Middle Ages."