-No history of medieval toilets is complete without reference to Erasmus von Lueg, 15th-century robber baron and lord of the Slovene Predjama castle.
He allegedly met his maker while relieving himself - having made a nuisance of himself to the Habsburgs, they laid siege to the castle to no avail -as there was a hidden passageway which let the besieged come and go more or less as they pleased.
The solution? Bribe a servant into lighting a lamp in a window when Erasmus went to the latrine prior to bed - a latrine the Habsburgs had aimed their cannon at in the daytime.
People have been assassinated while taking a shit and assassin waited below.
- King Edmund II of England, Stabbed from under a toilet seat while defecating.
- Jaromír, Duke of Bohemia, Stabbed with a spear from under a toilet seat while defecating.
- Godfrey IV, Duke of Lower Lorraine, Was assassinated while using a toilet.
- Wenceslaus III of Bohemia, Murdered with a spear while sitting in the garderobe.
- Uesugi Kenshin, Allegedly assassinated while using a toilet.
"it is also speculated that he was victim of one of the most famous ninja assassinations, by a ninja concealed in the cesspool beneath the latrine at Kenshin's camp with a short spear or sword."
This is the history that was explained to us on the visit to Predjama via their official audio tour. Nonetheless it's a fascinating place and a pleasure to visit [1]. Even better there is a breathtaking cave system not 10 miles away that's very accessible to the public and part of the same tourist organization. [2] One neat thing the guides were proud of is Jackie Chan's visit to the castle while filming Armour of God [3]. They also said he broke his leg while doing a stunt on one of the stone staircases, but I couldn't find any written evidence of this; instead he sustained a much more serious injury elsewhere.
-Thus 'allegedly' and 'apocryphal' - to the best of my knowledge, no reliable sources back this ever happening - but it is, you'll have to admit, a wonderful tale...
Would be quite surprised if 15th century artillery had any accuracy near that - And also if they did have such accuracy it's highly likely that the siege would have ended lot sooner.
He allegedly met his maker while relieving himself - having made a nuisance of himself to the Habsburgs, they laid siege to the castle to no avail -as there was a hidden passageway which let the besieged come and go more or less as they pleased.
The solution? Bribe a servant into lighting a lamp in a window when Erasmus went to the latrine prior to bed - a latrine the Habsburgs had aimed their cannon at in the daytime.
The rest, as they say, is (apocryphal) history.