What anecdote is associated with William's funeral?

• A. He was unable to fit into his stone tomb, causing his stomach to burst as churchmen forced him in.
• B. He was buried in open air with no tomb.
• C. His tomb was stolen by rebels.
• D. His funeral was held in London.

Answer: (A)

A famous legend about William’s funeral centers on a dramatic image: as churchmen lowered him into a stone tomb, his body was said not to fit, and his stomach supposedly burst. This vivid detail is the tale most people recall when thinking of William the Conqueror’s burial, and it has persisted in medieval chronicles and folklore even though it isn’t treated as a verified fact by historians. The other scenarios—being buried openly with no tomb, a tomb stolen by rebels, or the funeral held in London—do not carry the same enduring, widely told anecdote linked to his burial. So this stomach-bursting story is the best-known anecdote associated with his funeral.