Demise of the Scottish Kings

by Kim Noyes
Solving Tips

Story


Throughout the history of Scotland, various men aspired to the crown, only to meet an untimely death a short time later. Since everybody knew that the king wouldn't be around long enough to seek revenge, the kings tended to earn nicknames that were hardly flattering, to say the least.

One year, five different kings (Robert, Edward, James, William, and Æthelred) assumed the throne for a period of months before joining their ancestors in the halls of dead royalty. One was attacked by dragons, one was executed by the English for "political crimes", one fell prey to a hunting accident, one was poisoned by a political enemy, and one died of the Bubonic Plague. In the short time they reigned, they earned such nicknames as the Unprepared, the Campaigner, the Brute, Pierce-Arrow, and the Inlaw.

Using the 7 clues provided, can you figure out which king held what nickname and how he met his demise?


./Labels/h_Nickname.png ./Labels/h_Demise.png
./Labels/v_the_Unprepared.png ./Labels/v_the_Campaigner.png ./Labels/v_the_Brute.png ./Labels/v_Pierce_Arrow.png ./Labels/v_the_Inlaw.png ./Labels/v_dragons.png ./Labels/v_the_English.png ./Labels/v_hunting_accident.png ./Labels/v_poisoned.png ./Labels/v_the_plague.png
./Labels/v_Given_Name.png ./Labels/h_Robert.png Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark
./Labels/h_Edward.png Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark
./Labels/h_James.png Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark
./Labels/h_William.png Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark
./Labels/h__thelred.png Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark
./Labels/v_Demise.png ./Labels/h_dragons.png Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark
./Labels/h_the_English.png Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark
./Labels/h_hunting_accident.png Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark
./Labels/h_poisoned.png Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark
./Labels/h_the_plague.png Mark Mark Mark Mark Mark
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JavaScript Grid by Scott Noyes

Clues

  1. The five kings were: Robert, James, the one known as "the Campaigner", the one killed in a hunting accident, and the one who died from the plague.
  2. Æthelred (who was not known as the Inlaw), Pierce-Arrow, and the king killed by dragons were all 3rd cousins.
  3. Neither dragons nor the English killed Edward nor the Unprepared.
  4. Pierce-Arrow was the only king to share an initial with his means of death.
  5. Æthelred was frightened as a youth by a wild boar. Consequently, he avoided the hunt at all costs.
  6. Robert the Brute was not poisoned.
  7. William's death held political reasons.



Solving Tips


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