A weakened artery turned a private moment fatal
An aortic aneurysm is a bulge in the body’s largest artery, the aorta. It forms when part of the artery wall weakens and stretches outward. If that weakened section tears, blood can escape rapidly into the body, causing a sudden, life-threatening collapse.
In George II’s case, severe constipation meant straining while using the toilet. Straining can sharply increase pressure inside the chest and abdomen. The rupture was associated with that effort: a vulnerable artery gave way at the moment his body was under strain. The danger was not the constipation by itself, but the hidden weakness in the vessel.
A sudden end to a long reign
The king’s valet found him collapsed on the floor. There was no way to repair a ruptured aorta with the medicine available in 1760; even today, survival depends on getting urgent medical treatment. The episode makes clear how an apparently ordinary bodily effort can become catastrophic when it coincides with a concealed, fragile artery.
George II’s death ended his reign and brought his grandson to the throne as George III. A private medical emergency therefore also marked an immediate change in Britain’s monarchy.
