Reign: Here's How the Real King Francis II Died

As the writers promised, King Francis (Toby Regbo) has died on Reign. It's a huge bummer, and not just because Francis is so damn sexy. Despite the many liberties writers have taken with Francis and Mary's storyline, showrunner Laurie McCarthy told Entertainment Weekly at the start of the season that they felt they needed to uphold some elements of truth. Historically, King Francis II does die as a teen. Unlike on the show, however, he isn't attacked in a clearing after magically being revived, nor did Mary's mother die so that he could live. Also, there was no sexy Nostradamus whispering in his mother's ear that Francis would perish. Here's what really happened.

The real Francis became the King of France at the age of 15, in the year 1559. He had always been a sickly child, and respiratory failure stunted his growth at a young age. Less than a year after his coronation, he fainted and fell very ill. He had a severe ear infection and was suffering from seizures when he died in December of 1560, though historians don't know exactly what illness caused his death. It's unclear whether Mary and Francis ever even consummated their short marriage, but they did not have any children. Coincidentally, Mary's mother died in June of that year, so Reign's storyline is partially factual. Here's what the real Francis looked like:

A little different than the Francis we're used to, right?

We miss him already — and so does the cast.