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Think You Know the Facts About King Henry VIII? Think Again.
Debunking four myths about England’s most famous monarch
There have been many famous kings and queens throughout history, but probably none more famous than England’s King Henry VIII. He has been the subject of countless biographies, documentaries, films, and even a wacky 1960s song by Herman’s Hermits. He was a giant in his own lifetime and has remained so for nearly 500 years. Yet what we remember about Henry Tudor, from a historical perspective at least, is mostly wrong. Let’s correct that by debunking a few of the myths about him; both Henry and history deserve to be remembered correctly.
1. Henry was fat. This is how everyone remembers him, and it is true that toward the end of his life Henry put on a lot of weight. A lot. He ultimately had to be lowered onto his horse using straps. At the time of his death, he had a 53-inch chest and a 52-inch waist.
This was due mainly to his greatly reduced physical activity (with no reduction in his 5,000 calorie a day diet), advancing age, and a fall from his horse during a 1536 jousting tournament in which his horse fell on top of him. He was unconscious for several hours and his leg was severely injured, so much so that two years later an ulcer on that leg became infected and nearly killed him. He was largely…
