I've spent the day reading about Henry VIII

[CatWoman]

fascinating guy.

complete asshole tho.

http://www.pbs.org/wnet/sixwives/about/index.html

His first wife, Catherine of Aragon, was the oldest daughter of Ferdinand and Isabella.

I have a book about Isabella that I'm reading now.

She was called "The Renaissance Queen".

Her second daughter, Joan (Juana the Mad) was the grandmother of King Carlos. Carlos was born severely deformed, because of inbreeding.

Back to Henry -- did I say he was a complete asshole?

He married very well with his first wife - she was educated, intelligent, strong. But he divorced her because she couldn't give him a son. She was Mary the first's mother -- "Bloody Mary" as she came to be known.

He married five other women, and one of these marriages did produce a son. But most of his wives screwed around on him. Two were beheaded because of their adultery.

Did I say he was a complete asshole?

[PartyPooper]

1. Did you ever visit Hampton Court?

He spent a lot of time there during his reign. It's a fascinating place to visit. There's a HUGE kitchen that prepared thousands of meals a day. Henry loved food! (Although athletic in his youth, Henry became quite heavy and sedentary in his later years. He even experienced great difficulty gettting on and off a horse.)

I agree, he was an *******. But, did you know that Princess Diana was a direct descendant? What a contrast, eh?

[CatWoman]

6. when he died

he had a 54 inch waist.

Thing is, he was quite slender and handsome in his youth.

[Snow]

26. The tennis court was interesting, too -

sounds like a fairly scary game - heavy, not very bouncy ball flying back & forth. Seems Henry really like tennis.

[bubblesby2002]

32. At the Tower of London

they have many of his various armours. When he was young, his armour was ordinary looking, but in his later years his armour was huge - at least two ordinary sized people could get inside. He had to be lifted by a crane-like contraption onto his horse in his later years becaue he was so fat.

[aquart]

2. Awww, he was just a romantic. Looking for love.

[Catshrink]

3. Definitely, an a#$%$# and fascinating.

I too have read a lot about him and his children, especially Elizabeth I.

Henry, in his youth, was athletic, musical (he composed), and quite learned. The people around him, primarily Cromwell, were snakes and greatly influenced his decisions.

I am grateful to him for the English Reformation. Thomas Cranmer wrote a beautiful prayer book and the Anglican liturgy is beautiful in its simplicity.

[UTUSN]

28. Ummm...an EARLIER Cromwell?

*******QUOTE*******

Henry VIII (1509-47 AD)



Oliver Cromwell
(1649-1658 AD)


http://www.britannia.com/history/monarchs/mon41.html

********UNQUOTE*******

On edit: Oh, Those are the dates of their reigns. Birth years are 1491 and 1599, respectively.

[Nevernose]

4. His wives weren't screwing around on him

Neither were they practicing witchcraft, or any of the other various excuses he came up with to fill them.

And yes, you did mention that he was a complete asshole. Good king, though.

[Catshrink]

5. Catherine Howard did

that was pretty well established. But Anne Boleyn most likely did not.

[CatWoman]

7. yep -- they both screwed around on him

it's documented -- follow my link.

[Nevernose]

18. You are right baout Catherine

But dead wrong about Anne. She was acdcused of sleeping with a dozen men, including her own brother; she was charges and convicted with the crimes of adultery, treason, and incest. There were even attempts and sworn testimony that she'd been practicing witchcraft. She was convicted, which would have indicated guilt; there was also, however, no evidence, which might seem to indicate a political motivation.

The sensationalistic accounts of Henry VIII have been floating around for centuries, but very few historians give these theories any real credence.

Oh, and I found something cool about Catherine Howard. The only concrete proof against her was a letter in her own handwriting:
Master Culpeper,
I heartily recommend me unto you, praying you to send me word how that you do. It was showed me that you was sick, the which thing troubled me very much till such time that I hear from you praying you to send me word how that you do, for I never longed so much for a thing as I do to see you and to speak with you, the which I trust shall be shortly now. That which doth comfortly me very much when I think of it, and when I think again that you shall depart from me again it makes my heart die to think what fortune I have that I cannot be always in your company. It my trust is always in you that you will be as you have promised me, and in that hope I trust upon still, praying you that you will come when my Lady Rochford is here for then I shall be best at leisure to be at your commandment, thanking you for that you have promised me to be so good unto that poor fellow my man which is one of the griefs that I do feel to depart from him for then I do know no one that I dare trust to send to you, and therefore I pray you take him to be with you that I may sometime hear from you one thing. I pray you to give me a horse for my man for I had much ado to get one and therefore I pray send me one by him and in so doing I am as I said afor, and thus I take my leave of you, trusting to see you shortly again and I would you was with me now that you might see what pain I take in writing to you.

Yours as long as life endures,
Katheryn.

One thing I had forgotten and that is to instruct my man to tarry here with me still for he says whatsomever you bid him he will do it.

[SiobhanClancy]

22. I agree about Anne...

It's hard to believe that a calculating,intelligent woman who resisted Henry's advances for YEARS(documented by their letters)would risk her position in such a reckless way. Other than testimony from Mark Smeaton(most likely tortured) and Anne's unstable sister-in-law,there was no evidence...but of course none was needed.

Here's a link about Anne:
http://tudorhistory.org/boleyn/

[CatWoman]

25. who am I to argue with Argumentus?

:hi:

[Fenris]

8. Divorce. Behead. Died. Divorce. Behead.

See kids, it took Henry 5 wives before he found Mrs. Right. So don't give up hope.

:P

[CatWoman]

9. Fenris!!!!

:hi:

:loveya:

you are so right!!

what a sorry POS.

[Fenris]

12. CatWoman!

:hi:Midori!

:loveya:

You should watch A Man For All Seasons, which is about the battle between Henry VIII and his Lord Chancellor, Sir Thomas More (later St. Thomas More), over his desire for divorce from Catherine.

He is one of the great scumbags of history. And that's what makes him fascinating.

[Catshrink]

10. Divorced, beheaded, died. Divorced, beheaded, survived.

He actually loved Jane Seymour, the one who died, the most....

[CatWoman]

11. I think he loved Catherine of Aragon

as well as Howard.

Howard made a complete fool of him -- but what was to be expected?

[Catshrink]

13. Jane gave him a son, his male heir.

Of course, he did have an illegitimate son by another woman -- it may have been Anne Boleyn's sister. Anne's sister did have Henry's child, but I can't remember whether the child was a son or daughter.

[Rowdyboy]

14. Okay, Cat

1) Catherine of Aragon: she remained faithful, even though he treated her like garbage before her natural death.

2) Anne Boleyn: I believe she remained faithful, before he had her executed.

3) Jane Seymour: Died in childbirth

4) Anne of Cleves: divorced and ignored

5) Katherine Howard: had sex with another man BEFORE she ever met Henry. Was acused of being a slut, but history is written by those who survive, so....

6) Catherine Parr: twice widowed, survived Henry barely. Clean as a whistle.

The only wife of Henry VIII who might have dared cheat on him was Katherine Howard. If you know any dirt on his other wives,...."come sit by me..."

[Catshrink]

16. Catherine Parr's second husband put the moves on the young

Princess Elizabeth. He was obsessed with her.

[CatWoman]

17. Boleyn screwed around on him

[Rowdyboy]

19. As a history major, I take that assertion as a direct challenge...

To the best of my knowledge, Anne Boleyn was "Virgin pure". It'll be fun to find out who's right....Steve

[CatWoman]

20. I bow to your knowledge, oh great one

:D

[NashVegas]

15. A Complete Asshole Who Broke the RC Church's Chokehold

on policy-making. Ya gotta give him that.

[Zomby Woof]

21. keep in mind when reading about Henry VIII

Is don't lose your head.

[NicoleM]

23. I don't know if it's true but

I read somewhere that he used to make his mistresses give birth lying flat on their backs on a table so he could watch. Does anybody know what the story is on that?

[Rowdyboy]

24. Here's are sites proclaiming Anne Boleyn's innocence of adultery

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anne_Boleyn

http://members.lycos.co.uk/tudorcourt/anneboleyn/fall.html

http://tudorhistory.org/boleyn/


Possibly, her stillborn child was born deformed which in those days was considered proof of illicit sex.

[Avonrepus]

27. Who's your favourite Henry?

THere were 8 of them, my personal favorite is Henry V for his success in France and he was the first truly English king who spoke English as his first language. Had a rubbish Harry from Dumb and Dumber haircut though.

Plus Henry I actually wanted his daughter Matilda to become queen, a kind of equality, 1130s style.

[Rowdyboy]

29. Henry II is by far my favorite

He's the one "The Lion in Winter" is based on. Married to Eleanor of Aquitaine, the richest, most beautiful woman of her time, father to the evil John (Magna Carta fame) and Richard the Lionhearted.

He was a scheming, ruthless,conniving bastard-a credit to the monarchy!

[SiobhanClancy]

30. A bastard for sure...

among his other accomplishments,he was the first English monarch to give his attentions to Ireland.

[NashVegas]

31. He Really Was Brilliant

Shame about the kids, though. And that locking-the-wife-in-the-tower thing, dunno 'bout that.