[MR] Death of Henry VIII

[Garth Groff and Sally Sanford]

Noble Friends,

Henry VIII died on this date in 1547. You can bet manys nobles breathed
sighs of relief as they felt their still-intact necks. One was certainly
Thomas Howard, 3rd Duke of Norfolk, who was condemned to the block for
treason in covering up his son's usurpation of royal arms (a serious
offense, since it reflected a claim to the throne). Norfolk was given
clemency by the Council upon Henry's demise, though he stayed in prison and
forfeited all his lands.

Henry was a giant of a man in several ways, and the physical aspect of that
phrase was likely a major factor in his death. His last suit of armor would
have fitted a man with a waist of up to 60 inches, suggesting Henry weighed
at least 300 pounds, possibly nearing 400 near the end. It took four men to
lift the king in his chair.

There are many theories about his health, including diabetes, scurvy,
growth hormone deficiency, McLeod's syndrome, and syphilis (the latter now
generally dismissed as unlikely). One important cause was the jousting
injury he suffered circa 1536, which left him with an ulcerating wound on
his leg that never healed. Blunt force trauma from the accident might have
also led to a neuroendocrine caused-obesity, and could explain his
late-life mood swings. The last straw was likely congestive heart failure.
In any case, at the age of 55 the very unhealthy king was dead as a
doornail, to use the Dickensian idiom.

Some other interesting facts about Henry's demise are at
http://www.sixwives.info/death-of-henry-viii.htm

Yours Aye,

Mungo Napier, Laird of Mallard Lodge  🦆