I always crack up when Patrick Swayze breaks out in song in the movie Ghost, singing “Henry VIII, I am, I am.”
Second verse. Same as the first.
When it comes to the real Henry VIII, we all picture the fat king, sucking on an oversized turkey leg, yelling “Off with her head.”
But, there was more to him than that. First, I should say, it was on this day, January 28, 1547, when Henry’s 9-year-old son, Edward VI, succeeded Henry VIII as King of England. Henry died and left it all up to Edward. Henry’s death resulted from overall poor health. He had become quite obese, but he also had suffered a leg wound from a jousting accident which had become ulcerated. Mostly, I feel sorry for his horse.
But while he was alive, Henry VIII was one of the most interesting figures in the history of the English monarchy. His reign had become one of “absolute power.” He was an Autocrat, and his ruling methods brought about great tumult. A big, big bully.
Of course, Henry is famed for his role in the Reformation. He wanted a marital annulment, and so he created his own church to grant him such — the Church of England.
And then there was his succession of wives: Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, and Catherine Parr. We will never forget him for that. Six times over, we won’t forget.
But none of this would have happened if it wasn’t for Arthur. You see, Henry wasn’t expected to take the throne. His older brother Arthur was set to be king and marry Catherine of Aragon in 1502. But just four months later, 15-year-old Arthur died of a mysterious illness. So that left Henry. He took the crown in 1509 at the age of 17. I’m not sure why there was a seven-year lapse in time.
Here’s another little-known fact. He wasn’t a big fatty guy his whole life. Not for most of it, really. Later in life, he bulged up to nearly 400 pounds. But before his physical decline, Henry had an athletic build. Heck, the guy was 6’4”.
They have taken armor measurements from his heavy metal. When he was a young man, those measurements revealed a waist measurement of 34 to 36 inches. But things got wide. His final set of armor needed some extra blacksmithing. His waist expanded to about 58 to 60 inches late in his life.
What’s more, he was a bit of a hypochondriac. His paranoia about illness caused him to go to great lengths to avoid contracting the sweating sickness and the plague. I think I would too. But Henry would frequently spend weeks in isolation because of this.
He had talents, though. An avid bowler. And on the creative side, Henry was a talented composer of music. It was his great passion, and the king could jam. He was an experienced player of various keyboard, string, and wind instruments. He wrote a lot of music too. There has been a long-standing rumor that he wrote the song Greensleeves. Not so. The song was born in Italy.
So, a glimpse at Henry. I worry about his son, though, taking the throne at only nine years old. And for good reason. Edward VI only lasted six years after putting on the crown. Some say he was poisoned. Others say it was lung disease. Either way, it proved to be too much for a young boy.
It proved to be too much. This is a good reminder for all of us concerning what we expect of ourselves. Of others. And of our children. They say we are never given more than we can handle. I disagree. This notion has fallen millions of times throughout history. Sometimes, too much is too much. We must do what we can to take care of ourselves — deciding what we can and can’t handle. And from there, we may grow.
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“If I cease searching, then, woe is me, I am lost. That is how I look at it – keep going, keep going come what may.”
― Vincent van Gogh, The Letters of Vincent van Gogh
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“I believe one has to escape oneself to discover oneself.”
― Rabih Alameddine, I, The Divine: A Novel in First Chapters
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“What we find changes who we become.”
― Peter Morville
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Henry’s armor grew. So might ours.
