The Personality and Health of King Henry VIII (1491–1547)

Abstract

The projection of Henry VIII in the first half of his reign, which began in 1509, is of a magnificent and accomplished ‘imperial prince’, the possessor of superb physical health. In 1528, when aged 37, he showed a marked change in personality due, it is here argued, to depressive illness, from which he recovered by the mid-1530s. Such ill health has not been recognized previously and it engenders a need for a reassessment of his character and actions during these years of illness. He did not suffer from syphilis and the well-known leg ulcers were less incapacitating than has been described in the past. This truly enormous and overweight man was 55 years old when he died in 1547 in chronic heart failure.