Henry VIII, eh? What a bastard.

(345 Posts)
TunipTheVegemal Mon 24-Sep-12 20:52:53




ParrotTulip Mon 24-Sep-12 20:58:57

He was a murderous pyschopatch even by the standards of the time.

TunipTheVegemal Mon 24-Sep-12 20:59:39

but you weren't allowed to say so because he was the king so it would be treason....

AllPastYears Mon 24-Sep-12 21:01:03

I re-watched A Man for All Seasons the other day - made me feel unexpectedly sad, even though I knew the ending already! Totally vindictive.

TunipTheVegemal Mon 24-Sep-12 21:03:36

Oh, Thomas More sigh

NellyJob Mon 24-Sep-12 21:04:02

oooh Henry VIII what a great guy! Love him <3
and Jonathan Rhys Meyers! blush

HokeyCokeyPigInAPokey Mon 24-Sep-12 21:05:46

History club, I had no idea there was a history club!!

Marking place to see what you all get up to!!

FWIW although a vile murderous bastard he must have had serious mental health issues. Marrying his brothers wife, killing AB, must have been all taken a toll. I think he's fascinating.

<hopes she hasn't totally missed the point of history club>

TunipTheVegemal Mon 24-Sep-12 21:09:26

<shakes head sadly at NellyJob>
There's always one.

GoingforGoingforGOLD Mon 24-Sep-12 21:13:10

Will I get kicked out of history club if I base my entire knowledge of Henry Viii on what I read in wolf hall?

I bloody love the Tudors. Me and DH got all involved in the tv series and I managed to organise about three school trips to the Tower. Gushed about it loads, eventually went with DH and they'd taken all Henry's part if the exhibition away for cleaning. How DH sulked!

And can I please be in the club? grin

Chubfuddler Mon 24-Sep-12 21:15:21

Really evil man. Psychotic.

NellyJob Mon 24-Sep-12 21:17:27

the Tudors are a fascinating lot indeed...I wonder how historically accurate the tv series was, I loved it, it really brought history to life. Was the Anglican faith actually based on Henry's desire for a blowjob from AB?

TunipTheVegemal Mon 24-Sep-12 21:19:16

Of course you can be in the club. Have a goblet of Malmsey wine

TunipTheVegemal Mon 24-Sep-12 21:19:39

or a hot posset if you prefer brew

TunipTheVegemal Mon 24-Sep-12 21:21:26

well reading about the Pilgrimage of Grace, one of the things I came across was that when they talked about 'destroying' an aristocratic family in the 16th c they meant through attainder (so they would lose all their property and titles) whereas the tv series presented this as if Henry had all of them even the kids killed.

Herrena Mon 24-Sep-12 21:23:30

The tv series was surprisingly accurate - various little comments in the spanish ambassador's letters (what his name?!) were faithfully portrayed. Shame they merged Henry's 2 sisters into 1 though!

He was definitely guilty of having a god complex. I think he married his brother's ex-wife because he was a young romantic kid at the time and his dad treated her like crap - not sure that was due to bastardliness. His later actions, OTOH....

anniewoo Mon 24-Sep-12 21:23:51

Always amazes me that the Royal Family had a law that you could not become King or Queen if you marry a Catholic cos the split from Rome only came about cos Henry V111 didn't get his way re divorce from Catherine of Aragon. Or am i being too simplistic?

That's, erm, evocative as an OP!

I love Man for All Seasons, too, so I do not feel happy about Henry.

But a bit of me wants to explore the idea that there he was, training to be a Catholic priest, reading masses of theology and obviously not being particularly bad at it ... and suddenly his brother is dead and he's pushed into the limelight.

I wonder if he really wanted it?

I am not 'excusing' him, obviously, just thinking what sort of person he might have started off as.

Because I do get the impression (maybe wrongly?) that he didn't actually have a terribly high sex drive - or not as high as you'd think from six marriages. I wonder if he couldn't have made a better priest than a king.

(Posset does just make me think of baby sick. Hippocras?)

The TV series writes out the minor matter of the supperating ulcer, doesn't it?


Mind you, Jonathan Rhys-Meyers ... mmm ....

SomebodySaveMe Mon 24-Sep-12 21:27:06

If Henry VIII and his crimes happened today then we would be shaking out heads at the people who had failed him.

He wasn't supposed to be king, inherited the throne at 18 and had nobody around him prepared to stand up to him. It wasn't until the Boleyn whore that things got nasty (unless I'm overlooking something crucial) and it can be argued that very little of what went on was Henry's doing.

NellyBluth Mon 24-Sep-12 21:29:34

Will I get booted off the thread if I point out that, if you view Henry's actions in the wider context of the recently ended Wars of the Roses and his father's struggle to exercise authority over the country, his need for a true and unquestionable heir is really quite understandable... blush

Mmm, no, I think we can argue he was pretty nasty before.

I am feeling an unaccustomed rush of protectiveness for poor Anne Boleyn after that description!

ICutMyFootOnOccamsRazor Mon 24-Sep-12 21:32:38

Is there any evidence to back up the idea that he actually was psychotic due to syphillis?

Chubfuddler Mon 24-Sep-12 21:32:51

Boleyn whore? Wash your mouth out.

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