Henry VIII - waste of space?

[ImJustMadAboutSaffron]

"Apart from his immaturity over religion and which way he really swung, and the total waste of lives, time and money fighting France which achieved sod all - just for starters - anyone got a good word to say for the guy?"

These are not my words neither is the subject heading, I saw it on Facebook. But was he a waste of space? I do have one good word to say for him though I'm not going to start discussing religion.

Apparently Anne was cheating on him because he had ED.

Yes. Ginger guys rock.

I believe Harry looks a bit like him.

The brain damage and huge back pain he suffered after the accident, the syphilis, the fact his body was covered with painful pus ridden ulcers leaving him on a wheel chair, having the “doctors” apply leeches to “cure him”, obese, apparently he smelled so bad nobody wanted to be near him etc… this doesn’t sound like a happy camper, let alone someone who should have been running a country.

Not really how he was portrayed in The Tudors, is it? 😂

And I have a crush on Harry.

Yeah but in the Tudors he was young Henry.

Who was by all standards, a big of a hunk. 6'2" (very tall for then), muscly, sporty, musical and well educated he was a proper catch. Even his first 15 years of marriage to Catherine of Aragon were happy enough.

It all went a bit Pete Tong in later life.

I always found it amusing that he stayed on good terms with Anne of cleeves and left her money when he died. She escaped because he didn't fancy her.
I'm with pp's on the ginger comments. I know lots of lovely ginger people.

I think it was a head injury that did the worst of it but he probably had traits of paranoia in the way most monarchs in those days did

His father was notoriously miserable, miserly and suspicious, and he got worse after he lost his wife

Its Katherine I feel sorry for, she was a great queen by all accounts, ruled in his place when was gadding about in France but she is only ever viewed as the dumped old wife who couldnt give him a son, she was more than that

You might say he was a waste of space in that our royal family is not descended from him but from his sister, what another poke in the eye for him that would be!!!

But I love Elizabeth I so not a waste ofspace in my eyes

Apparently Anne was cheating on him because he had ED.

I didn't think there was any real evidence she cheated on him? He wasn't fat when she was married to him and he managed to get her pregnant four times during their three year marriage so there's no evidence to suggest he couldn't perform.

And he did go on to have a son with Jane Seymour but ED can come and go and may well have got worse with depression and illness from the injury

I didn't think there was any real evidence she cheated on him either. She wasn't an idiot like Katherine Howard was she? She knew how dangerous it would be.

He'd already divorced Catherine of Aragon- he desperately wanted a male heir and Anne wasn't giving him one. He knew he couldn't divorce her and that executing her on trumped up charges of treason was the only way he could marry again and have a son.

Henry the eighth is a enduring legend that would be ripped apart today, yes he was apparently fit young and empathetic in his youth , but research shows the jousting acident left him in pain with a different personality, however his actions towards his many wives is still disgusting, and would not be sanctioned or allowed in this day and age, but it has to be said as a ruler he did a good ( sort of!) job . Things have changed maybe " Meghan is the new Anne Boleyn " in many ways , but maybe not . Who knows ?

If only you could pick your own jury.Not saying that I do plan to behead someone but if It so happens ,I definitely want @JenJones5 on the jury.

Meghan is the new Anne Boleyn

Oh god can we not even have a thread about Henry VIII without Meghan being mentioned?! 😂😂😂

Just popping in to leave this here: www.mumsnet.com/talk/history_club/1572449-Henry-VIII-eh-What-a-bastard

Wasn’t poor Catherine Howard a teenager when he married and then had her killed?

At least he let us have our protestant bibles fully translated to Welsh 👍🏻

What a gentleman....aye 😂 Never mind the act of the Union that imposed English Law on us, and Welsh women lost a load of rights under Welsh Law, such as the choice of who to marry and 50% of the property and money in a separation/dovorce. But nope, at least we got our Welsh Protestant Bible 😂

He wrecked quite a lot of stuff. But I think the worst thing is the fact he inadvertently pitted his daughters against one another. Imagine being a peasant and having to change your religion from Catholic to Protestant then Catholic then Protestant again, and with the length some of them reigned, you'd wake up every morning thinking, "which bloody church is it today?"

Yes, KH was about 19.

Started with great promise and it all went tits up. The jousting injury/ ? head injury and ? syphilis didn't help, but I think one of the brighter and more aggressive Plantagenet warrior monarchs of earlier centuries could have dealt with him fairly easily. Owen Tudor and Catherine of Valois have a lot to answer for, although we will keep Elizabeth I, ta.

You beat me to it.😁

I don't think he was a waste of space no. He definitely changed the face of British history. and I've got a thing for gingers

History is our precious heritage. The good and the bad. I will defend it’s right to be with my dying breath. You may wish to cancel it but you are powerless to do so. In all it’s glory and it’s shame it will endure.

I don't think she was that stupid and he was Damian Lewis Henry still at that point, not Jabba the Hutt Henry poor Catherine Howard had to contend with.