Henry VIII: From 'Handsomest' Monarch to Pop Culture Icon

As a young man, Henry embodied the Renaissance princely ideal. He was smart and athletic; he moved mentally and physically.

Henry was also reportedly quite good-looking.The ambassador from Venice recordedthis in 1515:

His Majesty is the handsomest potentate I ever saw. He was taller than usual, with a very fine calf on his leg. His complexion was fair and bright. He had auburn hair combed straight and short, French style. His throat was long and thick.

One of Henry VIII's diplomatic wins as a young man involved easing tensions with France in 1520. Henry met French King Francis I at the Field of the Cloth of Gold. There, politics and fun happened equally.Field of the Cloth of GoldThe conference in Calais involved politics and merry-making.

Henry's competitive nature and athleticism took over. He challenged Francis to a wrestling match.He challenged Francis to a wrestling match.The fight became intense. The French king broke his nose.He broke his nose..

Francis won.He won the match.

Henry VIII liked to stay active during his youth, from hunting to jousting. His activity spirit was strong.Sebastian Giustiniani,an ambassador from Venice.He noted.the king hunted so hard he "never took that diversion without tiring eight or 10 horses."

Henry's athleticism impressed people. Watching the 28-year-old king play tennis in 1519, GiustinianHe marveled., "It was the prettiest thing in the world to see him play; his fair skin glowed through a shirt of the finest texture."

Dancing was a key way Henry stayed fit and active.Henry stayed fit and active.Henry danced. He did this often.he presided over a courtwhere music and dancing were respected.

Henry enjoyed dancing; he appeared skilled. Paulo da Laude, an ambassador from Milan, saw the young king "He leaps like a stag." while dancing. Dancing well was another way Henry performedHenry performed the role.He played a strong, refined royal.

Tennis (an indoor sport called "Real Tennis" to separate it from modern lawn tennis) becamea popular sportamong the early modern aristocracy and royalty across western Europe. Henry VIII liked it too. His palace at Hampton Court hadHe played on a tennis court.

Playing sports carried risks. In 1527, the 36-year-old kingHe injured his foot.while playing tennis. The injury slowed him down for about a month.

Henry generally felt good health as a young man. But, like many early modern Europeans, hecontracted smallpox.The 23-year-old royal recovered.

A few years later, he caught malaria because he lived nearHe faced marshy areas.in England. He could not shake the malaria and likely facedrepeated episodesHe faced the disease.

As England's ruler, Henry accessed some of the kingdom's richest, most costly food. Court feasts featured meats,from venison to eel.

Henry liked rich, meat-heavy food even on fast days. On a fast day in 1526, he ate lobster, seal, crabs, and custard.Henry ate lobster, seal, crabs, and custard.He ate these among other savory and sweet treats.

Henry's diet lacked balance by modern standards; about 80% of his food intake was meat and other proteins.He consumed 80% of his food.His food intake consisted of meat and other proteins.

Henry's eating habits eventually led to gout.This resulted in gout., which added to his poor health later on.

Jousting was a deadly sport. In 1559, French King Henri II perished from wounds.Henry perished from wounds.He received these wounds in a jousting tournament. Jousting did not end Henry VIII's life, but it may have caused his physical and mental decline.

In 1524, he took a blow to the head.He suffered a blow to the head.This happened during a joust. Many changes affecting Henry, including his personality and body, occurred right after 1536, the same year he had another serious jousting accident thatThis rendered him unconscious.He remained unconscious for a few hours.

Yale researcher Dr. Arash Salardini suggests Henry's jousting accidents caused a traumatic brain injury.This caused a traumatic brain injury.The brain injury could have caused his personality shift.This could have caused hispersonality shift.He is said to have responded bylater in life, as Henry grew more paranoid, ruthless, angry, and tyrannical.

The physical injuries Henry sustained may have caused his sedentary lifestyle and weight gain.

When Henry was born in 1491, his horoscope suggested he would be a sickly prince.his horoscope suggestedThough generally healthy, Henry obsessed over his physical well-being and feared getting sick.constantly afraid of getting sick..

When the fatal sweating sickness struck his court in 1528, Henry responded.He is said to have responded byrunning away.He ran away.He even ran from it. He left Anne Boleyn, his soon-to-be-bride, to fend for herself when she contracted it.He left Anne Boleyn.his soon-to-be-bride - to fend for herself when she contracted it.

Popular memory shows Henry VIII as a fat, jovial king. As a young man, Henry VIII was fit and active. In 1514, at age 23, his waist was 35 inches.His waist was 35 inches..

By age 48, however, his waistline increased to 54.5 inches.His waist reached 54.5 inches., and he weighedHe weighedjust under400 pounds.400 pounds.

In his final years, Henry VIII likely felt considerable pain. He suffered from varicose ulcers.He suffered from varicose ulcers., due tohigh blood pressure and injuries.. The ulcers were extremely painful, which may have made him perpetually sour. His mental state became fragile, and he was paranoid, angry, and depressed.His mental state became fragile., and he was paranoid, angry, and depressed.

The painful ulcers may have caused him to eat and drink more while lowering his activity.He needed to eat and drink more, while cutting down on activity.

Henry's eating habits, including meat and alcohol, likely put him at risk for Type II diabetes.He faced a risk for Type II diabetes.. Since he was overweight in his final years, his risk for the disease was even higher.

Diabetics often have slow wound healing. Henry VIII did too. In his last years, he had painful leg ulcers that would not heal.This may be a symptomMany speculate Henry experienced Type II diabetes.

Researchers Catrina Banks Whitley and Kyra Kramer.believeHenry VIII may have had McLeod syndrome, a genetic disorder.

Henry struggled to have children; many wives had miscarriages. McLeod syndrome offers an explanation.This offers a medical explanationHis genes could have caused his pregnant wives to miscarry.

McLeod syndrome explains more than his trouble producing an heir. The disorder also causesmuscle weakness and behavioral changes.These two things account for Henry's late-life changes. Symptoms of the disorder usually show upnear age 40..