The psychology of Henry VIII

[LIBltdProductions]

this is really helpful

[Lornicopia]

I have also considered Henry's relationship with his son FitzRoy to be a Catalyst in his almost panicked behavior towards producing a male heir.He seemed to be grooming him to be the spare in the event that he produced no legitimate male offspring.Making him the second most powerful man in England and nurturing a much closer relationship with him than any of the other children.Before his death henry was attempting to position him to be heir apparent.

[Lornicopia]

I also imagine that the dissolution of this backup plan created a major crisis accompanied by personal emotional losses that contributed to his sense of insecurity for his legacy and for the future of his nation.His behavior certainly became more radical and desperate after this loss.

[tudorguy1509]

Gregory is NOT an academic historian. Her doctorate is in literature. And she is a TERRIBLE writer. Hilary Mantel is a great writer (and her portrait of Henry in _Wolf Hall_ is the best evocation of the king yet written).

[tudorguy1509]

Gregory is NOT an academic historian. Her doctorate is in literature. And she is a TERRIBLE writer. Why isn't Hilary Mantel in this video? She is a great writer (and her portrait of Henry in _Wolf Hall_ is the best evocation of the king yet written).

[CaitlinSk]

The sound is terrible!! It too low!!

[iaingbrennan]

Just visited Hampton Court Palace last Saturday, very atmospheric experience,knowing that Henry Viii had walked those same corridors all that time ago,an enigmatic, violent,intelligent man, not a man to get too close to, like a moth flying too near to a candle flame.......

[cockspurVSOR]

Enjoyable discussions by the Historic Royal Palaces here. Came across this by accident but am glad I did. I will seek out other commentaries. I now love History and the story it weaves. Only wished I paid more attention at school. (Terrible teaching of the subject back then)

[popazz1]

I guess all anyone needed to know back then was,if you pissed off the king,either get the f*ck outa dodge pdq,or run the risk of your head being seperated from the rest of you!

[mozarttheraver123]

It just proves the guy was - only human.

- humans make mistakes.

- but other humans forgive them.

[71TattyTeddy]

Apart from the ulcer to his leg caused by the jousting accident i believe he may have had ulcerated varicose veins because looking at portraits it is clear his garters would have caused circulatory problems. Whilst we should not overlook his failings we should not allow them to overshadow the great man he was and the achievements he accomplished.

[71TattyTeddy]

I do not believe we are in a position to condemn Henry. We cannot impose our own standards of morality on a time that is so unlike our own. Henry was a man of his time and was a much loved as well as feared King. People expected their Monarch to be a mixture of Lion and Lamb. I belive much of his mood swings and violent behaviour were down to his health. He suffered possible brain injury in a jousting accident and was in excruciating pain for much of his life from his ulcerated legs.

[alanheath]

@71TattyTeddy I don't think he can have been very popular after around 1535 - the Pilgrimage of Grace was the largest popular uprising against an English monarch until the Civil War.

[fleurgi]

fucked up parents make fucked up kids (excuse my french). no wonder elizabeth didn't want a husband her father killed most of his or treated them like shit. i would hate men too if that was my father. poor girl couldn't open up to men or trust them. i would diagonse him with maligent narcissm. he has total disregard for others and killed them if they ever pissed him off. crazy and failure as a father/ husband is right

[Strefanash]

"shrewd deep and utterly selfish" is how one biographer described him.

He was also highly intellectual, which is why most actor portrayals of him are so poor; and yes he was a theologian and a composer as well as a sporting hero and "movie star"

and I believe that he was corrupted by absolute power, as the commentators here say.

a very gifted but spoiled child

[Sadie228]

It would take the greatest psychiatrist to figure out Henry VIII, lol. Interesting man for sure.

[gmaureen]

Philipa Gregory sorta hit the nail on the head... selfish, self-centered, omnipotent and a product of his time.

[hop1pop]

OMG, Elizabeth purposely set revenge against her father's wishes by remaining unmarried and in result cutting off and ending the Tutor dinasty! she is BRILLIANT!

[happybkwrm]

@hop1pop

I think it was more likely that she didn't want: A) a man taking over her reign, and B) risking her life with childbirth. She lost two stepmothers that way. She lost another stepmother to the ax.

She watched her sister degrade herself with unrequited adoration for a husband who despised her. She saw Mary Stuart lose her throne because she married the wrong man for "love".

[psychkim2009]

Personality disorder of Henry VIII, Narcissistic Personality Disorder an axis II disorder according to the DSM VI-TR

[ompenarnie]

Why is Philipa Gregory in this video? She's a fiction writer who makes shit up to sell books. She shouldn't be present in a documentary about Henry VIII's life.

[HistoricRoyalPalaces]

Whilst she may be famous for her historical fiction, Philippa Gregory is also an academic historian, having taught at several universities, earned a PhD and made numerous media appearances as a Tudor expert. We're glad to have her here!

[FlowerChild65]

@HistoricRoyalPalaces Well who would have guessed after The Other Boleyn Girl and how she characterized poor Anne. It frightens me to think of her teaching anyone.

[lilythepink123]

@ompenarnie I fully agree. Educated though she may be, she is a talent-free writer.

[happybkwrm]

@lilythepink123 I can't believe her interpretation of Elizabeth I as a weak woman who was ruled by Cecil would be taken seriously.

[lilythepink123]

@happybkwrm Exactly! And in love with Dudley though she may have been, she wouldn't have been swayed by him to the extent that Ms. Gregory described. It's really not right, turning Elizabeth into something akin to a foolish teenager. If she'd been alive today she would have sued the bejaysus out of Ms. Gregory.

[TREASUREBROWN]

@ompenarnie i agree! I wish more people understood she wrote FICTION!

[squeakybauer]

@TREASUREBROWN While she might write fiction, she writes fiction based off of research she has done about the time period. The events she writes about are ones you can look up and find out about. So in that sense she is a historian. I think anyone who has written so much about a group of people and done so much research can be called on to give an opinion. No one ever said she was the top authority on the Tudors, just that she knows what she is talking about.

[sawleo]

@squeakybauer I quite agree. The requirement to comment is a knowledge of. Indeed, beyond Philippa Gregory, there are lay people who study history and have a deep understanding and appreciation of historical figures. This notion of "experts" obscures and gives short shrift to the knowledge of others, unfortunately.