I'm glad we live in times where you're free to express a differing theory of "Henry's Head" without fear of losing yours! My two cents isn't based on proof, just experience. My ex-husband suffered a serious concussion on our first year as newlyweds. After a week in hospital, all seemed well. About ten years later, gradual but alarming personality changes occurred. He went from mild mannered, open-minded, and friendly, to having frequent, irrational anger, withdrawing from family & friends, left a good job... later discovered he'd had two previous, serious concussions. This doesn't prove anything in Henry's case, but just thought it would be interesting to add. (My ex is alive & stable. We all did our best. Life moves on.) Your cat is adorable! Please include (him? her?) in future videos!

I laughed when the cat got all up in the Camera! Give the kitty some pets for us! So cute.

as a person with multiple head injuries I have had reason to learn about the subject. Though he may not have been knocked out for two hours on this occasion, I think that Henry probably had suffered a number of concussions over the years. One thing that makes head injuries so serious is that once one has had one head injury, subsequent head injuries are more serious, because the brain is increasingly compromised with each new event. And having one head injury puts one at increased risk of future head injuries. People with head injuries develop problems with impulse control and emotional inflexibility, which I think fits Henry's worsening temper and cruelty.

Great analysis of the primary sources. Watching your videos is like attending a college lecture from someone who really is an expert in their field of study. And the cat appearances are a fun bonus.

My late Grandma had a head injury way before her Grandchildren were born during a car accident. So as Mum put it, she was a completely different person "different mother."

The fact that he stopped jousting is very telling. He was a vain man and felt invulnerable I think that something had to happen that made him admit he needed to protect himself. Something happen that scared him enough to give up something he loved to do. I have no idea whether it caused brain injury but I believe that Henry was injured very much or his behavior would not have changed.

I agree with you. Henry was awful before and continued. I don't think he got worse, the accident just made him realize he needed a male heir urgently. I really think you need to write a series on Ann Boleyn and bring it to the BBC and PBS here in the USA. I've learned more with you than all the documentaries I've seen. Even the top experts quote Henry as having a serious accident and having a personality change. You're the first you pointed out the various stories, which leads me to believe Henry was just Henry.

I love your videos. I am American and have had a fascination with the Tudor’s since childhood. My Mom was a big fan. I have been seeing all the reports from American medical journals and articles about the head injuries that can be sustained either through American football, English soccer etc. It could be possible that Henry had multiple concussions but not just at the time of the jousting accident. The change in personality could have developed incrementally over time one accident after another. Also I think being King can breed a kind of megalomania not helped by multiple injuries. These were probably sustained throughout his early and later athletic career as all the sources make a big point out of what a great athlete he was. Cumulated trauma can damage your pre frontal lobes and cortex. Emotional instability and poor impulse control results in erratic behavior.Paranoia is a frequent symptom that results from multiple head injuries. Just a thought, thanks again. Charlotte Nugent, LCSW ps. As a psychotherapist I see this frequently. We call it complex cumulative trauma. Not easy to treat,

Wonder if Henry could have suffered from a stroke --either a full blown or a mini one? Had a friend who had a mini stroke and she could not speak for almost 2 hrs.but by the next day she was up and going.but after that she kind of withdrew from being out in public.big change for her.a stroke can change a person's personality too.

HELLO CLAIR..........I think he was unconscious for a time . because , upon anne's hearing of henry's misadventure , was so distressed , she miscarried . I also think , henry suffered brain trauma as a result of all the multiple injuries , he incurred over time . but I'll say this , henry had to be a tough guy to have survived . I also think henry , was having a problem of " getting on in life " , that he was no longer , the young steed he once was . and as a result took chances , he should not have . some of his deeds were for the benefit of the ladies , do you suppose..........you nailed it , when you said he could have suffered injuries that contact sports athletes' suffer with today , he acted like it............BINGO..............

I found you be happy accident!!!! I love British history, being American, my dream is to visit the historical places in Britain someday. Keep up the fab work😃😃😃😃😃😃

I always had a problem with people blaming everything on a head injury because of exactly what you outlined: He never seemed to be a particularly nice person. His behaviour just seemed to follow a pretty stable trajectory of being selfish and authoritarian.

I love the music to introduce this video!! Really lovely. I also agree with your opinion that Henry's basic personality was pretty consistent throughout his life. Even early on Thomas Moore was quoted as saying Henry would trade Sir Thomas' head for a castle in France and Wolsey declared that he would trade half his kingdom rather than sacrifice his will and pleasure didn't they? As for the fall from the horse at that tournament. I think we can assume it was potentially pretty serious if it gave Anne a panic, but she was his wife. The other thing the occurs to me regarding that "two hours without speaking" may have been the response of a middle aged man feeling bruised, sore, and realizing he didn't bounce back now like he did in his earlier years. I think he hit that moment of "oh my God, I really am over 40 now." He may have simply not gotten back on his horse to continue the joust, and sat apart, somewhat physically and emotionally stunned and saying very little to anyone. He didn't like his wife making a fuss, he was angry and embarrassed and had a bit of the sulks. So there was a grain of truth in the not talking for two hours, but he was not dramatically injured. And certainly anything injuries sustained prior to that time could have been coming back to haunt him a bit. PS I love your pets in these videos! Kitty cat cameos welcome!

I just stumbled across your channel a few days ago and I can't stop watching your videos. I love them. I feel like I'm back in college, and completely nerding out with my professor.

I agree with you. It is my belief that he did not suffer a brain injury. The accident reminded him of the how critical it was for him to have a male heir in order to secure his reign as well as maintain the stability of his realm. His father took the crown through conquest, not through inheritance. The Plantagenet line had been eliminated. Henry's death without an heir would be the end of the Tudor era and without an obvious choice to replace him, it would have thrown the country into civil war. I think the accident made him realize that he needed to place his own happiness as a man aside and make the security of the country his priority. I think either Anne's physician implied her miscarriage damaged her reproductive organs, preventing her from carrying another child, or if her miscarriage brought back the memory of the many miscarriages Catherine had suffered. Henry was 44 years old and no longer had the luxury of time to produce an male heir. Even if Anne had delivered the boy she was carrying, Henry would have been in his 60's when the boy came of age. He was under tremendous pressure.

I agree with you completely. A third-hand account from another country vs. two very different account from people who were ‘local’....well, I would likely put more faith in those that were in London at the time, than someone who wasn’t even there. This is media spin Tudor-style! Some things just don’t change. Very interesting! 😃

I personnally think he was a monster already, as you said the way he treated Katherine of Aragon and his own daughter way before this accident corroborate the idea that whatever the gravity of the accident might have been, it cannot be taken as an excuse for his behaviour.

I totally agree with Claire’s analysis. Well before his jousting accident we also have Sir Thomas More’s comment about Henry’s favour and Henry’s personality- to the effect of, “If my head should gain him a castle in France it would not fail to go.“ More knew his man.

I love the way you explain all of this and back it up perfectly 🧡 I love Tudor history and I'm so glad i found your channel! You are amazing

How am I only finding you now??!! I love your videos! I'm hooked! Please keep them coming. 💖 Sending love from Canada. 🇨🇦

Even today the initial reports are not always accurate. So it may be that the first reports were that he was seriously hurt but he only had minor injuries. I agree this may have just reinforced his obsession to have a son.

So very glad I stumbled on your wonderful videos. I am now hooked! Always looking out in the hope of seeing your lovely cat saying hello to. 😊

I am so happy with your talent for research, you look at the minutiae of all the sources and present all the information for our perusal!

Thank you for sorting through those accounts and making some sense of them.

Your video just keeping getting better. Love this series . Thank you

I am so glad you are challenging the theory he got worse with time. I totally agree. He was fascinating, but oh so horrible. And yet I can’t stop reading and watching books and programs about him. (Mostly to hear about Anne and Elizabeth I.) Loved this edition so much.

You do a great job with these videos. They are so professionally done.

People who have slight concussions often sleep for a while afterwards. Maybe that is what "didn't speak" meant.

This are wonderful videos. So intriguing. Love the detail and all the different angles that can be taken from the different sources. It can really put one back in time for just a bit. Fascinating but very scary time to be alive back then, whether it be life threatening illnesses, accusations of heresy, or being in the wrong place at the wrong time and even the wrong person in the way of a King who seemingly became extremely unstable to say the least.

Very compelling and well-researched with strong counterpoints. Thank you for your work, Claire!

I ordered The Fall & On This Day! I can't wait for them to arrive. I look forward to spending time with you each evening.

New subscriber from Arizona USA, your vlogs are so interesting. I love the tutor times.

So glad to have found your videos please keep them going x you work so hard and go into every fact so carefully x have got your books and love them x agree that " the other Boleyn Girl" will mislead anyone who has not read the facts thanks Claire

As always, great talk, Claire ! I have often said that Henry was a monster before the (supposed) jousting accident.

Gosh so fascinating! Food for thought indeed.. love your videos and your sweet cat too 🌸

Omg! I was so into the story and here comes a cute fur ball scaring me nearly out of my seat lol. Gotta love cats

Thank you for a very informative video. I'm an American with a BA in English History (Medieval & Tudor, primarily) and still very much enjoy reading or viewing such rich sources of information. I must admit, your little cat was also charming. Thank you so much!!!

This video is salutary reminder never to take at face value what you hear. It's interesting that there appears to have been no actual surviving eye-witness accounts. Rumours can spread like wild fire, yet the truth so often remains hidden...

It is cold here in Nebraska, USA. I love your videos and find myself binge watching and drinking hot tea in this freezing weather.

I just recently discovered your channel..I look forward to each history lesson..Thank you! 🇺🇸

I like that this video is loud enough. So many KZfaq sites are virtually inaudible.

Believe I have seen a documentary that suggested Henry had festering wounds on his legs making mobility difficult. He continued to eat the rich diet he ate when he was a sportsman. Could diabetes be the problem?

Have only recently discovered your channel but have been interested in Tudor history since the 1970s-thanks in part to PBS costume dramas. Your analysis makes good sense of the many conflicting accounts. Sincerely, Lynne from Santa Cruz

You make very valid points. I agree with you. Thank you for edifying my brain. Love Tudor history.

Happy new year Claire!

Very interesting to listen to original sources on the matter. Thank you.

Head injuries without loss of consciousness can still cause a brain injury which might not show symptoms immediately. Even a small injury can cause damage which only shows up later with age, diet, etc. The chronic leg wound that he suffered in later life could with chronic infection could also have caused mental health problems or changes in personality. As you highlighted in the video multiple mild head injuries could cause problems later in life. We cannot really know as medical knowledge then was based on humours and other theories of the time. I, like you, do not think it was this trauma caused significant brain injury at the time but may have contributed to brain deterioration along with other injuries and a very rich diet and growing in size over the years.

Thank you for the response to my comment. I believe like you, that this is a man who got everything he wanted and was never told NO. This must have made him think there was nothing he wasn't entitled to and nothing he couldn't have. A fantastically huge EGO. I so enjoy your expertise on this period. My ancestors came from Scotland/England in the 1600's so this is a great interest to me.

As a survivor of PS signs, mild narcolepsy, and side effects from narcolepsy, also have slight injury 2 left

What I really like is your bringing up the timing of some of Henry's atrocities occurred before these accidents, so that it proves Henry was a monster before his supposed brain injuries. You would have made a great lawyer!

Outstanding Discussion, Thank You!✨ I Agree with you!!

I just discovered your channel and love it. Very interesting indeed. There is a great documentation on KZfaq called inside Henry the 8th body. They do a lot of research about his accidents and illnesses and come to the conclusion that Henry the 8th must have been in terrible pain after the accident and that caused his irrational behavior. No painkillers in those days and chronic pain can make you crazy and irritable.

I'm really enjoying your videos! It's great to listen to while working on my dollhouse. :)

Many historians say that observers reported a big personality change after the accident.

Hey Claire you are already a friend of mine as you're sooo Inspirational to me in your incredible knowledge of the tudors.. As far as the jousting accident no-one can possibly say what really drove this man to such horrors but he must of had a tiny bit of conscience when it came to Anne's execution because of course he ordered the sword to be used instead Of the usual axe..Why that was only he knows but I believe her death was sooo much quicker and cleaner in that regard... I have subscribed and look forward to ordering the first book from my local library Paula aged 64 in Sussex..

He was already a monster before 1536.

A very careful and thorough examination of the actual sources - bravo! It would be lovely to have such a pat answer to why Henry let the love of his life for whom he had sacrificed so much to be destroyed, but the evidence we have simply does not support it. It's possible that the cumulative injuries of Henry's sporting life had an effect on his brain (American footballers often show this cumulative effect long after they have retired) and it is possible such effects could change one's personality; however, as Claire astutely points out we have plenty examples of Henry's cruelties pre-1536 and there is no dramatic change after this particular accident. It would actually be easier to argue such a change after the 1524 joust than the 1536 one, and that this injury and possible brain damage led to Henry's dramatic break with Catherine than the 1536 injury led to his break with Anne.

I have just discovered your channel and it is indeed refreshing to see someone research and share different ideas than what is usually in a straightforward documentary. I would like to ask a question about Henry's armor's helmet, i think it amounts to wearing an oversized tin can and the fall might have just scrambled his brain, his brain might have already been scrambled, who knows. I enjoyed this episode very much.

Just found this channel...looks like I am going to buy some books today!

As a person who has personal experience with living with a person who is a malignant narcissist, Henry VIII seems to be very narcissistic..

I remember watching a program on the history channel. about H8. It spoke of his joust and the condition of his armor due to the weight of his horse falling in top of him. King or not that is a wake up call it’s no wonder Henry was obsessed with an heir.

Thank you for the series. Aren't there any records or statements from the attending or any of Henry's physicians?

I don’t think that serious injury, whether it was as serious as described by P.O. or not, would justify or excuse HVIII’s behavior or cruelty. I do, however, have a difficult time wrapping my head around the idea that a jousting accident at his age and size at the time could be absolutely benign. When the height of the fall, weight of the horse and armor, velocity and impact are taken into consideration, it just doesn’t make sense to me.

I'd love to meet you and have a full on discussions about the Tudor period! Do you ever do meet and greets? Or book signings x

What a wonderful video, Claire! Thank you. I didn't know about the different accounts, and I didn't know the different circumstances that can help us to assign weight to each. Question: isn't this jousting accident the incident that caused Henry's ulcerated leg which plagued him for the rest of his life and helped Catherine Parr stay in his good graces through her nursing skills? Or am I all muddled in fictional accounts? I know he had serious leg issues later, but I always thought it started here.

You are so thorough in your research and I fully agree with you about his personality not really changing but getting more abusive from his premorbid personality. I think coming from a medical background that diet and alcohol intake were also factors. large amounts of fatty foods, and alcohol which may have damaged his liver and other major organs.He also suffered from gout which can cause blood toxicity from high lactic acid levels. those factors also cause people to have exacerbations of their personality including increased irritability, paranoia, and impulsive behaviour of which dear Henry was known for. there is a documentary about Henry's modern day autopsy based on his habits which I find interesting. I will search for it and send the link. thank you for this episode. it was so interesting. Caren D. x

No central heating Ms.Claire , but surely you have heard of thermal underwear ? Also , if the house is over 300 years old , it must definitely have a fireplace which could be run on logs of wood .

Fall on the side that Henry was unconscious, and Anne's fright was not trivial. She, being perfectly familiar with jousting, and the consequences of falling under a running horse ( large and fully armored), the impact of his own bodily largesse and heavy armour would have made it highly improbable that a serious injury was not the inevitable outcome. Then, either she was there or her aides were, and the consequences for alarming her unnecessarily and possibly harming the unborn child was far beyond any cautioned news of the King's condition. He would have exacted a royal punishment on anyone that had falsely reported or placed his unborn child in jeopardy. It is unreasonable to think that Henry just got up and brushed himself off after the horse fell on him. All accounts state that Anne was frightened. If Henry had arose quickly or appeared not to be seriously injured while being assisted by his attendants, then this would have been obvious and confirmed instantly. Cheers would have gone up by the spectators in emotional relief. No need for emotional trauma to Anne or to anyone who would report to her. There is no mention that the tournament continued on with or without him. Letters about this incident could be read by others, and portraying the King in a compromised or bad light was treasonous for his subjects. Better to dismiss the injury as trivial than cast weakness or injury upon the person of the King to his people or foreign powers.

Really enjoying your series on Anne Boleyn, ever thought of having a go at Bess of Hardwick? Now there is a character who was much more interesting, four times married, rich and powerful, close friend of Elizabeth 1st and my particular heroine.

I use this as my alone time everyday. I enjoy it so much! The car scared me at first! Lol!!! But it's a beautiful cat!

I'll be honest; all these decades I've simply accepted the premise that the accident did do brain damage and changed Henry in many ways. Some documentaries have just accepted it as a given. Now you have provided alternative accounts that make me wonder if indeed what has been taken as Gospel proof needs to be questioned further and actually looked at from a different perspective. Your excellent analysis of Henry's personality-explaining how there actually was no "drastic change" from before and after the accident-is something I've never considered. To summarize, I believe you have made an intelligent argument that, whatever had happened on that day, it had no actual effect on his basic character. Well done.

You brought up some very interesting points. I tend to agree with your theory.

And I really enjoy your videos as I am a big British history buff of the high Middle Ages. The Plantagenets are fascinating.

I agree with you. I think he just got away with so much it just made him bolder to do anything he saw fit to obtain his dishes

A 300 year old house! The walls look very thick. I didn’t think it ever really got cold in Spain. Interesting. Another great video. Thank you!

I have a question... Did Henry viii morun for Anne Boleyn at all or did he miss her at all?

I agree with you, way too much has been made of the incident because there is no eyewitness record of a period of unconsciousness or injury. As you say, Henry had already showed signs of increasing brutality; in addition to your examples, there is his treatment of Wolsey.

I wonder where the Tudor’s as a show got their hunting accident information with no evidence. I’d always believed through reading he fell not only in jousting but also once out hunting, the joust being the more serious, the former being what shook him up into realizing he wasn’t invincible. Perhaps the show got that from the poem although I swear I have that hunting event down in my library. Thanks so much for these videos xx

It's also possible that he was knocked out, but for a short amount of time, say 30 seconds or something, and it was short enough that onlookers wouldn't have noticed it. The effects of a brain injury are also so widely varied that seemingly slight injuries can have huge effects while seemingly serious injuries can have little effect. It's possible that he was injured in such a way that even though he seemed fine at the time it had huge lasting effects. I also agree that he probably had several injuries before this incident that all compounded to alter his personality. There's also his chronic leg injury that added to this. Having grown up with 2 parents with chronic injuries and seeing how it has affected their behaviors, it would not be surprising that the pain of his leg injury would make him short-tempered. You could also add in the increasing pressure to have a male heir, so if you consider all of these things, plus any political issues he was having, they could have culminated in his monstrous behavior.

Hello from Phoenix, Arizona USA Maybe Henry suffered from. " CTE " Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy - a degenerative brain disease believed to to be brought on by head trauma.. Love your videos thank you very much !

Thanks, Claire. This was actually news to me as I had previously only heard the story about serious injury due to the fall. I agree with you about Henry. He was always a spoiled, selfish man, with borderline personality disorder in that if anyone opposed him in any way, they were then dead to him (quite often literally!) I think that Anne was frightened by a being given an account that exaggerated his injuries, perhaps by someone who intended to cause her distress, even though Henry was not actually that badly hurt as you pointed out.

King Henry VIII, I believe was a Narcissist, with other personality disorders. Thank you for your videos, I love history & historical facts. 🤗🌹💖✌

Wow. Thank you. You would think people would do the same due diligence before going on TV with a particular point of view.

Everything just came out more, his behaviour was always there.

I love too follow you and I am leaning so very much from you so thank you so much for that.

I can't help but agree with you, Claire. I think it is possible that he was conked on the noggin hard enough to knock him senseless for awhile, but I feel it's entirely probable that the whole incident was inflated, just like the game of 'Operator', or 'Telephone', that you mentioned. Also - and I am not a gynecologist - but I have always felt that Anne's miscarriage would have happened even if Henry's fall had not taken place. It is my personal opinion that poor Anne and those who supported her may have grasped, literally for dear life, onto the story that she was so diswrought over Henry's possible demise that she lost the baby. Perhaps that was fortunate timing, for her, if there is such a thing. I am no scholar, but I am a die-hard 'Tudorphile' living in Arizona, USA, and I have always cheered so passionately for Anne. Wouldn't it just be so amazing to go back in time and have all of these questions put to rest? But then, what would we read? What would we talk about? LOL.

Interesting that the king's own physicians left no record of attending him after his accident. While apparently they did leave records of his leg lesions and other maladies.

I absolutely agree with you.Too many sources state the opposite.Just wondering though had he been thought in a serious enough condition who would the succession gone to?Elizabeth,Mary,Fitzroy?As I know there was some talk of making Fitzroy legitimate.

(Suzie) Love your videos. Question....I have read that Henry had a bad injury to his leg that never healed quite right and was awfully nasty in his later years. Did that injury happen during this jousting accident or at another time?

I absolutely adore your pets!

Coming from a medically oriented family, having lifelong interest as well as some training and experience, I agree with you. Not seeing any sudden changes in Henry that could be attributed to either of his jousting accidents. Traumatic Brain Injuries do cause behavioral changes, but they do it abruptly at the time of injury. Henry was a king, and that brings motivations and attitudes that likely account for his personality issues. What I really wonder is what enables all the wives and mistresses involved with him to think they will be safe...especially after the mound of executions.

I have thought that Henry was somewhat volatile at that time. Angrily answering Anne that she should be content, as her betters were, and he wouldn’t give her all the things she had, if he were to do it again. (Paraphrasing). He had begun to sour a bit that Anne hadn’t fulfilled her promise to give him a son. Still, the passionate love was still there. He seemed jolly after his fall. He must have sustained many falls during his active sporting life. I don’t believe he was unconscious for two hours. That would indicate a concussion that was very serious. Perhaps requiring hospitalization in today’s time.

The problem is that his behaviour could fall in line with impulse control due to repeated head injuries... or it could fall in line with a king who hated having his control undermined, especially since negative behaviour tends to escalate when allowed to continue unchecked.

I think the doctors back then did more damage than anything else. He was a sport's man. Damage could of been from anything really!!! Good vlog!!!❤❤❤

If you are an active person, you are likely to sustain injuries. Only the people of the time really know.

If Henry was going in and out of consciousness as we know it, and was moaning or showing pain, and yet unable to speak or answer, it could have been very disturbing to Anne to witness this I think.

I actually knew someone who was quite mild mannered but after a head injury became sharp tongued and abrasive at times after only briefly being unconscious.

Just wondering why there would be no medical account? Weren't medical logs kept by the king's physician? Thanks. Really enjoying your videos

His own personality could have just been progressively getting worse and his injuries could have just exacerbated his own worse traits. No one ever told him no! . He formed history to fit his whims

There should be a roaring fire in a nearby fireplace then.