Did Henry VIII Really Have a STAIRLIFT?!

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Did Henry VIII really have a stairlift? It sounds extraordinary, but there's a historical account claiming that, towards the end of his life, Henry VIII had become so large that he couldn't manage stairs and had to be moved up and down by a mysterious device.But what exactly was this device? In this video, I'm digging into the historical evidence, from the testimony of the Duke of Norfolk's mistress, Elizabeth Holland, recorded by Edward Herbert, to Henry VIII's posthumous inventory, which describes specially made carrying chairs and includes a particularly intriguing reference to something that went “up and down”.I'll also be looking at the story of Henry being hoisted onto his horse, contemporary accounts of carrying chairs, and what the evidence can actually tell us about how Henry got around his palaces as his health declined.Was there really a Tudor stairlift? Let's follow the evidence!I've also been investigating the sources behind the stairlift story in much greater depth for my Tudor Courtier members in a special Evidence Room video, including the intriguing question of a quotation attributed to Edward Hall.And for Tudor Enthusiast members, there's a separate bonus video exploring Henry VIII's magnificent velvet carrying chairs.You can find out more about channel membership by clicking Join or going to https://www.youtube.com/@anneboleynfiles/membership#HenryVIII #TudorHistory #HistoryMysteries

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!I've spent years researching Tudor history, written books about it and made hundreds of videos. But I've been wrong about Tudor history, and I'm perfectly happy to admit it!In this video, I'm talking about why changing your mind isn't a weakness, particularly when you're researching history. Sometimes the evidence challenges things you've believed for years, and sometimes familiar stories turn out to be far less reliable than you'd thought.I'll share how my opinions about Thomas Boleyn and Jane Boleyn, Lady Rochford, have changed, why I recently had to question a famous story about Henry VIII's foul-smelling legs, and how going back to the original sources can completely change our understanding of the past.I'll also discuss a fascinating example from historian Owen Emmerson of Hever Castle, involving a miniature of Anne Boleyn, and why his thoughts on historians admitting when they're wrong really resonated with me. After all, history is an ongoing investigation. We're constantly learning, questioning and discovering new ways of interpreting the evidence. And I think that's something to celebrate!I'd love to hear your thoughts.Have you ever completely changed your mind about a Tudor figure or event? Perhaps someone you once disliked but now see differently? And has anything I've covered on this channel made you reconsider something you previously believed?Let me know in the comments!Explore more Tudor history with me - Join The Anne Boleyn Files channel memberships for exclusive bonus videos, in-depth historical investigations, primary-source research and more:https://www.youtube.com/@anneboleynfiles/membershipExplore the research and historical articles shared by Owen Emmerson and Kate McCaffrey:https://www.patreon.com/cw/OwenandKateHistoryIf you enjoy questioning Tudor myths, investigating historical mysteries and discovering the real stories behind the Tudors, please subscribe to The Anne Boleyn Files.#TudorHistory #AnneBoleyn #HenryVIII

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Could people really smell Henry VIII coming from three rooms away?You may have heard the story that Henry VIII's leg ulcers were so awful that people could smell him coming from several rooms away. It's certainly a horrible thought, isn't it?But where does this story actually come from? Who first wrote about it? Was it someone at Henry's court, one of the ambassadors, or perhaps one of his physicians?After doing all that research into Henry VIII's troublesome legs for my previous video, I decided to do a bit more digging and see if I could find the original source for this claim. And I have to admit that I've repeated this story myself in the past, without questioning where it came from!I've been looking through contemporary accounts, biographies, medical articles and Tudor surgical treatments to see what evidence there actually is. Could Henry's leg ulcers have produced such a terrible smell? What treatments might his physicians have used? And, most importantly, did anyone who knew Henry actually write about his legs smelling?In my latest video, I share what I've found, including some interesting details about Tudor medicine and where this rather unpleasant story might have come from.I'd love to know what you think, particularly if you've come across a contemporary account that I've missed!Watch my investigation into Henry VIII's leg problems: https://youtu.be/1J4mEb_tOoY

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!To celebrate 80,000 subscribers, Tim takes on my Tudor History Challenge! Play along with five rounds of Tudor trivia and tell us your score out of 45 in the comments. Did you beat Tim? Thank you for being part of The Anne Boleyn Files community. Subscribe for more Tudor history, mysteries and research.QUESTIONSRound 1: Fact or Fiction?Henry VIII banned football.Henry VIII nearly drowned after falling headfirst into a ditch.Elizabeth I restricted meat on Wednesdays because she thought it was unhealthy.Elizabeth I sentenced a man to death for writing about her marriage prospects.Mary I was England's first crowned queen.Round 2: Who Am I? (Clues)Imprisoned under Elizabeth I; secretly married Lady Katherine Grey, sister of Lady Jane Grey.Witnessed the 1572 St Bartholomew's Day Massacre; Elizabeth's ambassador to France; organised her intelligence network.A learned Cooke sister, famed for Greek and her library; married William Cecil, Lord Burghley.Claimed to be a Prince in the Tower; supported by foreign rulers; rebelled against Henry VII and was executed in 1499.Powerful under Edward VI; tried to prevent Mary succeeding; executed in August 1553.Round 3: What Happened Next?Anne Askew refused to implicate Catherine Parr's circle. What did her interrogators do?As Henry Grey, Duke of Suffolk, was about to be beheaded, what did a man in the crowd demand?What was found beneath Mary, Queen of Scots' clothing after her execution?At the Field of Cloth of Gold, Henry VIII and Francis I wrestled. What happened?What happened when Henry VIII's army met French cavalry near Thérouanne in 1513?Round 4: Who Said That?"I have the body of a weak and feeble woman, but I have the heart and stomach of a king.""Some be too stiff in their old mumpsimus, others be too busy and curious in their new sumpsimus.""I am alreadie maried to this common weale, & the faythful membres of the same."Who described a clergyman as "Sometimes the beautiful temple of God, but now the stinking and filthy kennel of Satan"?Who reportedly told his executioner, "Pluck up thy spirits, man, and be not afraid to do thine office; my neck is very short"?Round 5: The 80K ChallengeWhich of Henry VIII's wives was married to him for the shortest time?Who crowned Edward VI?Which pretender impersonated the Earl of Warwick and challenged Henry VII?Which niece of Henry VIII was imprisoned in 1536 after secretly becoming betrothed?Which Archbishop of Canterbury died on the same day as Mary I?ANSWERSR1: 1 Fact (football restricted by a 1541 law); 2 Fact (Edmund Moody rescued him); 3 Fiction (naval and fishing interests); 4 Fiction (John Stubbs lost his right hand); 5 Fact.R2: 1 Edward Seymour, Earl of Hertford; 2 Sir Francis Walsingham; 3 Mildred Cooke Cecil; 4 Perkin Warbeck; 5 John Dudley, Duke of Northumberland.R3: 1 She was racked, then burned for heresy; 2 He wanted money owed to him; 3 A little dog; 4 Francis I threw Henry; 5 The French fled (the Battle of the Spurs).R4: 1 Elizabeth I; 2 Henry VIII; 3 Mary I; 4 Lady Jane Grey; 5 Sir Thomas More.R5: 1 Anne of Cleves; 2 Thomas Cranmer; 3 Lambert Simnel; 4 Lady Margaret Douglas; 5 Cardinal Reginald Pole.#TudorHistory #Tudors #HistoryQuiz #AnneBoleyn #HenryVIII #ElizabethI

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!What was wrong with Henry VIII's legs? Was it a jousting injury, chronic ulcers, an infection, or even syphilis? And did that famous jousting accident in 1536 really cause the leg problems that plagued the Tudor king for the rest of his life? I've been digging into the contemporary accounts of Henry VIII's health, and some of the things I've discovered have made me question stories I've read, and even repeated myself, over the years! In this video, I'm looking at when Henry's leg problems actually began, what Tudor ambassadors reported about his painful sores and leg ulcers, and just how serious his condition became. In 1538, Henry was reportedly dangerously ill when one of the fistulas in his legs stopped draining, and by 1544 his legs were being described as the "worst legs in the world"! I'll also be investigating the evidence for the 1536 jousting accident, the story of Tudor surgeon Thomas Vicary supposedly curing Henry's sore leg, and the medical explanations that have been suggested, including chronic venous disease, infection and syphilis. And what about Henry's personality? Could years of chronic pain have contributed to the changes we associate with the king in his later years? As always, I'll be going back to the original Tudor sources to see what we actually know, what we can reasonably suggest, and where the evidence simply isn't there.Want to explore the evidence further? I've also been doing some extra research into Henry VIII's leg problems for my YouTube channel members, including a closer look at Thomas Vicary, the surgeon who supposedly cured Henry's sore leg, and an investigation into syphilis in Tudor England, the treatments available and what George Constantine's recommendation of guaiacum might actually tell us. Depending on your membership tier, you'll have access to these additional Evidence Room videos and other exclusive Tudor history content. Just click the Join button to explore the different levels and see what's included. And a huge thank you to everyone who's already supporting my research through channel membership! I'd love to know what you've always believed about Henry VIII's leg problems. Did you think they were caused by the 1536 jousting accident? Let me know in the comments! If you enjoy Tudor history, Henry VIII, the six wives of Henry VIII and investigating the stories behind the familiar history, do subscribe to The Anne Boleyn Files for more Tudor history videos. #HenryVIII #TudorHistory #AnneBoleyn

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Can you steal someone else's historical research? And does publishing something first mean you own the idea?I've been researching Anne Boleyn for nearly twenty years, but that doesn't mean I own her story, the historical sources I've used or the questions I've asked!I've seen quite a few accusations recently about people stealing historical ideas, theories and research, and it's got me thinking about where we actually draw the line. I've had my own work plagiarised over the years, so I know how horrible that is, but I also think we need to be careful about accusing people of stealing research simply because they've reached the same conclusion as somebody else.In this video, I'm talking about plagiarism, independent research, giving other historians credit and why I think we should be able to disagree with each other's interpretations without things getting personal. I'm also looking at the rather entertaining academic exchanges between Anne Boleyn historians Eric Ives and G. W. Bernard, and why I think being willing to change our minds is an important part of researching history.And, of course, there may be a few Tudor research rabbit holes along the way! I'd love to know what you think. Where do you draw the line between independently reaching the same conclusion and using somebody else's work? Have you ever thought you'd made an exciting historical discovery, only to find that somebody wrote about it over a hundred years ago? Do share your thoughts in the comments. If you enjoy Tudor history, going back to the original sources and questioning some of the stories we've been told, please do subscribe to The Anne Boleyn Files and join me for more Tudor history. #AnneBoleyn #TudorHistory #HistoricalResearch #History #TheAnneBoleynFiles

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!A viewer recently emailed me with some well-meaning professional advice: she found my bare arms, flushed skin and tattoos distracting from my history content, and suggested that I might consider wearing a blouse or even a turtleneck when filming.There was just one rather wonderful irony...The two visible tattoos she suggested I cover up are both connected to Anne Boleyn - and one of them seemed to provide the perfect response from nearly 500 years ago:"Ainsi sera, groigne qui groigne."Or, as I like to translate it: "Let them grumble. That's the way it's going to be."In this video, I'm exploring the fascinating history behind Anne Boleyn's defiant motto, why she had it embroidered on her servants' livery during Henry VIII's Great Matter, and its possible connection to the court of Margaret of Austria.I'm also sharing the very personal reason I had those words tattooed on me in 2021, after years of allowing online criticism to affect my confidence.And the viewer's email raised another interesting question: are women still judged differently from men when it comes to appearance and professionalism? Can bare shoulders or tattoos really distract from someone's expertise? And would we react in the same way to a male historian?I'd love to know what you think in the comments.And as for whether I'll be filming my videos in a turtleneck from now on...Ainsi sera, groigne qui groigne.Let them grumble!#AnneBoleyn #TudorHistory #Tudors #HenryVIII #History

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Did Catherine Howard really confess that she intended to have sex with Thomas Culpeper? I've seen this claim repeated in books and online, and something about it has been bothering me. So, while researching Catherine Howard for my recent event, I decided to go down this particular Tudor rabbit hole and look at the records from 1541 and 1542, and the case made against Catherine, and ask a very simple question: Who actually said what? Because there's an important difference between what Catherine admitted, what was said about her, and what was later presented as fact.Listen to the end and see whether you think the evidence supports the way Catherine's "confession" is often described.If you enjoy questioning familiar Tudor stories and going back to the original evidence with me, please subscribe. There are plenty more Tudor rabbit holes to come. #CatherineHoward #TudorHistory #HenryVIII

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!You've probably heard the famous rhyme about Henry VIII's six wives:"Divorced, beheaded, died; divorced, beheaded, survived."But mention it online, and you tend to get someone saying, "Actually, Henry didn't divorce Catherine of Aragon or Anne of Cleves. Their marriages were annulled."But is that correction actually right?In this video, I'm looking at what "divorce" meant in the sixteenth century, why Tudor terminology doesn't fit neatly with our modern distinction between divorce and annulment, and what contemporary sources actually say.We'll look at medieval canon law, Henry VIII's sister Margaret Tudor, Henry VIII's relationship ends, and a legal document from 1540 which explicitly describes Anne of Cleves as "divorced" from Henry VIII.So, was Henry VIII's marriage to Anne of Cleves annulled? Yes. But is it historically inaccurate to say they were divorced?Not at all.So "Divorced, beheaded, died..." can definitely stay!#HenryVIII #TudorHistory #AnneOfCleves #CatherineOfAragon #Tudors

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!We spend so much time talking about Anne Boleyn's extraordinary rise and her dramatic fall that we often skip over the bit in between, but what was Anne actually like as Queen of England?Anne was Henry VIII's queen for just three years, but during that short time she acted as an intercessor, supported scholars and universities, promoted religious reform, gave to the poor, patronised artists and used her access to Henry VIII to help people who appealed to her.In this instalment of my Anne Boleyn documentary series, I'm looking at Anne "the queen in her own right". What was expected of a Tudor queen consort? How much influence could Anne really exercise? How did she use patronage, her household and her position close to the king? And what can surviving objects such as her famous "Most Happy" medal, crowned falcon badge, jewellery and books tell us about the way Anne presented herself as queen?I'll also look at Anne's religious and charitable activities, her patronage of scholars and reformers, her role as intercessor, her pregnancies and the all-important expectation that she would provide Henry VIII with a male heir.Join me as we explore an often overlooked part of Anne Boleyn's story: the years when she wasn't Henry VIII's prospective bride or his condemned wife, but Queen of England.