Did Henry The 8th Have Syphilis?

Henry VIII had ample opportunity to contract syphilis, but the evidence for him having done so is flimsy.

There is no reference to him having any of the signs and symptoms of syphilis, his wives appear to have been unaffected and his children were not congenital syphilitics.

Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled.

His disagreement with Pope Clement VII about such an annulment led Henry to initiate the English Reformation, separating the Church of England from papal authority.

He appointed himself Supreme Head of the Church of England and dissolved convents and monasteries, for which he was excommunicated.

Henry is also known as “the father of the Royal Navy”, as he invested heavily in the navy, increasing its size from a few to more than 50 ships, and established the Navy Board.

Domestically, Henry is known for his radical changes to the English Constitution, ushering in the theory of the divine right of kings in opposition to Papal supremacy.

He also greatly expanded royal power during his reign. He frequently used charges of treason and heresy to quell dissent, and those accused were often executed without a formal trial by means of bills of attainder.

He achieved many of his political aims through the work of his chief ministers, some of whom were banished or executed when they fell out of his favour.

Thomas Wolsey, Thomas More, Thomas Cromwell, Richard Rich, and Thomas Cranmer all figured prominently in his administration.