King Henry VIII of England (king from 1509 to 1547) is possibly the most well-known British monarch. But how can we see him from a modern perspective? Here, Kerrie Fuller of the The Lost Tapes of History podcast tell us how a modern-day counselor and therapist might evaluate Henry VIII.
Kind Henry VIII of England. Painting by Hans Holbein, 1540.
Much has been written about King Henry VIII and his relationships: his romantic connections (six marriages and multiple mistresses); his work colleagues (counselors and political advisors such as More, Cromwell and Wolsey); his children (Mary, Elizabeth and Edward as well as the illegitimate ones) and even his family (two brothers, four sisters and parents). But what do they all have in common with him as the central person in all this? I suspect it’s all about trust. Or rather, lack of it.
In my research on Henry for The Lost Tapes of History podcast, I realized that he struggled with relationships of any kind. His psychology was such that he did not fundamentally understand the nature of how healthy relationships work; that is: open and honest communication, mutual respect and affection and most importantly, two-way trust.
I found a checklist online developed by a counselor and therapist to evaluate whether an individual had trust issues and measured Henry against each.
You feel betrayed by people even when there’s no evidence.
His relationship with his first wife, Katherine of Aragon fits the criteria nicely. There was absolutely no evidence that she had done anything that would justify an annulment and the Pope knew that. Henry actually used the word ‘betrayal’ to describe the fact that Katherine had not given him a son. Hardly fair.
You’ve learnt that people can use your feelings against you so you become guarded.
Thomas Wolsey was a very close friend of Henry for many years, despite the twenty-year age gap. Henry even talks of writing letters to Wolsey ‘in his own hand’ instead of dictating them, showing a closeness between the two. When Wolsey failed to secure the annulment of Henry’s first marriage, he was accused of treason. We can only imagine that Henry was devastated that his friend would not help him when he felt he needed it the most.
Innocent mistakes are blown up out of all proportion.
Anne Boleyn, Henry’s second wife, made the innocent mistake of being too intelligent and too eager for reform of the church. If you don’t believe the charges of adultery and incest, then her only ‘mistake’ was not giving Henry a son. Henry had several options open to him to remove Anne as his wife but the trial and beheading has a touch of the ‘over-reaction’ about them.
You finally trust someone and then you lose them. You vow never to trust again.
Jane Seymour, Henry’s third wife, seemed perfect. Quieter and more placatory than Anne, she was always going to seem more suitable as a wife. But she died shortly after childbirth and so Henry was left alone once more. Had she not died, he may have lived with her happily ever after.
You may be seen as self-righteous, impossible to please or unforgiving.
Thomas Cromwell would agree with this. Cromwell did what Henry asked and Henry still wasn’t happy with the result. His role in securing an ugly wife for Henry’s fourth marriage was a deal breaker.
Because you can’t share your real self with others, you feel lonely and have few close friends.
The Duke of Norfolk said ‘Henry was so troubled in his brain that he didn’t trust anyone alive’. Everyone knew it. One of his closest friends Charles Brandon ruined the friendship by marrying Henry’s sister. You’d think he would have been happy to have him as a brother-in-law but no.
Your lack of trust can evolve at times into full-blown paranoia.
When looking for a new wife, Henry suggested that the potential women parade up and down in front of him so he could look them over. When the French ambassador objected and suggested that someone else interviewed them in private, Henry said ’By God, I trust no one but myself’. I suspect delegation was harder for Henry the older he got.
Your relationships with others are shallow and non-threatening.
Mistresses would fit the bill here but actually his marriage to Katherine Howard, wife number 5 would too. She was a young, pretty thing – it can’t get shallower than that. I don’t think she would agree that it was non-threatening; she lost her head. That’s pretty threatening.
You suffer from depression because you feel isolated and trapped in a world that you don’t want to be in.
I think the older Henry got, the more angry and depressed he became. His physical energy and health got worse and worse, which tends to lead to depression. And you can’t get more trapped than being King 24-7 and not being able to take a holiday from the responsibility. His last wife, Katherine Parr was nurturing and caring towards him, which is what he needed. He also died knowing that his son Edward would become King after him, which would have eased his mind somewhat.
Henry VIII is a fascinating human being to study. His close relationship with his Mother and poor relationship with his Father also shaped him from a young age and as he was never supposed to be King, only becoming heir when his older brother Arthur died, he must have struggled to cope with the eyes of the world suddenly on him and a weight of responsibility on his shoulders. Whilst I have a lot of sympathy for his mental health, I’m not sure I would have wanted to meet him in person. From afar at a jousting match would have done me fine.
Kerrie Fuller is the creator of the Lost Tapes of History podcast where every week a British monarch is put into a modern context in an attempt to understand them in less than 20 minutes. Henry VIII and the Trust Therapist will be released on the May 4, 2021 and is available from all usual podcast directories.
