Jousting injuries may have been the cause of Henry VIII’s erratic behaviour

A new study has revealed that Henry VIII’s erratic behaviour may have been due to several severe jousting injuries sustained in his youth.

The study, carried out by the Yale Memory Clinic, has suggested that Henry may have developed traumatic brain injury (TBI.) Symptoms of TBI include memory and reasoning problems, depression, anxiety and aggression. According to the study, it is “entirely plausible, though perhaps not provable, that repeated traumatic brain injury led to changes in Henry’s personality.”

Henry VIII experienced two major head injuries during jousting tournaments. In 1524, a lance penetrated the visor of his helmet and pierced his eye, entering in his brain; then in 1536, he lost consciousness for two hours after the horse he was riding fell on him. It was after this date that historical sources began to report drastic changes in the king’s behaviour.

Before these injuries, Henry is known to have been “a man of gentle friendliness,” however after 1536, sources suggest his behaviour became increasingly unpredictable. In 1546, he launched a tirade against soldiers who arrived to take his wife, Catherine Parr, to the Tower of London, despite having ordered them to do so the day before. Further accounts report Henry to have suffered with an episode of depression in 1941, another symptom linked to TBI.

Today, TBI is a recognised condition which is common in athletes playing contact sports. While the precise link between repeated head injuries and long term health conditions is not clear, a causal link is suggested. These studies have therefore led to greater concern about the long term health impacts of playing contact sports.

Source: IFLScience