Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
In 1536 Henry suffered a serious accident while jousting. His health would
never be the same. Increasingly, he suffered from festering boils and violent mood
swings, and he became morbidly obese, tipping the scales at 400 pounds with a
54-inch waist.
Henry's last years were marked by paranoia, sudden rages, and despotism. He
gave his perceived enemies the pink slip in his signature way—charged with treas-
on and beheaded. (Ironically, Henry's own heraldic motto was “Coeur Loyal”—true
heart.) Once-wealthy England was becoming depleted, thanks to Henry's expensive
habits, which included making war on France, building and acquiring palaces (he
had 50), and collecting fine tapestries and archery bows.
Henry forged a large legacy. He expanded the power of the monarchy, making
himself the focus of a rising, modern nation-state. Simultaneously, he strengthened
Parliament—largely because it agreed with his policies. He annexed Wales, and im-
posed English rule on Ireland (provoking centuries of resentment). He expanded the
navy, paving the way for Britannia to soon rule the waves. And—thanks to Henry's
marital woes—England would forever be a Protestant nation.
When Henry died at age 55, he was succeeded by his nine-year-old son by Jane
Seymour, Edward VI. Weak and sickly, Edward died six years later. Next to rule
was Mary, Henry's daughter from his first marriage. A staunch Catholic, she tried to
brutally reverse England's Protestant Reformation, earning the nickname “Bloody
Mary.” Finally came Henry's daughter with Anne Boleyn—Queen Elizabeth I, who
ruled a prosperous, expanding England, seeing her father's seeds blossom into the
English Renaissance.
London abounds with “Henry” sights. He was born in Greenwich (at today's
Old Royal Naval College) and was crowned in Westminster Abbey. He built a
palace along Whitehall and enjoyed another at Hampton Court. At the National Por-
trait Gallery, you can see portraits of some of Henry's wives, and at the Tower you
can see where he executed them. Henry is buried alongside his final wife at Wind-
sor Castle.
William Shakespeare (1564-1616)
Though famous in his day, Shakespeare's long hair, beard, earring, untied collar, and red-
rimmed eyes make him look less the celebrity and more the bohemian barfly he likely was
portrait captures 45-year-old Shakespeare just before he retired from his career as actor,
