Various causes have been postulated for the death of Henry VIII – including syphilis, smallpox and malaria. The Guinness Book of Answers attributes Henry's demise to "acute sinusitis and periostitis of the leg".
Many of Henry's health issues, including his obesity, can be traced to a leg wound that he sustained in a jousting accident in 1536 – when he is said to have been crushed by his horse and his armour. The wound festered for the remainder of his life and became ulcerated, preventing him from maintaining the level of physical activity that he'd previously enjoyed. The jousting accident is also believed to have been the cause of Henry's mood swings, which may have had a dramatic effect on his personality and temperament.
According to Robert Hutchinson however, in his book The Last Days of Henry VIII (2005 – quoted by blogger Nancy Bilyeau), Henry probably died from "renal and liver failure, coupled with the effects of his obesity".
© Haydn Thompson 2021