On This Day in History - February 11, 1531 - King Henry VIII is Recognised Supreme Head of the Church of England

On this day in history, February 11, 1531 - King Henry VIII is recognised Supreme Head of the Church of England.

This mad Ginger King is a historical figure who continues to fascinate people today.

He bullied his way through his reign. 

He had a total of 6 wives, two of which lost theirs heads due to his paranoia and desperate need to have a son and heir.

Henry cultivated the image of a Renaissance man, and his court was a centre of scholarly and artistic innovation and glamorous excess, epitomised by the Field of the Cloth of Gold.

Late in life, Henry's physical health declined. 

He was covered with painful, pus-filled boils and possibly suffered from gout. His obesity and other medical problems can be traced from the jousting accident in 1536, in which he suffered a leg wound.

The theory that Henry suffered from syphilis has been dismissed by most historians. A more recent theory suggests that Henry's medical symptoms are characteristic of untreated Type II diabetes.^[139] 

Henry died at the age of 55, on 28 January 1547 in the Palace of Whitehall, 

In the words of Betteridge and Freeman, "throughout the centuries [since his death], Henry has been praised and reviled, but he has never been ignored".

Image source

Wikipedia..