The jousting accident that turned Henry VIII into a tyrant

[Auron]

According to a new historical documentary, Henry VIII underwent a serious personality change following a serious jousting accident. The accident changed him from a sporty, out going and generous man to a cruel and paranoid one, changing the way his subjects and those close to him saw him.

http://jedijack-his-story.blogspot.com/2009/10/jousting-accident-that-turned-henry.html

[mgb_phys]

Not sure how valid that is, the injury to his leg certainly didn't help but he wasn't much fatter and gluttonous than your average CEO! Tyrant is a bit strong by the standards of european monarchs of the time!

He was distinctly less paranoid than most Tudor monarchs (and really had the least reason to be). The accident could also have been a blessing in disguise - if he had been killed early in his reign in a jousting accident (as he nearly was in 1524 ) then the country would have been in real trouble, between a restart of the war of the Roses and a Spanish princess as the only heir to the throne.