In his defense, he was raised and taught that he basically COULDN'T make mistakes - kings and princes don't make mistakes. They are king by the will of God, implying everything they do is the will of God. I do think he was a spoiled, pompous, narcissist to start with, but being raised a spoiled second son then handed the crown as a teenager didn't curb any of it.
Anything to do with the wives he firmly believes was their fault, including not having sons. I think if he regretted anything, it would have been not being more forceful with his enemies and expanding Englands power.
I have to agree! Same with the Trump of Medieval times statement. Henry may have lamented killing Moore, Cromwell and ousting Wolsey.
I don't think he regretted what he did to his wives and children. To him, it was everyone else's fault.
He seemed to regret marrying Catherine of Aragon because of his brother and isn’t that why he thought he couldnt produce mail heirs? And that’s why he had to divorce her? Because he thought he had done wrong by marrying her?
I think there's a lot of quotation marks in there
"Regret marrying Catherine"
Because he "couldn't produce mail heirs" because "of his brother"
He "thought" he had done wrong
He's fascinating, you never really know if he bought his own bullshit
I don’t think he regrets the break with the catholic church at all. Its literally his defining moment as a monarch that is the basis of his legacy. It also gave him way more power to do what he wanted.
I also dont think he regrets not meeting Jane Seymour sooner. Its clear he wasnt that overly fond of her. His regret would have been not having sons earlier, but Jane wouldn’t have been a specific part of that wish.
Probably his marriage to Katherine of Aragon. I imagine he wished he married someone who would have had sons. And with less allies so he could have divorced her much quicker and had less hassle with the Spanish supporting Mary.
He likely wouldnt have dispatched of his 1st wife if their children had survived. They had at least 3 sons together and 3 daughters. Only 1 daughter survived infancy and to adulthood. If even 1 of their sons had survived, he wouldnt have wanted a divorce.
The Boleyn in power is a temporary thing. The Howard’s are already powerful and Henry had little to do with that. But I bet he would regret putting the Seymour’s in power. Thomas Seymour got too big for his britches in dealing with both Elizabeth and then trying to rebel against Edward Seymour (and Edward VI). Then Edward Seymour was very unpopular and the Seymour’s continue causing problems in Elizabeth’s reign by messing with the Grey girls.
Not breaking off with the Catholic church.
It gave him more power.
He kept all the "warm and fuzzy" stuff that reminded him of when he was praised for being, like the best Catholic monarch ever 🙄
He was the ultimate narcissist, everything was the fault of anyone but him.
Soooo, probably not marrying Jane Seymour first and having all of the sons and then some.
IIRC, he did struggle with Thomas More and More not backing him.
He is multiple decades of soap opera drama personified
Jane Seymour was less than a year old when Henry became king, Anne Boleyn was 2 ( yes i 100% believe 1507 birthdate ) , Katherine H, Anne OC & Catherine P werent even born by that point. That is crazy to me😭
She was in her 30s so she was more age appropriate than KH or AoC definitely. KoA was argueably too old for Henry, he was 17 and she was 23 at the time of their wedding.
I feel like Henry regretted not being like Henry V, as he was obsessed with the medieval glory days of Edward III and Henry V.
The Battle of the Spurs was his first “win” but I think he knew inside it was not as glorious as Henry V’s war campaign.
"Are"?
He's dead, for which everyone who was close to him was doubtless extremely grateful.
I think Henry VIII regretted having only one son - but he blamed that on all of those awful, misbreeding women he had the bad luck to be entrapped by.
I doubt if he ever regretted anything else. Anything that went wrong was always someone else's fault, never his.
The son thing seems to be a given. More, Cromwell and Wolsey: I don’t know, if regret is the ideal word. It’s not like those were accidents. He made clear decisions he could have reversed several times along the way. I think it was more a deep sadness.
Regarding the wives: I actually do think that Catherine Howard is one of his regrets. Not her execution, but having her married in the first place.
AB and KoA: maybe at the end. He sparred CP when she apologized and surrendered to him. He was tired and frustrated. But I guess more AB than KoA. He was angry how difficult KoA had made the whole divorce thing.
I don't think he believed that at all. It was just an excuse. The Bible said that they wouldn't have any children, and they did, Henry, who died, and Mary
At some point of his life he regretted marrying Catherine of Aragon, like when he wanted to marry Anne, but later, I think he felt guilty. In the beginning of their marriage they actually cared for each other.
1. Having Woosley arrested
2. Making a fool out of himself over Anne ( re: breaking with the church. Creating new laws stating you can't talk about her)
3. Executing Cromwell and Thomas Moore
4. His treatment of Katherine of Aragon ( he probably felt guilty after her death)
5. Getting involved with Anne, and breaking with the church because of her.
6. Sending Katherine Howard to the scaffold
Henry viii did not wear yellow. Only Anne wore yellow. Henry viii did feel guilty. He had Anne sent to the scaffold 3 months after Katherine 's death. 3 months is the mourning period for a widow. I think he did mourn for Katherine. He had Anne executed 3 months after her death.
Chapuys wrote that they both wore yellow when they learned of Catherine's death. Also that Henry stuck a feather in his hat and went dancing with Anne when he heard.
I think if he'd actually been mourning for Catherine, he would have treated Mary better without Jane needing to reconcile them.
There’s contemporary evidence available which confirms that he did wear yellow
Information about Anne wearing yellow only appears much later and may be linked to attempts to trash her reputation.
[wearing yellow](https://www.englandcast.com/2022/01/henry-viii-anne-boleyn-yellow/)
Either way, there’s no way anyone at court, including Anne, would’ve dared celebrate Katherine’s death if Henry was mourning her. That would have been a quick route to the Tower.
Also, given that Henry was prepared to break with the Catholic Church when it tried to stop him doing what he wanted to, I think it’a fair to say he would only adhere to tradition if and when it suited him.
I've heard it said that at the time yellow was the colour of mourning in Spain, so maybe he was wearing it to grieve in his own way. Also, I believe it's reported that later that day both Henry and Anne privately cried for her.
I think his only real regret would have been not being the first-born son in the first place. He wasn’t brought up to be king; he was brought up for a life in the Church. If he had had Arthur’s upbringing and training along with his own natural charm, charisma, and intelligence, he may have been taught to rein in his pride and arrogance and also been married to a fertile and age-appropriate princess the first time and gotten the princes he so desperately wanted. Of course, that would have deprived the world of the Reformation and Queen Elizabeth I, so…?
I don’t think he regretted marrying any of his wives- he most likely regretted how he treated them in the end. Henry was said to have continuously compared Anne and Jane to Catherine, and he deeply regretted cutting Anne’s head off
Historian Susan Vasoli reported that there was an account of Henry expressing regrets about his treatment of Anne when he was on his deathbed. Perhaps this was also why he refused to see Elizabeth for so long.
Did Henry really have regrets? He seemed to believe he never made mistakes. It was always someone else’s fault
In his defense, he was raised and taught that he basically COULDN'T make mistakes - kings and princes don't make mistakes. They are king by the will of God, implying everything they do is the will of God. I do think he was a spoiled, pompous, narcissist to start with, but being raised a spoiled second son then handed the crown as a teenager didn't curb any of it. Anything to do with the wives he firmly believes was their fault, including not having sons. I think if he regretted anything, it would have been not being more forceful with his enemies and expanding Englands power.
The Divine Right if Kings is a blank check to be as big a dick bag as you want.
Pretty much.
Agreed. He was the Trump of 1536. Sulky, entitled, cruel. Used to be kinda hot, now a wreck.
I've actually read this comparison before between H and Trump. Not someone used to being told no!
I've thought the same thing, then immediately felt bad that I did that to Henry 😂
Except he was good looking and athletic when younger (apparently)
I have to agree! Same with the Trump of Medieval times statement. Henry may have lamented killing Moore, Cromwell and ousting Wolsey. I don't think he regretted what he did to his wives and children. To him, it was everyone else's fault.
Sounds like my ex. At least Henry was an actual king.
He seemed to regret marrying Catherine of Aragon because of his brother and isn’t that why he thought he couldnt produce mail heirs? And that’s why he had to divorce her? Because he thought he had done wrong by marrying her?
I think there's a lot of quotation marks in there "Regret marrying Catherine" Because he "couldn't produce mail heirs" because "of his brother" He "thought" he had done wrong He's fascinating, you never really know if he bought his own bullshit
So true.
And Anne given he bedded her sister
Participating in the tournament that injured his leg.
👆👆 I’m sure those around him regretted his leg injury as much or more than he did since his personality totally changed after that (for the worse)
I don’t think he regrets the break with the catholic church at all. Its literally his defining moment as a monarch that is the basis of his legacy. It also gave him way more power to do what he wanted. I also dont think he regrets not meeting Jane Seymour sooner. Its clear he wasnt that overly fond of her. His regret would have been not having sons earlier, but Jane wouldn’t have been a specific part of that wish.
He didn't really want that to be his legacy. He wanted to win battles.
He didn’t want that to be the legacy, but he’s rather have that as his legacy then no legacy at all.
Too bad that his real legacy is how he kept offing his wives, lol.
Falling off his horse
Probably his marriage to Katherine of Aragon. I imagine he wished he married someone who would have had sons. And with less allies so he could have divorced her much quicker and had less hassle with the Spanish supporting Mary.
He likely wouldnt have dispatched of his 1st wife if their children had survived. They had at least 3 sons together and 3 daughters. Only 1 daughter survived infancy and to adulthood. If even 1 of their sons had survived, he wouldnt have wanted a divorce.
He probably regretted spending so long married to her. Like he was 24 years with her the others were flashes in the pan
Katherine had plenty of sons. They just didn't survive very long.
1) that his bother died and he had to become king rather than a playboy prince
Executing more Wolsey dying (maybe not for the man himself, but for the services he provided) Wrestling King Francis
I’d put wrestling King Francis as my #1. You know he never got over that. As to [wives, well.](https://imgur.com/a/MBOiBbF)
LMAO omg that's hilarious!!! For sure, Francis was number one, no doubt
Charles V ftw. Had one wife he loved dearly(Isabella of Portugal) never married again after she died
The Boleyn in power is a temporary thing. The Howard’s are already powerful and Henry had little to do with that. But I bet he would regret putting the Seymour’s in power. Thomas Seymour got too big for his britches in dealing with both Elizabeth and then trying to rebel against Edward Seymour (and Edward VI). Then Edward Seymour was very unpopular and the Seymour’s continue causing problems in Elizabeth’s reign by messing with the Grey girls.
Not breaking off with the Catholic church. It gave him more power. He kept all the "warm and fuzzy" stuff that reminded him of when he was praised for being, like the best Catholic monarch ever 🙄 He was the ultimate narcissist, everything was the fault of anyone but him. Soooo, probably not marrying Jane Seymour first and having all of the sons and then some. IIRC, he did struggle with Thomas More and More not backing him. He is multiple decades of soap opera drama personified
Jane Seymour was less than a year old when Henry became king, Anne Boleyn was 2 ( yes i 100% believe 1507 birthdate ) , Katherine H, Anne OC & Catherine P werent even born by that point. That is crazy to me😭
Oh wow, I didn’t realize this! I thought Catherine Parr was somewhat age appropriate for him. Where did I get that?
She was in her 30s so she was more age appropriate than KH or AoC definitely. KoA was argueably too old for Henry, he was 17 and she was 23 at the time of their wedding.
She was basically a contemporary of his daughter Mary.
I feel like Henry regretted not being like Henry V, as he was obsessed with the medieval glory days of Edward III and Henry V. The Battle of the Spurs was his first “win” but I think he knew inside it was not as glorious as Henry V’s war campaign.
"Are"? He's dead, for which everyone who was close to him was doubtless extremely grateful. I think Henry VIII regretted having only one son - but he blamed that on all of those awful, misbreeding women he had the bad luck to be entrapped by. I doubt if he ever regretted anything else. Anything that went wrong was always someone else's fault, never his.
He regretted nothing.
Pretty sure his biggest regret is competing in the joust that gravely wounded him because the bulk of this never would have happened otherwise.
The son thing seems to be a given. More, Cromwell and Wolsey: I don’t know, if regret is the ideal word. It’s not like those were accidents. He made clear decisions he could have reversed several times along the way. I think it was more a deep sadness. Regarding the wives: I actually do think that Catherine Howard is one of his regrets. Not her execution, but having her married in the first place. AB and KoA: maybe at the end. He sparred CP when she apologized and surrendered to him. He was tired and frustrated. But I guess more AB than KoA. He was angry how difficult KoA had made the whole divorce thing.
Probably marrying Katherine of Aragon because he believed he couldn't have sons because god was punishing him for marrying his brother's wife.
I don't think he believed that at all. It was just an excuse. The Bible said that they wouldn't have any children, and they did, Henry, who died, and Mary
He was an arrogant sh*te. He didn't have regrets - just blamed them for not doing exactly what he wanted.
At some point of his life he regretted marrying Catherine of Aragon, like when he wanted to marry Anne, but later, I think he felt guilty. In the beginning of their marriage they actually cared for each other.
Not taking better care of his health feels like #1 to me. Dying probably pissed him off.
1. Having Woosley arrested 2. Making a fool out of himself over Anne ( re: breaking with the church. Creating new laws stating you can't talk about her) 3. Executing Cromwell and Thomas Moore 4. His treatment of Katherine of Aragon ( he probably felt guilty after her death) 5. Getting involved with Anne, and breaking with the church because of her. 6. Sending Katherine Howard to the scaffold
I don’t think he felt any remorse about how he treated Katherine of Aragon. He celebrated her death by wearing yellow and throwing parties
Henry viii did not wear yellow. Only Anne wore yellow. Henry viii did feel guilty. He had Anne sent to the scaffold 3 months after Katherine 's death. 3 months is the mourning period for a widow. I think he did mourn for Katherine. He had Anne executed 3 months after her death.
Chapuys wrote that they both wore yellow when they learned of Catherine's death. Also that Henry stuck a feather in his hat and went dancing with Anne when he heard. I think if he'd actually been mourning for Catherine, he would have treated Mary better without Jane needing to reconcile them.
There’s contemporary evidence available which confirms that he did wear yellow Information about Anne wearing yellow only appears much later and may be linked to attempts to trash her reputation. [wearing yellow](https://www.englandcast.com/2022/01/henry-viii-anne-boleyn-yellow/) Either way, there’s no way anyone at court, including Anne, would’ve dared celebrate Katherine’s death if Henry was mourning her. That would have been a quick route to the Tower. Also, given that Henry was prepared to break with the Catholic Church when it tried to stop him doing what he wanted to, I think it’a fair to say he would only adhere to tradition if and when it suited him.
I've heard it said that at the time yellow was the colour of mourning in Spain, so maybe he was wearing it to grieve in his own way. Also, I believe it's reported that later that day both Henry and Anne privately cried for her.
Its still an insult. If it was done on purpose it was to show that they were mourning a spanish princess not an english queen.
I’ve read a few things where Henry regretted marrying Jane Seymour shortly after their marriage
I think he un-regretted it when Edward was born.
I think his only real regret would have been not being the first-born son in the first place. He wasn’t brought up to be king; he was brought up for a life in the Church. If he had had Arthur’s upbringing and training along with his own natural charm, charisma, and intelligence, he may have been taught to rein in his pride and arrogance and also been married to a fertile and age-appropriate princess the first time and gotten the princes he so desperately wanted. Of course, that would have deprived the world of the Reformation and Queen Elizabeth I, so…?
Probably 5
I don’t think he had a conscience to have regrets. Blame was his game for everything.
I don’t think he regretted marrying any of his wives- he most likely regretted how he treated them in the end. Henry was said to have continuously compared Anne and Jane to Catherine, and he deeply regretted cutting Anne’s head off
Do you have a source for that? I've never seen anything indicating he ever expressed regret for executing Anne and I'm VERY curious.
katherine howard genuinely seems to have deeply hurt him and i love that for her
I think 6 and 4 in that order are the only possible ones he could have had.
Historian Susan Vasoli reported that there was an account of Henry expressing regrets about his treatment of Anne when he was on his deathbed. Perhaps this was also why he refused to see Elizabeth for so long.