Born in 1491, Henry VIII was just an 18-year-old prince when he became the King of England and Wales. He ruled from 1509 until his death in 1547 and is remembered not only as the nation’s “Reform King” but also as a colossal historical figure, portrayed in cinema more than any other member of English royalty.
Part of Henry’s great appeal was his down-to-earth, unapologetic personality. In his youth, he was handsome, athletic, intelligent and artistic. He loved hunting and games of chance, women, food and drink. Commoners could see themselves reflected in his lust for life and thought of him as “one of the lads.”
The Nation’s #1 Gambler
Among the many gambling activities Henry VIII enjoyed were dice, cards and “tables,” a version of backgammon that was popular in the 16th century. When he came to power, betting was rampant throughout London, driven in part by a new craze called “Bragg,” a three-card game that was one of the forerunners of poker. Board games were consuming the citizenry’s time and money, too, including Queek (a checkers-type game) and Fox & Geese (a pursuit game).
Henry VIII’s penchant for lavish events played out not only in his wedding to his first wife Catherine, but also in competitive tournaments of combat skills, such as archery and jousting. Betting was a regular function of these contests, and Henry himself often participated, showing himself to be a “man of action.”
As the years of his reign grew longer, the king’s reputation for gambling and gluttony grew to legendary proportion. His wins and losses were spectacular for their day. Over a single two-year period, he was said to have gambled away £3,250 playing cards. He was also alleged to have lost the bells of old St. Paul’s church on a single throw of the dice.
Henry VIII’s bold and reckless nature also exhibited itself on the battlefield. At the urging of then-Pope Julius II, the English monarch attempted to dethrone France’s Louis XII. The costly campaign ended badly however, all but bankrupting England in the process.
Other Contributions
Among the many reforms brought about under Henry VIII’s rule were the foundation of the Church of England, the incorporation of Wales into the regular system of English local administration and the establishment of the Kingdom of Ireland. He contributed to a remodeling of government bureaucracy and methods of taxation, the growing importance of Parliament and the arrival in England of Renaissance art and literature. He was also responsible for countless building projects, including colleges, palaces and fortresses.
Henry revered the past, too. His forefather, Henry I (1069~1135), was among the nation’s first cavalry breeders to develop horses for greater speed and power in the early 12th century, by pairing imported Arabian stallions with pony-sized Irish horses. While the English referred to such horses as “palfreys,” the French called them haubini, a word that would later become hobbye or “hobbyhorse.”
Henry VIII greatly admired the “Irish Hobby” for its natural, ambling gait and comfortable ride. He began racing his own specially bred Hobbys against horses owned by others of the English nobility. By 1816, Henry’s pastime would lead to the word “hobby” being entered in the dictionary with a new meaning: “a costly pastime indulged in by the idle rich.”
Of course, Henry pioneered the practice of divorce and remarriage, too. And although at one point he banned his troops from gambling to keep them focused on his war with France, he turned a blind eye to London bookmakers and enjoyed promoting all forms of gambling at court. By the time of his death, Henry owned a record 50 palaces, so he did quite right by himself during the years of his reign.
Sources and References
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