OTD in 1547, Henry VIII died.

On the 28th of January 1547, Henry VIII slipped into unconsciousness and took his final breath, reportedly after squeezing the hand of Archbishop Cranmer. At 55 years old, after a reign spanning 37 years, Henry left behind a country forever changed by his rule. His nine-year-old son, Edward VI, succeeded him, marking the beginning of a fragile new era for the Tudor dynasty. 

Henry’s final years were marked by immense physical suffering. By the time of his death, he weighed an astonishing 28 stone, with his once athletic frame now burdened by obesity. He also endured excruciating leg ulcers, a condition that had plagued him since a jousting accident in 1536 (you can read more about this here). The stench from his wounds was said to be unbearable, and his health steadily declined as infections took their toll. 

In his final moments, Archbishop Cranmer reportedly asked Henry to give him a sign that he trusted in Christ for his salvation. Unable to speak, Henry is said to have squeezed Cranmer’s hand in response:

“After an hour or two the king, awaking, and feeling feebleness to increase upon him, commanded Dr. Cranmer to be sent for; but before he could come, the king was speechless, and almost senseless. Notwithstanding, perceiving Dr. Cranmer to be come, he, reaching his hand to Dr. Cranmer, did hold him fast, but could utter no word unto him, and scarce was able to make any sign. Then the archbishop, exhorting him to put his trust in Christ, and to call upon his mercy, desired him, though he could not speak, yet to give some token with his eyes or with his hand, that he trusted in the Lord. Then the king, holding him with his hand, did wring his hand in his as hard as he could; and so, shortly after, departed…”¹

Henry VIII’s death marked the end of one of England’s most transformative reigns. Known for his six wives, the English Reformation, and the dissolution of the monasteries, Henry left behind a complicated and controversial legacy. His vision for a strong Tudor dynasty depended heavily on Edward VI, but the boy king’s reign would prove to be tragically short-lived.

Henry’s body was laid to rest in St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle, in the same tomb he had intended to share with Jane Seymour, his third wife.

1. John Fox, Fox’s Book of Martyrs: The Acts and Monuments of the Church, Volume 2, ed. John Cumming (London: George Virtue, Ivy Lane, Paternoster Row, 1844), 748 ↩︎