Henry the Eighth

[xstitcher]

We all know that the generations before us were shorter, so does anybody know any of the reasons that made Henry 8th so tall.?He must have been like a giant compared to the normal person.

[squarebear]

That's like asking why Danny DeVito is so short. Everyone is different.

[Mosaic]

People have always had the same growth potential - but famines and disase kept them short especially (but not exclusively) if they were poor. Henry was clearly a bonny baby from a well-nourished mother.

[tiggerblue10]

May stem back from his ancestors. Edward I was known as Longshanks as he was quite tall.

[xstitcher]

Thanks for most of your answers.....it certainly gives food for thought. Perhaps he had some Viking blood in him because that race was quite tall and still is. You never know. His grandfather was 6'4" which even today is quite tall. Henry was 6'1". I just heard about it on the TV today. I had always thought of him as short and squat. Hmmmmmmmm.

[carrot99]

I thought he was short and squat too - so if he was 6ft tall then he must have been about 9ft wide!

[DTCwordfan]

Why did Henry VIII have so many wives ?

He liked to chop and change !

[DTCwordfan]

Which of Henry VIII's wives cooked with herbs?

Catherine of Taragon

[Mosaic]

Grumble groan......

[xstitcher]

I'll join you there mosaic

[DTCwordfan]

Which of Henry VIII's wives was only average at golf?

Katherine Parr

[DTCwordfan]

Which of Henry VIII's wives was good at Skittles.

Anne Boleyn.......

[squarebear]

Which of Henry VIII's wives had the best eyesight?

Jane Seymour

[dotty.]

Elizabeth 1st was very tall for a woman too,

[DTCwordfan]

Anne of Cleavage had the biggest boobs of all his wives.

[DTCwordfan]

and Katherine Howard loved to Wheel out the fireworks for him

[piggynose]

what did henry 8th say when any of his wives complained or moaned " keep your hair on "

[tali1]

Edward IV (28 April 1442 – 9 April 1483) was England's tallest king at @ 6ft 4ins

[jno]

this is a bit of a myth. It was not uncommon for people in the Middle Ages to be tall - even skeletons as far back as Anglo-Saxon days are tall. It wasn't till the industrial revolution, when people started cramming into insanitary cities and eating scraps, that they became shorter. And royalty, being pretty well looked-after medically (then as now) were likely to be the healthiest people in the country.

Some people argue that the low doorways in old houses prove the inhabitants must hae been short. But it's more likely they just made the doors short to keep the heat in, and stooped when they entered.

[Popsiq]

Comparatively, he was.The Plantagenets (his mother's side of the family) produced large robust men as far lack as the time of Richard the Lionheart. But it probably had more to do with free access to protein in the diet, which commoners didn't have.