Henry And Syphilis
I am frequently asked whether or not Henry VIII suffered from syphilis, and if the gradual mental deterioriation and paranoia he developed as he grew older was possibly the result of tertiary (end stage or terminal) syphilitic infection. There are many schools of thought concerning Henry's possible medical condition, and the suspicion that he might have suffered from syphilis has been around since Henry's lifetime.
Unfortunately, it is very difficult to determine after the fact just what disease Henry VIII might have had and there is considerable debate as to what it might have been. The traditional explanation for his leg ulceration and mental decline in later life is syphilis, which is also in keeping with the traditional figure of Henry VIII the lecher. This is similar to the traditional contention that the Tudors all died of tuberculosis, which has also been called into question by some historians.
Personally, I do not believe that Henry VIII was affected by or died from syphilis. It is important to remember that during Henry's lifetime, medicine was extremely primitive. Any condition that caused ulceration anywhere on the body was referred to generically as "the pox", which was also a common name for syphilis. These ulcerative conditions could, and did include smallpox, chickenpox, the ulceration caused by late term diabetes, and any other spreading skin rash or sores, which were quite common considering the poor sanitary conditions of the day. Similarly, any disease which caused its victims to waste away was called "consumption", and could include any illness that caused the patient to become emaciated -- cancer, diabetes type I, tuberculosis, parasitic infections. But because of these generic terms being used to describe a number of conditions in Henry's day, the traditional belief that Henry died of syphilis, and his son, Edward, died of tuberculosis, has continued.
It is known that Henry suffered for many years from an ulcerative condition of the legs. Syphilis typically attacks mucous membranes -- the genitals, eyes and nasal lining are the most common sites for syphilitic ulceration, resulting in the typical genital lesions, blindness and collapse of the nasal cartilege that is associated with advanced syphilis. Henry's leg ulceration seemed to start in one leg after an injury in a jousting accident. This injury healed with little complication -- only to reopen a few years later. Eventually, both of Henry's legs and feet were affected with ulcers. It was noted by his physicians that his toes became gangrenous as the condition advanced. This is an ulceration pattern far more typical of advanced diabetes, both Type I and Type II. So far as I know, there is no documentation of Henry having suffered from ulceration of the mucous membranes.
Henry's gradual mental impairment, mainly a temper which became increasingly irascible with age, as well as paranoia, has frequently been blamed on the insanity which accompanies tertiary syphilis, as the syphilis spirochetes attack the brain tissue (this commonly occurs when the nasal passages have been infected and damaged, due to their proximity to the brain). However, Henry also had a series of strokes prior to his death, which would point to circulatory and blood pressure problems, which could have been caused by late stage diabetes or arteriosclerosis. Circulatory insufficiency to the brain is a common cause of degenerative mental illness.
Henry's older sister, Margaret, also suffered similar progressive mental impairment and strokes. It would be hard to prove that both Henry and Margaret had syphilis-- but it is very likely they both suffered from some heriditary circulatory impairment. It has recently been proven that the preponderance toward develoing diabetes is genetic. Since the rest of Henry's siblings died of wasting diseases in childhood or early adolescence, with the exception of his younger sister, Mary, who died of a similar wasting disease during pregnancy, and since such wasting away during childhood, adolescence and pregnancy is a symptom of untreated juvenile (Type I) diabetes, I tend to lean away from the Henry with syphilis theory and more toward the Henry with diabetes or another circulatory disorder theory.
As for Henry's increasing mental instability, decreased circulation to the brain could definitely have been a contributing factor. This sort of mental instability is common in cases of untreated diabetes, as it is in cases of arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) and Alzheimer's disease. Henry himself frequently complained of the stress and burden that being King placed upon him. These complaints increased as he grew older. His daughter, Elizabeth, who also reigned for many years, complained similarly, and suffered from periods of depression as she grew older.
During the Tudor period, monarchs were absolute -- the king or queen WAS the country. They were surrounded by endless political maneuverings and machinations. The intrigues of Henry's court alone could fill dozens of books, as one courtier after another tried to win a high ranking place in the scheme of things -- and Henry was well aware that such maneuverings went on. He frequently stated that he felt that he could trust no-one -- and this was pretty much the case! This solitary position, feeling that you were without any close confidante or companion, might not be difficult for a young monarch to tolerate, but as the infirmities of age began to set in, the loneliness must have been incredible. Henry frequently complained of isolation and loneliness, and often wished, in his final years, "to be just a man". It's not unreasonable to assume that this sort of stress would lead to some mental aberration.
Also, in his final years, Henry was subjected to terribly primitive and painful medical practices, as his ulcerated legs grew worse. The ulcers were continually cut into, lanced, cauterized, and then dressed with an ointment that contained ground pearls and lead! Medical procedures were not only primitive, but were carried out under completely unsanitary conditions. Henry's legs were continually infected and under seige from physicians who cut into them and burned them. The pain was continual and severe, frequently causing the old King to cry out in pain. Henry's sleep was disturbed by the continual pain, and his mental health was definitely affected by it. This ordeal alone would be likely to drive anyone into insanity, and Henry was unwell besides, suffering from dropsy (an edema resulting from impaired circulation, which caused enormous swelling of the entire body) and some mental impairment after his strokes. The lead poisoning coming from that pearl and lead ointment alone would have been enough to cause mental illness.
There have been some theories posted on the Internet that Henry's children all suffered from congenital syphilis. This is very, very unlikely, as congenital syphilis is almost always accompanied by mental retardation, and all three of Henry's legitimate children, as well as his illegitimate son, Henry Fitzroy, were very intelligent and excellent scholars. There are varying schools of thought about the cause of Edward's death -- like many young Tudors before him, he wasted away prior to his death, and his final illness has been traditionally believed to be tuberculosis. However, he had also contracted either smallpox or measles in the year before he died, and his wasting could also be attributed to diabetes, which frequently becomes severe during the growth spurts of adolescence. It is known that he was treated with medicines that contained arsenic, and that he had many of the symptoms of arsenic poisoning while on his deathbed (his hair and nails had fallen out, he was covered with ulcers, and there was a peculiar smell, similar to garlic, on his breath). Many medicines used at the time contained arsenic, and it was sometimes added to wine as well, so whether Edward's death was hastened by deliberate poisoning or not is questionable.
Mary I, who reigned after Edward, was a middle aged woman with a long history of migraine headache, severe dental problems with accompanying sinus complications and menstrual irregularity. She had not enjoyed good health since her childhood, and it is very likely that the incredible stress that she experienced during her teens and early adulthood, when her mother was in exile and her own legitimacy was in question (to say nothing of her life frequently being in danger) led to the development of some of her ailments. During her brief reign, she suffered from two hysterical pregnancies. Her belief that she was pregnant was intensified by the presence of symptoms that she thought were linked with pregnancy -- cessation of menstruation, nausea and swelling of the abdomen. It is more likely that these symptoms were caused by cancer of the ovaries and uterus.
The idea that Elizabeth I was a sufferer of congenital syphilis is almost laughable. Though she suffered from a few ailments, one of the notable things about her was her robust health. She was very active, and believed that engaging in regular exercise daily, as well as maintaining a strict diet, was the key to keeping a vigorous body and mind. She danced several galliards (a very taxing and lively dance) every morning as her exercise, rode frequently, walked, played tennis and exhibited physical energy uncommon in a woman of her time. In her later years she did complain of stomach ailments, and it is probably true that her teeth darkened with decay over the years, but her overall health was far too robust and complete for her to have been a congenital syphilitic.
The question of Henry's exact health ailment, like many other questions about him, will probably never be satisfactorily answered, short of an exhumation of his grave and a post mortem being carried out -- which is highly unlikely! Even if such a thing should occur, it is a long time since Henry's death -- there are some things that we will never definitively know. Trying to diagnose a health condition five hundred years after the fact, using the doctors' notes made at a time when medicine was extremely primitive (and the notes may very well have been 'censored', since they were about the King) is basically a guessing game. There are five hundred years' worth of legends about Henry, and his ulcerated leg and many marriages are a part of them. It is probably safe to say that during the later part of his reign he was greatly feared and hated by many -- and during the reigns of Edward and particularly Mary, he was not a loved figure. Claiming that he died of "the pox" would have fit in with the demonizing that took place during this time -- the much married, bloodthirsty lecher was killed by a disease that was the result of his own evil and corrupt way of living.
Death by syphilis is part of the legend of Henry VIII -- and like so many of the other parts of the legend, a definitive answer is something that we will never have. My own vote is no.