This is a very informative article about Henry's love for sports- it claims Henry loved sports more than women, but I disagree. But I'm also a woman.
"A decathlete before his time, Henry was adept at the javelin, dressage and double‑axe fighting, and was also a dab hand at archery. Reporting on the Yeoman of the Guard's annual competition in 1510, Edward Hall wrote: "His grace shotte as stronge and as greate a lengthe as anie of his garde." His second wife, Boleyn, was less talented – Henry's expenses claim to the Privy Purse reveals that on one deer hunt she succeeded only in shooting a cow. She was, however, better at bowls, making up a decent mixed-doubles pair with her husband, who was so keen on the sport that when he went to war with Emperor Maximilian he took his indoor-bowling shed (90ft by 8ft) with him so he could work on his game between battles."
Why King Henry VIII loved sport more than women
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
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I agree that Henry loved his sports, particularly the chivalry of jousting (and the fact that it was a replacement for war for him) and the action of hunting,and he must have been truly gutted when he injured his leg and could not longer participate in sports. However, like you, I don't believe that Henry loved sports more than women. He couldn't live without women and flitted from one to another, yet he did manage to survive without sports!
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