Jousting yard where Henry VIII nearly died just discovered 5 feet under
By Laura Geggel - Associate Editor 21 hours ago
It's where Henry VIII lost consciousness for two hours.
Scientists in England have found the exact spot where, in 1536, King Henry VIII had a terrible jousting accident — a mighty smashup that led to what was likely a traumatic brain injury that permanently altered his personality.
This accident "does seem to be this central event that changed the behavior of [Henry VIII]," said project leader Simon Withers, a researcher and doctoral candidate in the Design School at the University of Greenwich's Architecture School, in the United Kingdom. Before the king's jousting accident, Spanish and Venetian ambassadors described Henry VIII as a charming, outgoing, clever and handsome king. After the accident, Henry VIII reportedly became an impulsive, often depressed and migraine-ridden monarch, according to sources from that time.
The researchers discovered the spot about 5.5 feet (1.7 meters) underground, by using ground-penetrating radar, Withers told Live Science.
Here's how they found it: Researchers have long known that the tiltyard (the jousting yard) is located somewhere at Greenwich Palace, Henry VIII's favorite palace; both he and his daughter Elizabeth I were born there, and Henry often threw parties, banquets and jousting matches on its grounds, according to Historic UK. But the palace fell into disrepair during the 17th-century civil war and it was eventually demolished during the reign of Charles II, so the tiltyard's location in the palace was lost. The tiltyard even showed up in different parts of the palace in different 17th-century paintings, said Withers, who leads the Captivate Research Group at the School of Design, which carried out the project.
More:
https://www.livescience.com/henry-viii-jousting-tiltyard-found.html
