King Henry the VIII

King Henry the VIII

This fascinating Tudor Monarch King Henry VIII was crowned King of England in 1509 and was not a King who had been expected to rule. He only took the throne because his older brother had died.

As his reign progressed, he grew desperate for a son to carry on his legacy and tried to have his first marriage annulled which was denied by the Pope. He then decided to take matters into his own hands and landed up marrying a total of six wives.

Nights filled with Gambling

When Henry VIII ascended the throne, he followed a philosophy of work to live not live to work. He preferred hunting and hawking over reigning. When his outdoor activities ended, Henry would take the time to attend to some of his obligations.

His nights were usually filled with dancing, playing cards or Gambling and he was often referred to as England’s No 1 Gambler due to it being his favourite leisure activity. He enjoyed playing dice, a version of Backgammon known as Tables and the checkers related game known as “Betting Queek.”

Henry was not a very lucky gambler or very skilful for that matter and once gambled away the beloved Jesus Bells of St Paul’s Church on a single roll of the dice. True to form he ensured the winner of that bet, Sir Miles Partridge was convicted of treason and hung publicly at London’s Tower Hill.

Wrapping it Up

King Henry VIII gained the reputation as an aggressive and heavy-handed ruler who made rash decisions and between all his political genius and unforgivable personal anarchy he was also an avid gambler who enjoyed “Bragg” and sports betting. During his reign, he lost £3250 which is equivalent to £2.5 million today. Ironically he banned his military from participating in any form of Gambling as it would distract them from their duties.