Henry VIII may have never earned his repute as an sick - mannered tyrant if it were n’t for injuries he sustained at years 44 . Now , asLive Sciencereports , archaeologists have reveal the infamous jousting yard where that history - interchange accident took office .
Prior to the beheading ofAnne Boleyn — his second of six wives — King Henry VIIIwas regarded as a kind , gregarious leader by those who knew him . The point where descriptions of himchanged their tonecoincided with a fall he took on January 24 , 1536 .
While jousting at Greenwich Palace , Henry was tossed from his armoredhorseand further injure when his steed fell on top of him . The incident do him to recede cognizance for two hours and nearly be him his life .
Though it was never diagnosed , some experts think Henry VIII sustained a mind injury that Clarence Shepard Day Jr. that vary his personality . From that point on , he was characterized as irritable and cruel . He was in unceasing pain from megrim and an ulcerous leg , which could also explain the mood fault . The ( sometimes wild ) dissolution of most of his marriage come post - accident .
ruination of the jousting yard , or tiltyard , where that disastrous incident took station are located5.5 feetbeneath theMaritime Greenwich World Heritage Site , the former situation of Greenwich Palace . After precipitate into disrepair , the palace was demolished by Charles II , and the exact location of the tiltyard was leave . A squad of archaeologists led by Simon Withers of the University of Greenwich used ground - penetrating radio detection and ranging ( GPR ) to locate the end forget beneath the ground in the first place this year .
The giveaway were the footprints of two octagonal towers . The archeologist say these were likely the foundations of the bleacher - like showing stand where spectators watched jousting matches . That would place the historical tiltyard about 330 foot east of where it was in the beginning think to be situated .
The radar scans provided a peek at what lies beneath the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site , but to learn more , the archaeologists will need to get their hand dirty . Their next step will be grasp up the site to get a better feeling at the ruins .
[ h / tLive Science ]
