King Henry VIII of England reigned between the years 1509 and 1547 A.D. He produced three heirs and formed the Church of England during this time. However, he also caused extreme turmoil both within his family and within England. Between the execution of two of his six wives and his abandonment of multiple children, many scholars have wondered why his actions seemed so erratic and cruel. One of their prevailing theories is that the king suffered from a rare genetic condition called McLeod syndrome which is known to cause psychosis and irritability.
The Life of King Henry VIII
Henry was never meant to be king as he was the second son of King Henry VII. His older brother, Arthur, was heir to the throne up until his untimely death in 1502. Seven years after Arthur’s passing, Henry married his former sister-in-law, Catherine of Aragon, and she quickly fell pregnant. However, this pregnancy tragically ended with a stillbirth. She then gave birth to three sons in quick succession but two died shortly after birth and one was stillborn. Catherine eventually had a healthy daughter named Mary in 1516 before having another stillbirth two years later. Henry, who was unhappy with the lack of a male heir, formed the Church of England so that he would be allowed to divorce Catherine and marry a much younger Anne Boleyn.
Anne also gave birth to a single healthy child, a daughter named Elizabeth. Elizabeth had no full siblings due to the fact that her mother later suffered a miscarriage and a stillbirth. It is believed that Henry, still lacking a male heir, proceeded to make up claims that Anne was having affairs with several men, including her own brother. She was executed for these crimes in 1536.
Henry went on to marry Jane Seymour that same year. Together, they produced one healthy son, Edward, who was born in 1537. Unfortunately, Jane died just twelve days after his birth.
After Jane’s death, Henry married three more times. His fourth marriage to Anne of Cleves ended in divorce. His fifth marriage to Catherine Howard resulted in her execution for adultery and treason. And, finally, his sixth marriage to Catherine Parr ended with Henry’s own death in 1547. His last three marriages did not result in any known pregnancies.
The Case for McLeod Syndrome
Henry’s first three wives became pregnant at least 10 times but only had three healthy children. He placed the blame on each of them; however, it is possible that his difficulty in having healthy children was due to other factors, such as McLeod syndrome. The genetic condition is seen primarily in males. Those who have it are typically Kell positive, meaning that they have relatively rare molecules on their red blood cells. If a Kell positive male impregnates a Kell negative female, then the fetus may also be Kell positive. This may cause the mother’s immune system to form antibodies against the fetus’ red blood cells, resulting in stillbirth or miscarriage.
McLeod syndrome is also linked to psychiatric problems. Changes in personality may also occur. This could explain why Henry is known to have been a good man and king in his younger years but seems to have become crueler as time went on.
The Case Against McLeod Syndrome
Though McLeod syndrome could be the cause of the king’s fertility and behavioral issues, there are also other possible explanations. He could have simply been infertile with his change in personality being due to a head injury that he suffered during a jousting tournament in 1524. The miscarriages and stillbirths of Catherine of Aragon also could have been due to her habit of fasting during pregnancy. Because of the wide range of possibilities, there is a good chance that historians will never truly know whether Henry suffered from a genetic condition.
