Blood Will Tell, Kyra Cornelius Kramer
Blood Will Tell, Kyra Cornelius Kramer
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Blood Will Tell
A Medical Explanation of the Tyranny of Henry VIII

Author: Kyra Cornelius Kramer

Narrator: Pam Ward

Unabridged: 13 hr 16 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Tantor Media

Published: 01/17/2019

Synopsis

With his tumultuous love life, relentless pursuit of a male heir, and drastic religious transformation, England's King Henry VIII's life sounds more like reality television than history. He was a man of fascinating contradictions—he pursued a woman he loved for almost a decade only to behead her less than four years after their marriage. He defended Catholicism so vigorously that he was honored as Defender of the Faith, but he went on to break with Rome and have himself declared Supreme Head of the Church of England. Worst of all, the King who began his reign praised as "hero" and "lover of justice and goodness" ended it having metamorphosed into such a monster that he was called the "English Nero."

What could have caused these incredible paradoxes? Could there be a simple medical explanation for the King's descent into tyranny? Where do the answers lie? Blood will tell.

About Kyra Cornelius Kramer

Kyra Cornelius Kramer is a medical anthropologist and historian who lives outside of Cardiff, Wales. She is the author of several books, including Edward VI in a Nutshell, Henry VIII's Health in a Nutshell, The Jezebel Effect, and Mansfield Parsonage.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Rebecca on October 20, 2012

A very intriguing and fascinating look at the medical history of Henry VIII; while most histories assume that Henry had syphilis, the author gives an entirely new reason for Henry's decline as he aged, and the unfortunate attempts of his wives to give him a healthy child. While the author does use q......more

Goodreads review by Katie on April 26, 2021

An interesting read that could be summed up as the author thinking Henry had a combination of the Kell positive antigen and McLeod syndrome, making him both incapable of siring healthy offspring and also causing him to become a psychopath after the age of 40. Kramer makes a compelling argument but it......more

Goodreads review by Carolina on January 08, 2015

This is the first book I finished this 2015 and it's on my favorites' shelf now. 'Blood Will Tell' is the story of Henry VIII from (both) a medical and historical perspective. Often times when we are studying history we don't take into account the medical or mental history of our subjects and it is......more

Goodreads review by Beverly on May 04, 2013

3.5 stars. This book expounds upon an interesting theory that Henry VIII carried Kell-positive genes, and may also have suffered from a condition called McLeod syndrome. Kramer starts off explaining why Henry did not, could not have had syphilis, despite persistent rumors to the contrary. This also s......more

Goodreads review by Jill on July 16, 2013

I know it's someone's thesis. I know a lot of it is pure and total speculation. But for entertainment value? Loved it. I also loved that the author gave a more girl-positive angle to a lot of Henry's wives -- that Anne Boleyn wasn't necessarily a scheming whore, and that Kathryn Howard wasn't necess......more

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