Many people know that Henry VIII was married six times and that it was he who initiated the Reformation in England. Nevertheless, these are far from all interesting facts associated with this monarch.
King's fear
In 1528, Henry VIII slept in a separate bed every night. And not at all for the reason that one would think, given the loving disposition of the king. Yes, at that time he had a wife, Catherine of Aragon, and a mistress, Anne Boleyn. However, it was not they, but the fear of an incurable disease that forced him to change his place of lodging almost daily that summer. The king was horrified by the English sweating fever, a deadly epidemic that is now almost forgotten.
Scientists are still impressed by the mysterious disease that hit Europe during the Tudor era. Since 1485, the epidemic struck England, Germany and other European countries five times. However, the reasons for its occurrence still remain a mystery to researchers.
Promotional video:
Mysterious disease
King Henry was not afraid of sweating fever for nothing. The infectious disease manifested itself suddenly, without any warning symptoms. Moreover, no one knew how to avoid it. People were suddenly overcome with fear, then they felt a headache, weakness, pain in the neck, and finally a cold sweat covered their entire body. This was followed by fever, heart palpitations and dehydration. 30-50% of patients who contracted English sweating fever died within the first 3-18 hours after the first symptoms of the disease appeared.
Bad sign
It is unclear who contracted the infection first, but some historians believe the epidemic was "imported." It is believed that the disease came to England along with the mercenaries of Henry VII, hired to seize the throne. This move ended the War of the Roses in 1487, but left open the question of the legality of the Tudor claim to the throne. Disease was on the heels of foreign mercenaries, which was perceived by the British as a bad omen for the dynasty that received the throne.
Regardless of who first contracted the sweating fever, the disease soon became a regional epidemic. As an eyewitness to those events, Richard Grafton, the royal printer, wrote that it was a new kind of ailment, so painful and acute that such a thing had never been heard of until that time.
Of course, this was not entirely true. England has already experienced the worst epidemic in history. Between 1346 and 1353, the Black Death - an unprecedented wave of bubonic plague - wiped out up to 60 percent of the world's population and killed over 20 million people in Europe alone. But the English sweating fever did not seem to be associated with the plague. She had no skin symptoms, she flashed occasionally in different places, but always after a period of prolonged rainfall or flooding. Interestingly, the fever usually struck either the very rich or the very poor.
Johannes Caius - healer of the noble class
Before the discoveries of modern medicine, there was no way of knowing when sweating fever would strike again, or how it was transmitted. However, this did not prevent doctors from trying to find out the answers to these questions. So, the epidemic allowed John Kais to become famous. He saw illness as a good opportunity for himself, especially because it often struck representatives of the wealthy nobility. Kais took on a more impressive name, Johannes Kaius, and began treating wealthy Englishmen who, like their monarch, feared sweating fever to the point of paranoia.
He found another way to profit from the disease. In 1552, Caius published a book on the study of sweating fever. His work is now considered a classic medical study. It sets out the doctor's observations of the symptoms and course of the disease, its prevention and treatment. Of course, Johannes Caius's recommendations reflected the medical views of his day. For example, he advised avoiding bad fogs, rotten fruits and exercising more often. He also recommended that patients drink herbal infusions, sweat as much as possible and not go outside.
This is not to say that such advice was very helpful. “Although most of Caius's patients continued to die, he eventually became wealthy enough to make a generous gift to his old Cambridge College,” writes biomedical researcher Derek Gazer. Today one of the colleges in Cambridge bears the name of Caius.
It's safer on the battlefield than in the city
Caius and other doctors were unable to explain the causes or stop an epidemic of an unknown disease. But the fact that the courtiers turned to doctors for help testifies to the scale of the epidemic. Henry VIII continued to fear contamination throughout his 36-year reign. Not surprisingly, given that several members of the royal council fell victim to the disease, including Henry's adviser Cardinal Wolsey, who survived several bouts of fever. It is believed that Heinrich's older brother Arthur also died of the disease.
"It's safer on the battlefield than in the city," wrote Henry VIII's advisor Thomas More. However, given that he was ultimately executed by order of the king for refusing to recognize Henry's divorce from Catherine of Aragon, his words may not be entirely true.
The English sweating fever stopped as quickly as it began. The last epidemic was recorded in 1551. About 150 years later, a similar disease called Picardian sweat emerged in France, but none of the strains reappeared after that. This makes it difficult for modern scientists to study them. In their research, they have to rely on reports from the time and incomplete information to reconstruct the course of epidemics. While it is understandable that thousands died as a result, the exact figure remains unknown. Firstly, due to the fact that there was no regular registration of mortality at that time, and secondly, many data were simply lost.
Virus or food poisoning?
There is still no exact understanding of what is English sweating fever. Some scientists believe it was a form of hantavirus, a rare disease also known as the Seoul virus. Others speculate that influenza, food poisoning, or a condition called recurrent fever could be the culprit.
Whatever the cause, the English sweating fever has left its mark on history. Half a century after the last epidemic, William Shakespeare wrote the second part of Henry IV (1600). One of the most famous Shakespearean characters, Falstaff, died in the play from fatal sweat. Was it a sexually transmitted infection or was it English sweating fever? This is another longstanding historical discussion. But the fact that she is still controversial testifies to the fear of this still mysterious disease.
Svetlana Chambi