15. King Henry VIII's Ever-Increasing Flab (And Gout) Eventually Killed Him Off (1547)
After falling off his horse during a jousting accident in 1536, King Henry VIII suffered a serious leg wound that greatly affected his mobility. As a result, he stopped exercising at the vigorous rate he had previously - and piled on the weight. Before this time, Henry was actually an extremely athletic monarch - he enjoyed jousting and hunting - but his waist expanded to a huge 54 inches later in life. Having reigned since 1509, Henry VIII died aged 55 on January 28, 1547, as a result of his gout and likely Type II diabetes. Let's face it, no-one's heart can keep pumping for too long if it has to carry that kind of weight around...
NUFC editor for WhatCulture.com/NUFC. History graduate (University of Edinburgh) and NCTJ-trained journalist. I love sports, hopelessly following Newcastle United and Newcastle Falcons. My pastimes include watching and attending sports matches religiously, reading spy books and sampling ales.