Henry VIII's Murderous Reign

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal

History Hit

Myths, Folklore, Mystery, History, Ghosts, Society & Culture, Murder, Ufos, True Crime, Paranormal, Supernatural, Serial Killers

4.6 • 1.2K Ratings

🗓️ 6 November 2025

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Henry VIII was a monarch everyone was excited for, and turned into someone who weaponised his powers for murder.

What happened in his life that caused the death toll to suddenly rise?

In this episode, Anthony and Maddy are joined by historian and author, Gareth Russell, to unpack the warning signs that led to beheadings, burnings and savagery in the Tudor court.

Find out more about Gareth's work: https://www.garethrussell.co.uk/

This podcast was edited by Tim Arstall and produced by Stuart Beckwith. The senior producer was Freddy Chick.

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All music from Epidemic Sounds.

After Dark: Myths, Misdeeds & the Paranormal is a History Hit podcast.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, we're your host's Anthony Delaney and Maddie Pelling.
0:03.7	And if you would like After Dark myths, misdeeds and the paranormal, ad free and get early access, sign up to History Hit.
0:11.1	With a History Hit subscription, you can also watch hundreds of hours of original documentaries with top history presenters and enjoy a new release every week.
0:20.7	Sign up now by visiting historyhit.com forward slash subscribe. top history presenters and enjoy a new release every week.
0:24.8	Sign up now by visiting historyhit.com forward slash subscribe.
0:34.6	He spent his reign carving his will into the bodies of his realm, be it the Reformation martyrs who burned, the scholars who were slaughtered, or the queens he beheaded.
0:40.6	Even Thomas Cromwell was fed to the killing machine that he created for Henry.
0:46.7	So was Henry the eighth a serial killer or just a product of a brutal time?
0:55.2	Tyburn, Central London, 1536.
0:59.7	A may wind rolls through the crowd
1:01.7	as the Carthusian monk kneels,
1:04.0	hands bound, lips moving in a prayer,
1:06.9	no longer recognised in this land.
1:09.5	The rope is coarse,
1:12.6	the silence silence absolute,
1:16.3	until the herald shouts the king's will.
1:19.1	Henry has torn England from Rome,
1:21.8	the Pope and some whisper from God himself.
1:26.0	The monks who once floated above politics in a hush of incense now dangle over the abyss. The cart jerks,
1:30.0	the body folds, the blade's weight. Conscience is treason, and treason has choreography. Hang, cut,
1:37.8	quarter, display. Around Tyburn tree, mothers clutch children,ors take note, and every soul rehearses obedience.
1:47.9	If the holiest men can suffer this fate, who is safe?
	...

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