The date is 21st May 1471. Henry has just died and he's arrived at the pearly gates to be met by Saint Peter. Or perhaps it's an Angel. It's hard to tell with all this smoke.

It's true that the church in Caversham has a dagger that allegedly killed Henry. He was quite unusual in being an only child amongst royalty. He was the only monarch to have been King of England and France at the same time, not that it stayed that way for long. He did indeed spend long amounts of time in a catatonic state and had hallucinations.

He didn't like violence or nudity or games or plays. Fuddy duddy is an understatement. He did escape from Edward IV and was captured and put in the Tower where he wrote a poem. And then he was King again, must have been confusing. He did start the Wars of the Roses but didn't lead an Army into war against a foreign enemy, so not all bad then.

It's true that on the anniversary of his death, the Provosts of Eton and King's College lay flowers at the Tower where he was held. How Shakespeare found enough for three volumes on his life is a small miracle. He had hundreds of miracles attributed to him, most are covered in the podcast. He very nearly became a Saint but Henry VIII had other priorities so it didn't happen. Joan of Arc would definately have wanted a word.

If you want to find out more about Henry, check out the sources and places below: