Anne Boleyn, Hever Castle
Catrina Whitley recently shared with me an article that she and her colleague Kyra Kramer recently wrote about the reasons behind Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn’s many miscarriages and stillbirths. Interestingly, they affirm that it was not Henry’s queens who ‘failed’ to provide the king with an heir, as history so often remembers them, and neither was it the women who were in some way physiologically responsible for the many miscarriages and stillbirths. Instead, the problem lay in Henry VIII himself.
The authors argue that the same theory that explains Henry VIII’s reproductive problems also helps explain why Henry VIII became a paranoid tyrant in his later years.
Catherine of Aragon by Michael Sittow c. 1502
This new theory that the authors propose is that Henry VIII was positive for the Kell blood group and also suffered from McLeod syndrome. In the abstract they state,
“A Kell negative woman who has multiple pregnancies with a Kell positive male will suffer repeated miscarriages and death of Kell positive foetuses and term infants that occur subsequent to the first Kell positive pregnancy. This pattern is consistent with the pregnancies of Katherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. Additionally, Henry VIII may have suffered from McLeod syndrome, a genetic disorder of the Kell blood group system, which is a condition that causes physical and mental impairment consistent with his ailments.”
The authors acknowledge the speculation that Anne Boleyn may have been Rhesus (RH) Negative causing her reproductive problems but this hypothesis does not explain Catherine’s alarmingly high rate of miscarriage and neonatal deaths (Pg. 832).
Henry VIII by Hans Holbein the Younger
The article goes into great detail about what it means to be Kell positive and how this affects reproduction. Both Catherine and Anne’s reproductive patterns are examined and an explanation offered as to why Henry and Catherine’s firstborn did not survive yet Mary, their fifth, did.
Furthermore, the authors support their theory by tracing the reproductive history of Henry’s maternal male relatives that also displayed the Kell positive reproductive pattern.
We also get an in depth discussion of McLeod syndrome and how this disease, that only manifests in Kell positive patients, could explain Henry’s transformation from gentle prince to terrible tyrant.
“Henry desired a male heir to ensure the destiny of the Tudor lineage, but being Kell positive meant that his genetic legacy would have been better served by a daughter.” (Whitley & Kramer, Pg. 848)
The article was originally published late last year in The Historical Journal but unfortunately due to Cambridge Journals copyright I cannot publish the article on my site. The author has though advised me that a copy of the article will soon be made available on her website. She will contact me once the website is live and I will promptly post a link to the article. We can then engage in further discussion of this very interesting topic.
Here is a link to the Historical Journal abstract for the article and a good starting point for searching for other articles about the Tudors.
References
CATRINA BANKS WHITLEY and KYRA KRAMER (2010). A NEW EXPLANATION FOR THE REPRODUCTIVE WOES AND MIDLIFE DECLINE OF HENRY VIII. The Historical Journal, 53, pp 827-848 doi:10.1017/S0018246X10000452
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I always thought it was pretty absurd to blame only the women for reproductive failures in the past (since we know now that a lot of times it’s the male’s fault), but it never occured to me that perhaps Henry suffered from something making it difficult.
This is an interesting theory, one that has me convinced as it sounds pretty plausible.
Hi Kelly, it is definitely plausible. The arguments and evidence are really convincing and do explain all of Henry’s ‘issues’. Once the author has published the article I’ll be sure to let you know.
Oh, thanks so much!!!
That’s a new and interesting take on the Henry question! Henry did manage sons of course – Edward and also his illegitimate offspring (Henry Fitzroy). The Rhesus negative theory is interesting, but this one adds more possibilities to the mix. Also interesting that the personality of the Kell-positive male can be influenced by this syndrome. Thank you for bringing this to us.
You’re welcome Robert. Yes, Henry did manage sons but remember that both Edward and Henry Fitzroy were Jane and Bessie’s first and only pregnancies by the king and so are still in keeping with the reproductive pattern of a Kell positive male and a Kell negative woman. The problems generally arise with the subsequent pregnancies although this is not always the case. Sometimes the first pregnancy can be adversely affected as evident in Catherine of Aragon’s very sad pregnancy history. I find it all quite fascinating!
This may be a bit of a silly question, but is it a fact that Henry was positive for the Kell blood group and that he suffered from McLeod syndrome or are the people who have written the article saying this is just a theory and what they think?
No question is silly Clare. The authors of the article are proposing this theory and arguing for their case but of course nothing is definite as there is no real way of proving or disproving their claim. I think it is very plausible though.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kell_antigen_system
I found this link to a Wikipedia article on Kell syndrome. It also has some info on McLeod’s, too. Basically, it causes an autoimmune reaction causing the body to see a fetus as an intruder.
Thanks Fran! I keep thinking what a sad thing it is that if true Catherine of Aragon could have prayed on the hard and cold stone floor 24hours a day and it would not have changed the fact that all but one of her pregnancies were destined to end tragically. And Anne only had one chance to have her son and saviour. Truly sad.
This is an interesting theory–I didn’t know anything about either Kell or McCleod but will certainly do more research. Thanks!
I suspected that this could be the problem when I was pregnant with my first child. I’m RH negative and had to receive shots to ensure that my body wouldn’t attack my son. It’s a good thing that I was born in the present day and wouldn’t have had to endure the tragedy and blame of miscarrying my children.
Hi!
I just finished reading the article after coming across your blog by chance and I absolutely loved it! Its a very intriguing argument, and is also very persuasive. Even if Henry wasn’t kell positive, the article shines an interesting light on the latter half of his reign and his marital affairs!
- Now I can’t wait to explore the rest of your site!!
Thank you Fiona! I agree with you and think that even if the theory is not correct it has inspired fresh discussion about the topic which is fabulous. But, like you say, the arguments are convincing. Enjoy the site!
Fascinating…a week ago I saw the doc. “Inside The Body of Henry VIII”. This
new information must be very exciting for the historians and doctors who made it, I hope they make an addendum…thanks for this post!
You are welcome Rosina! It’s all very exciting isn’t it!
With a science background and strong interest in the Plantagenets and Tudors, I have long suspected that perhaps Rh factor may have been involved in the failure of Henry’s wives/mistresses to produce more than one live child. I read somewhere that most of the population of Europe is Rh – and a small percentage is Rh+. I thought maybe Henry was Rh + and the women Rh-. I am thrilled that someone else is pursuing the real cause of this situation which, of course, altered the history of Europe. I am very interested in the Kell blood group/McLeod syndrome proposal and look forward to reading the article when available.