Why It Sucked to Wipe Henry VIII's Butt

You are the Groom of the Stool to Henry VIII. It is May 17, 1536, and your proximity to the King is about to cost you everything. This video tracks the meteoric rise and terrifying fall of Henry Norris, the man trusted with the King's most intimate affairs. We examine how a position of immense power, wealth, and access—the Groom of the Stool—could turn into a death sentence overnight amidst the political instability of Tudor history. You will see the events of 1536 unfold from the perspective of the man closest to the throne. We break down the secret pacts, the denial of divorce, and the courtly betrayals that defined the King's reign, showing exactly how a life of privilege ended in execution. Subscribe for more brutally honest history, and let me know in the comments if you think any position is worth the risk of royal favor. Chapters 0:00 The King's Most Intimate Servant 1:19 The Rules of the Privy Chamber 3:39 The Velvet Rope of Influence 7:24 A Fatal Joke in the Court 11:26 The Final Silence on Tower Hill Sources Letters and Papers, Henry VIII, vol. 10, no. 782, Chapuys to Charles V, 2 May 1536 — https://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol10/pp329-349 Letters and Papers, vol. 10, no. 793, Kingston to Cromwell — Letters and Papers, vol. 10, no. 791 — Letters and Papers, vol. 10, no. 848 — https://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol10/pp349-371 Letters and Papers, vol. 10, no. 878 — Letters and Papers, vol. 10, no. 908, Chapuys, 19 May 1536 — https://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol10/pp371-391 Letters and Papers, vol. 10, nos. 911 and 918 — Letters and Papers, vol. 10, no. 1069, Chapuys, 6 June 1536 — https://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol10/pp440-470 Letters and Papers, vol. 5, Privy Purse expenses, 21 June 1532 — https://www.british-history.ac.uk/letters-papers-hen8/vol5/pp747-762 The National Archives, Eltham Ordinances, January 1526, SP 2/B f.228 — https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/henry-viii/source-1b/ "Privy chamber," quoting the Eltham Ordinances — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Privy_chamber Historic Royal Palaces, "The royal court in the Tudor period" — https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/history-and-stories/the-royal-court-in-the-tudor-period/ Tracy Borman, Private Lives of the Tudors, extract — https://www.history.org.uk/files/download/19906/1526047886/Tracy_Borman__Private_Lives_of_the_Tudors.pdf Tudor Society, "The Groom of the Stool" — https://www.tudorsociety.com/groom-stool-sarah-bryson/ The Anne Boleyn Files, "Sir Henry Norris" — https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/sir-henry-norris/ "Henry Norris — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Norris_(courtier) British History Online, Old and New London, vol. 6, quoting Stow — https://www.british-history.ac.uk/old-new-london/vol6/pp489-503 https://tudortimes.co.uk/people/thomas-wolsey-life-story/the-end-1529-1530 The Anne Boleyn Files, "25 January 1533, the secret marriage," quoting Harpsfield — https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/25-january-1533-the-secret-marriage-of-henry-viii-and-anne-boleyn/ "Madge Shelton" — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madge_Shelton Tudor Society, "Henry VIII's leg problems" — https://www.tudorsociety.com/14-may-henry-viiis-leg-problems/ The Anne Boleyn Files, "24 January 1536, serious jousting accident," quoting Chapuys — https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/24-january-1536-serious-jousting-accident-henry-viii/ The Anne Boleyn Files, "30 April 1536: Anne Boleyn, Sir Henry Norris and dead men's shoes," citing Ives — https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/30-april-1536-anne-boleyn-sir-henry-norris-and-dead-mens-shoes/ The Anne Boleyn Files, "1 May 1536," quoting George Constantine's memorial — https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/1-may-1536-king-henry-viii-leaves-may-day-joust-unexpectedly/ The Anne Boleyn Files, "Sir Henry Norris Part 2," quoting Constantine — https://www.theanneboleynfiles.com/sir-henry-norris-part-2/ 🔔 Subscribe - https://www.youtube.com/@StickTory?sub_confirmation=1 Disclaimer: This video is educational entertainment. It dramatizes real historical practices through a second-person character, and some scenes depict historical violence, punishment and hardship for educational context. It is not an endorsement of any of it. Historical sources sometimes disagree, and where they do, we follow the sources listed above. Nothing in this video is professional, legal or medical advice. #history #henryviii #worstjobever #englandhistory #kinghenry