Did Henry VIII play football?

   Dr Maria Hayward, an expert at Southampton University, has discovered that Henry VIII - the Tudor King who had six wives - owned a pair of football boots. David Beckham and Suarez might have specially-made football boots which cost a fortune, but they weren't the first - by a long way.

Henry's boots, costing four shillings (nearly £100 in today's money), were made by his personal shoemaker, Cornelius Johnson, in 1525. Dr Hayward found them in an inventory (a list) of the king's clothes made when he died in 1547.

We don't know what the football boots looked like, but it's unlikely they were anything like the boots worn today. They were probably heavier than the normal shoes of the time and made of especially strong leather.

These are some modern football boots, and they cost more than Henry VIII's special custom-made boots.

Tudor football


According to a Tudor writer called Sir Thomas Elyot, it was a game of 'beastly fury and extreme violence'. It is known that it was especially popular on Shrove Tuesday (Pancake Day) and Henry VIII even tried to ban the game because it so often led to riots and violence.

Looking at pictures of Henry VIII, you might imagine that if anything, rugby or wrestling were his favourite sports. In fact, the king was a keen sportsman who enjoyed tennis, riding and jousting.

If you're interested in Henry VIII and want to find out more about his life and times, the Royal Palace at Hampton Court is a good place to go; and you can see his massive suit of armour at the Royal Armouries at HM Tower of London.

If Henry was alive today, he'd enjoy a visit to The National Football Museum where you can also find out about the history of football.