Healthy at breakfast. Dead by nightfall.
It sounds like something from a horror film, but for people living in Tudor England, it was a terrifying reality.
In the summer of fifteen twenty-eight, a mysterious disease swept through England, striking without warning and killing some victims within hours. Unlike plague, which often lingered in communities for months, the sweating sickness appeared suddenly, spread rapidly, and left physicians baffled.
Even King Henry VIII feared it.
As reports of the disease spread, the king repeatedly moved from place to place in an attempt to avoid infection. The royal court was disrupted, panic spread across the country, and even Anne Boleyn fell ill. Fortunately for Anne, she recovered. Many others were not so lucky.
What made the disease particularly frightening was the speed with which it could strike. Contemporary accounts describe sufferers experiencing chills, fear, headaches and body pains before breaking out into a profuse sweat. Some victims reportedly died within a matter of hours.
One of the most important eyewitnesses was Dr John Caius, whose detailed account of the disease remains one of the most valuable sources for historians studying the outbreaks.
Yet despite centuries of investigation, historians and medical experts still cannot say with certainty what caused the sweating sickness. Was it a virus? A form of influenza? Something now extinct? The mystery remains unsolved.
In this special report, historical correspondent Thomas Grey travels to Tudor England to investigate one of history’s most terrifying medical mysteries.
Join Thomas as he explores:
- The symptoms of the sweating sickness
- Why Henry VIII feared the disease
- Anne Boleyn’s encounter with the illness
- The account of Dr John Caius
- Modern theories about what caused the disease
- Why it vanished so suddenly
The sweating sickness remains one of the greatest unsolved mysteries of Tudor England, and nearly five hundred years later, we are still searching for answers.
What do you think caused the sweating sickness? Let us know in the comments below.
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