Was Henry VIII a Psychopath?

I know more about Henry VIII than I do about psychopaths. Or at least I think I do. I’m under the impression that psychopaths don’t feel guilty about the bad things that they do. They’re not capable of it.

Example? Hmmm…well….Hannibal Lecter? The serial killer who chews his way through Thomas Harris’s novels Manhunter, Silence of the Lambs and Hannibal is supposedly a bona fide psychopath. And I’ve seen Silence of the Lambs — twice — and shudder whenever I picture Anthony Hopkins’ cannibalistic fava-beans riposte or hear him saying, “Ready when you are, Sergeant Pembry.”

This is why when the news broke that Henry VIII was in reality a psychopath, it gave me pause. King Henry famously sent two of his six wives to the chopping block and laid waste to a long line of courtiers, ministers and relatives. Still, I was having a hard time with him gobbling an annoying gentleman of the privy chamber.

But I repeat, my knowledge of the world of psychopaths is not extensive. According to Psychology Today, there is no diagnostic test that proves someone is a psychopath — there is a list of criteria, and if a person fits enough of the list, then the chances are good. On the list: uncaring, shallow emotions, irresponsible, overconfident, selfish, inability to plan for the future, and last but not least, violent.

So I decided it was time to, if you will, put Henry Tudor on the couch.

The 16th century was far, far different than our own. However, what’s important to remember…