A Tudor POD I've thought about...
Henry VIII, everyone's favourite royal egomaniac, loved taking part directly in jousting events. During his life, he suffered two serious incidents of injury while jousting, the first in 1524 and the second in 1536.
The latter event seems to be more famous, as many have been swarming to the theory that Henry's most notorious medical problems and hints of mental instability really took off after said incident.
However, I'm more interested in the earlier accident from 1524. From what I've heard and read, he charged at his opponent while forgetting to pull his visor down. This unfortunately led his opponent's lance into accidentally striking the king's forehead (above the left eye, IIRC) and then it promptly shattered. Henry flew off the horse and the splinters from the broken jousting lance injured him on several parts of the head. Mostly surface wounds, though.
My question is simple: What if the lance hit him even more unfortunately into the face, to the point that it pierced his eye all the way into the skull, damaging his brain and killing him ? Would there be a succession crisis if he died, what would happen with the Tudor dynasty and period England ?
Henry VIII, everyone's favourite royal egomaniac, loved taking part directly in jousting events. During his life, he suffered two serious incidents of injury while jousting, the first in 1524 and the second in 1536.
The latter event seems to be more famous, as many have been swarming to the theory that Henry's most notorious medical problems and hints of mental instability really took off after said incident.
However, I'm more interested in the earlier accident from 1524. From what I've heard and read, he charged at his opponent while forgetting to pull his visor down. This unfortunately led his opponent's lance into accidentally striking the king's forehead (above the left eye, IIRC) and then it promptly shattered. Henry flew off the horse and the splinters from the broken jousting lance injured him on several parts of the head. Mostly surface wounds, though.
My question is simple: What if the lance hit him even more unfortunately into the face, to the point that it pierced his eye all the way into the skull, damaging his brain and killing him ? Would there be a succession crisis if he died, what would happen with the Tudor dynasty and period England ?