Episode 149: Breaking Up Is Hard To Do
The History of English Podcast
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Youn Henry's Whipping Boys
In 15 27, Henry VIII considered making anne boleyn the new queen in place of catherine. But since she was not his wife, any such son would be illegitimate. So henry started to entertain the idea of creating a 'whipping boy' This is one of the first references we have to that type of arrangement in england. The teacher couldn't physically hit or punish the royal offspring, so the teacher had to whip or strike a fellow student instead.
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