The Tudors, The Complete Series

King Henry VIII, the young and ambitious monarch of England, prepares for war with France but is dissuaded by the diplomatic manipulation of his powerful Lord Chancellor, Cardinal Wolsey, who proposes that the King sponsor a “Treaty of Universal Peace.” The harmony of the King's domestic affairs is threatened, however, when he discovers that Elizabeth Blount, the young and beautiful lady-in-waiting to his Queen, Catherine of Aragon, is pregnant with his child.

Allegiances shift at home and abroad. Despite extravagant claims of loyalty to France during the “Field of Cloth of Gold” ceremonies, Henry contemplates an alliance with Charles V, King of Spain, who was recently named Holy Roman Emperor. Because he is dependent on the support of the French cardinals, Wolsey’s chance to become Pope is threatened. A gift of Machiavelli’s The Prince makes Henry wonder if it is better for a king to be loved or feared. For now, he sets about achieving both. He executes the scheming Duke of Buckingham for treason and celebrates the birth, by Lady Elizabeth Blount, of a first healthy baby son, whom he names Henry Fitzroy.

A new and important ally sweeps into Henry’s court in the form of Charles V, the most powerful man in Europe and nephew to Henry’s wife, Catherine of Aragon. To protect the very significant alliance he hopes will aid in his bid for an English role in European affairs, the King is careful not to reveal to Charles the growing distance between himself and the Queen. However, affairs of the heart are more likely to unsettle Henry’s resolve as he comes face-to-face for the first time with the beautiful Anne Boleyn. Unbeknownst to the King, he is being seduced by forces more calculating than any young woman.

Henry is named “Defender of the Faith” by the Pope who is grateful for his spiritual and political loyalty although fidelity is scarce in Henry’s court. His sister, Princess Margaret, marries the decrepit King of Portugal, only to murder him soon after and return to the lustful arms of Charles Brandon. The Duke of Norfolk and Sir Thomas Boleyn continue to conspire against Cardinal Wolsey and the King grows ever more enamored of Anne Boleyn. His increasing disinterest in his Queen, and the realization that he still hasn’t produced a legitimate heir to the Tudor dynasty, conjure an urgent desire for radical action.

Henry is a king of passion and perseverance. Efforts at alliances – both personal and political – face setback, but the King remains undeterred. When his ally, Emperor Charles V, releases Francis I, their mutual enemy from prison, he is stunned but resolves to redirect his European ambitions. And when Anne Boleyn is insulted by his offer to make her his sole and unique mistress, it merely doubles his passion and resolve to one day marry her. However, his separation from the most powerful political figure in Europe may prove easier to affect than an annulment from his wife.

Personal and political allegiances continue to change in Henry’s court. The King grows ever more confident in his role as monarch and more enamored of the young Anne Boleyn. Despite Cardinal Wolsey’s influence and efforts -- and much to the frustration of the King -- the Catholic Church seems unable to make progress in Henry’s petition for a divorce. This adds to the growing discomfort of the increasingly vulnerable Wolsey.

Dark days for Tudor England. The mysterious sweating sickness, almost always fatal to those who catch it, runs rampant. A food shortage adds to the suffering. Henry’s natural optimism and energy take a beating as the King’s confidence gives way to doubt and delusions. But after darkness comes light. The plague begins to disappear and the King receives news that his mistress, Anne Boleyn, has miraculously survived. Even better, an envoy of Pope Clement is on his way to England to finally convene a court which will decide on Henry’s request for a divorce.

Pope Clement’s special envoy arrives in London to oversee the court deciding upon the legitimacy of Henry’s marriage to Catherine of Aragon. The findings of this trial will have far-reaching consequences: the future of the King’s amorous relationship with Anne Boleyn, Cardinal Wolsey’s career and influence, and England’s relationship with Rome all hang in the balance.

Cardinal Wolsey’s fall is quick and pitiless. Stripped of office and authority, he is banished from the court and sent far from his much-beloved King. His unlikely successor is Sir Thomas More, a man unlike the overbearing Wolsey in every way but one–his loyalty to Henry.

Cardinal Wolsey is down but not yet out. Although exiled, he tries to gather last-minute support from his old enemy, Queen Catherine. She hesitantly agrees to his plan as she finds herself in a situation similar to that of the fallen Cardinal. But their plot is intercepted by the King’s new advisors and Wolsey must pay the ultimate price.

Divorce, Tudor style. As the Catholic Church struggles in vain to control Henry VIII’s demands for an annulment, the King appoints himself head of the Church of England. A cook is blackmailed into poisoning a high-ranking bishop, then boiled alive for his crime. When Anne Boleyn insists Henry break all contacts with Catherine, the noble Queen is banished from court. The Reformation has begun.

Henry continues undermining the Catholic Church's influence in England while his chaplain makes a fact-finding tour of Lutheran Germany and Anne resolves to consummate her relationship with the King, even as Charles Brandon begins planting doubts about her virtue.

His patience at an end, Henry marries Anne in secret, appoints his Lutheran chaplain Thomas Cranmer the head of the Church, and strips Queen Catherine of her title and status. The King and new Queen have their first child but are disappointed that it's a girl, whom they christen Elizabeth.

The country is asked to swear an oath recognizing the new royal succession and Henry as the supreme authority in England. Anne becomes pregnant again and schemes to ensure that she controls her randy husband's mistresses. Sir Thomas More refuses to swear to all aspects of the oath and is jailed in the Tower of London.

A miscarriage and her sister Mary's impetuous marriage to a lowly soldier jeopardize the power of Anne and her family at court. After many failed attempts to coerce his endorsement of the King's new powers, Sir Thomas More is finally ordered to be executed as a traitor by a reluctant Henry.

The power and influence of Thomas Cromwell spreads as he investigates the Catholic Church for evidence of corruption, even as Pope Paul III denounces the execution of Sir Thomas More. The Queen is rebuffed in her efforts to betroth Elizabeth to the French dauphin after the King of France refuses to recognize her daughter's legitimacy.

The persecution of the Catholic Church reaches its pinnacle as Thomas Cromwell reports on the institution's accounts and confiscates its wealth for the crown, making Henry the richest English King in history. Catherine dies in pious poverty and obscurity leaving Anne, newly pregnant, a firmer grip on power. A new lady-in-waiting catches Henry's eye: Jane Seymour.

The brief resurgence of Anne at court is short-lived as Jane Seymour rapidly replaces her in the King's affections, a process sped up by Henry's near-fatal jousting accident and Anne's hysteria-induced miscarriage. Now that Catherine is dead, Henry attempts to renew his alliance with her nephew Charles, the Holy Roman Emperor, who makes an intriguing proposal.

The fall from grace of Anne Boleyn is swift and complete as the King grants greater powers to the family of his new love Jane Seymour and accepts Thomas Cromwell's obviously trumped-up charges of adultery against the queen, who is found guilty and forced to witness the executions of her alleged lovers, including her own brother George.

The second season finale, Anne awaits her execution in the Tower of London as Henry's marriage to her is annulled and he proposes to Jane Seymour, who accepts. Baby Elizabeth is removed from the line of succession. After several delays that give her false hope of a reprieve, Anne Boleyn is beheaded while her ex-husband and King feasts on a royal delicacy: roasted swan.

Season 3 begins with the marriage of Henry to his third wife, Jane Seymour. Henry’s wife may have changed but his marital ambition remains constant: siring a male heir to the Tudor Dynasty. Sir Thomas Cromwell wonders aloud if the new Queen harbours Catholic sympathies, thereby posing a potential threat to the ‘progress’ of the Reformation. Everyone agrees that a quick pregnancy is imperative for stability. Meanwhile, the dissolution of the Catholic Church continues with vigor and ruthlessness. Having been recently so content, Henry is now pained on many fronts: vexed by the threat and ungratefulness of his subjects, troubled that his wife has not yet conceived, and in great suffering from a bleeding leg from an old jousting accident. His Tudor dynasty is under threat as it has never been before.

Pontefract Castle, Yorkshire in the north of England, 300 of the King's soldiers as well as local gentry and the Archbishop of York, are under siege from rebels calling themselves 'Pilgrims.'Thomas Cromwell is justifiably disturbed by the news. The rising in Lincolnshire has just been defused by a combination of diplomacy and the threat of the Royal Army and yet, the rebellion is not yet suppressed. Henry’s pain is more immediate and more personal. A physician has removed a splinter of bone from his ulcerating leg and recommends further treatment. Unsurprisingly, the King has little patience for the continuing insurgence and orders Cromwell to take more extreme action. The young and beautiful Lady Ursula Misseldon attends to the King's wound, which has confined him to bed. When the King proposes comforting of a more intimate nature, she is happy to please his Majesty. Queen Jane, demonstrating daring as well as tenderness, has arranged for Mary to visit her father at court. Her intuition is proven right: Henry is greatly moved by the sight of his first daughter and swears his undying protection to her.

Robert Aske, one of the leaders of the northern ‘rebellion,’ receives a letter from Henry. To his considerable surprise, it is an invitation, written in the king’s own hand, to come to court and discuss his views. Henry’s daughter Mary presents to him a beautiful young child of five: his estranged daughter Elizabeth. Although this is unexpected, and he has earlier disowned the child, Henry is delighted to be surrounded by his family for Christmas. The King and Queen are cheered as they leave the palace to attend Christmas celebrations at the Cathedral. Jane is escorted by her brother Edward, who bluntly breaks the news to her that their father has died a week prior. The funeral has already taken place. Jane was not informed so as not to cause any distraction from her role as Queen.

Lord Darcy, one of the leaders of the York uprising, is visited in his prison cell by Cromwell who tries to bribe the old man into betraying Robert Aske. But he is disappointed. Darcy’s estimation of Aske as ‘a very great man’ may be an uncommon act of loyalty in Tudor England, but it is also an impossible accolade to live with; the fate of both men is sealed.Despite their long friendship and his deep loyalty to Henry, Brandon has not the stomach for the King’s vengeance. The heartless and unforgiving persecutions of men, women and children fill him with dread and loathing and he turns to prayer. In the midst of such dark thoughts and deeds, Jane’s continued pregnancy is a source of delight to her and her King who makes plans for her coronation after the birth of what he is convinced will be his son. He also instructs Edward Seymour to make elaborate preparations for the birth of an heir to include bonfires, nationwide parties and a tournament.

November 1537, a gloom hangs over England. Sir Robert Packington, English Parliamentarian and friend of Cromwell, is shot dead in a London street. Cromwell suspects the assassination as a warning to him but refuses to speculate who might be behind it. For the moment, he is more concerned with finding a new bride for his King who has shut himself away in sadness and grief following the death of his much-loved third wife Jane Seymour, mother to his only male heir. The infant Edward is being looked after by his half-sister Lady Mary and several of Jane’s ladies-in-waiting. A new household will be established for the royal heir at Hampton Court to be headed by Lady Bryan. No expense will be spared in his education and comfort; he is after all, a future King. The King meets with Bishop Gardiner (Simon Ward) who has been charged with writing the doctrine of the Church of England in consultation with the rest of the Bishops. As usual, they have failed to agree on anything and Henry, with growing impatience, has taken the matter into his own hands providing six doctrinal questions which will form the basis of his church. After consultation, the Bishops respond to his ‘six articles of faith’ in accordance with Catholic theology. Although the King seems unperturbed by this, Cromwell is most certainly disturbed by this rollback on revolution. What has happened to his Reformation?!

The search for a new Queen begins. Pastor Kolling, a German envoy of the Protestant League, visits England. Cromwell hopes to counteract the Catholic influence of the late Jane Seymour by finding a new Protestant wife for his widowed King. Unaware of Cromwell’s plotting, Henry suggests to the French Ambassador his inclination towards taking a French bride. The Ambassador is delighted by the King’s interest but alas, his first choice has just been promised to the King of Scots. Instead, the French King proposes a double marriage: his son to Henry’s daughter Mary and Henry’s choice of two young daughters of Madame Longeville.

The King’s oppression of the Catholic Church may be finally catching up with him. Cromwell warns that war seems imminent following a treaty between Emperor Charles V and the King of France with the unspoken support of the Pope. Preparations have already begun to defend England with fortification on the northern border against the Scots and forts built on the English Channel where the navy is on standby. Ambassador Chapuys, representative of the Imperial Emperor, has been recalled from the English court. Cardinal Pole has left Rome on a secret mission. Hans Holbein has traveled to the Duchy of Cleves (in modern-day Germany) to paint Anne, whom he finds to be a shy and unworldly young woman. With great speed and efficiency, Cromwell has begun the arrangements and preparations for the King’s fourth marriage. Brandon travels to Calais to met Anne of Cleves and her entourage and accompany them across the English Channel. Brandon is taken aback by Anne’s austerity, lack of worldliness and all around ‘squareness.’

Anne of Cleves is doing her best to settle into her new role as Henry’s Queen. It’s now a month since the wedding but speculation still surrounds the consummation of the King’s marriage. The King’s disinterest in his new wife reflects badly on Cromwell, who pushed through the hasty marriage with Anne. In a desperate mood, he implores the Queen to ‘please’ the King; get pregnant as quickly as possible. Deeply embarrassed and upset, Anne claims that she is doing the best she can. Henry instructs Cromwell to gift Katherine Howard some lands and houses. And he assures Cromwell that despite recent hiccups, he continues to hold him in high esteem and trust. Perhaps inspired by such faith, Cromwell convenes a meeting with the Catholic Bishop Gardiner, one of his most fervent opponents, and holds out a hand of reconciliation. It works; both sides promise to put differences aside and proceed in friendship. Henry is smitten and rejuvenated. He visits Katherine Howard’s small house in disguise. They make love on the straw-covered floor.

Whitehall Palace, London, 1540. Thirty years into the reign of King Henry VIII. London is experiencing intense heat and there has been no rain for two months. But while his subjects wilt, the King’s vigor remains undiminished. The Reformation goes on. Henry has just married the beautiful Katherine Howard, his fifth Queen, who is a mere seventeen years old. She’s different from earlier wives in more ways than age; far from being nobility, she was ‘discovered’ by some of the King’s friends in a boarding house for wayward young ladies.

Thomas Culpepper, principal groom to Henry VIII, continues to make eyes at the King’s sexy young bride. He is not alone; the teen Queen inspires many admirers in Henry’s court, not least the King himself who spoils his new wife with an endless supply of extravagant gifts. When Lady Rochford sleeps with Culpepper, he doesn’t hide the fact that the Queen is his real desire and she helpfully suggests that she aid him in seducing Katherine.As part of the Christmas festivities, Henry invites his previous wife, Anne of Cleves, to the palace. He is pleasantly surprised by her beauty, something he missed when they were married, and delighted by her graciousness.

Henry VIII is in great spirits. He is noticeably more tolerant and forgiving than the Henry of old. He pardons criminals, visits his estranged young daughter, Princess Elizabeth, and plans a visit to the North of England – his first visit to the territory that hatched the ‘Pilgrimage of Grace’ rebellion. Scenes of rebellion are now closer to home. Unknown to the doting King, his wife Katherine Howard has begun a serious flirtation with the young and handsome Thomas Culpepper with the assistance of her lady-in-waiting, Lady Rochford.Cuckolding the King is a capital offense but Henry, of course, can play by different rules and takes his pleasure in the bed of Anne of Cleves, the ex-wife he once thought ugly.

Pontefract Castle, Yorkshire was the only royal property captured by the rebels during the Catholic uprising known as the ‘Pilgrimage of Grace’. In a symbolic gesture, it now welcomes Henry and his large entourage. Rejuvenated by the affection he has experienced on his tour of the North of England, Henry feels a stirring sexual energy towards his Queen. Charles Brandon, on the other hand, senses death as he remembers the hangings and punishment he oversaw as the King’s representative during the Northern rebellion.Katherine's past begins to catch up with her on another front. The King receives an anonymous letter accusing his wife of sexual relationships with two men. Henry thinks the whole thing is a fraud but nonetheless orders an investigation to be led by Lord Hertford.

Queen Katherine is shocked by the King’s orders that she be confined to her apartments. The investigation into her past moves with speed as Francis Dereham is arrested and interrogated. Joan Bulmer is questioned as is the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk. Henry’s response is unsentimental and swift as Katherine Howard is removed from court and her title as Queen withdrawn. Her pleas for understanding and forgiveness are coldly ignored.

In a surprise decision, the King orders a new Act of Parliament, which restores the succession rights of his two daughters, Princesses Elizabeth and Mary. Although they are next in line after their youngest brother Edward, this powerful gesture of his love will have historical consequences. The King dispatches Hertford and his arch enemy, the Earl of Surrey, north to warn the King of Scotland that any further acts of aggression will be responded to with the might of England’s armies. Meanwhile, a Catholic alliance signals a weakening of the Reformation’s influence in English politics. Single once again, Henry takes an interest in the twice-married Catherine Parr, a woman closer in age than his usual fancies.

Henry marries Catherine Parr, his sixth and final wife. The wedding is notable for the presence of Henry’s daughters, Princesses Mary and Elizabeth. Plans are made for the invasion of France and Charles Brandon is named commander of the English armies.As the Catholic influence increases, Bishop Gardiner begins to investigate the new Queen’s religious beliefs. She is rumored to be a secret Protestant and he intends to expose her. The war effort is elaborate and costly. Three hundred ships have been requisitioned to bring guns, wagons, horses and the army to France. The King is determined to lead his armies into battle to recapture lands he once held. In his absence, he appoints Catherine regent and protector of the realm and guardian of his children. The new Queen rises to the challenge and is well liked and respected by all.

The year is 1544. Under the supervision of Henry VIII, the Earl of Surrey and his men attempt to tunnel their way into the French castle at Boulogne. Charles Brandon, who has been separated from his wife for some time, finds happiness with a young Frenchwoman named Brigitte, who returns with him from France. While Henry too has been rejuvenated by the siege of Boulogne, given a taste once more of the vigor and vitality of his youth, he may have pushed his already weakened body too far.

King Henry VIII is aging rapidly. The recent siege of Boulogne has taken its toll, his ulcerous leg is constantly in pain and he now requires glasses to read.Political events continue to be tumultuous and exhausting. The rising influence of Bishop Gardiner is signaled by the appointment of a Catholic, Risley, to the important position of Lord Chancellor. Nonetheless, the Lutherans continue with their radical reforms, the latest of which is female preachers. Sensing their rise in authority, Gardiner and his allies are determined to trap Queen Catherine.The Earl of Surrey is defiant on his return to court and Henry’s Privy Council is unconvinced by his explanations about how so many men were lost under his command in France.

Henry is forced to surrender Boulogne, his great prize, as part of a peace treaty with France. There is a slow, quiet, and nonetheless inevitable shifting of allegiances as Henry’s own health begins to fade. Factions are forming at court as thoughts turn towards a successor. Some see Prince Edward, Henry’s son by Jane Seymour, as his natural heir while others, notably Bishop Gardner, are determined to restore a Catholic to the throne in the person of Princess Mary.Hearing that Charles Brandon is very ill, the King summons his old friend to court. It is to be their last encounter. Henry is greatly shaken, his longest and most loyal ally now gone. Realizing his own death is now imminent, Henry retreats more and more into himself.

Writer and Executive Producer Michael Hirst, discusses the final episode of The Tudors series.

Writer and Executive Producer Michael Hirst, narrates a special feature piece on the history of England after the reign and death of King Henry VIII.

It’s been 500 years since Henry VIIIth’s coronation. Tudors star Natalie Dormer, who played Anne Boleyn, journeys to Hampton Court Palace, Henry’s historic home which defined royal extravagance

It’s been 500 years since Henry VIIIth’s coronation. Tudors star Natalie Dormer, who played Anne Boleyn, explore the British Library in search of rare artifacts from the life and times of England’s most notorious monarch.

It’s been 500 years since Henry VIIIth’s coronation. Tudors star Natalie Dormer, who played Anne Boleyn, visits the infamous Tower of London, where treasures from the King’s historic armory depict an age both glorious and brutal.