I recently watched the TV series, The Tudors, for my second time thru and it has me quite intrigued with the life of Henry VIII. Everything about the show is quite eye popping and awe-inspiring. From the dramatic and romantic story-lines to the elaborate costumes and settings. It is hard not to be allured by the visuals of this program. It is filled with passionate love yet also graphic violence. It is in my opinion a top quality drama series, ideal for binge watching during the winter season.
The Tudors was produced by Showtime and released from 2007-2010 with a total of 4 seasons and 38 episodes. It was created by Michael Hirst and stars Johnathan Rhys Meyes, as King Henry VII. While I'm not exactly crazy about this actor in the lead role, the brilliant production is not carried by his acting. It's the characters and settings around him that make this such an enjoyable show. There's a strong supporting cast in Sam Neil, Henry Cavill, Peter O'Toole, Max von Sydow, and Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn. The show was nominated for 3 Golden Globes and 15 Emmys of which it won 6.
The premise focuses on Henry VIII's reign of England during the 1500s. It revolves around his 6 wives and his conflict with the Catholic Church. The first season demonstrates his dismay with his elder wife Queen Catherine of Aragon. From that point on the scandalous story is put into motion as Henry is eager to divorce Catherine and remarry one of his mistresses, Anne Boleyn. In order to do this he decides to break apart from the Catholic Church and establish the Church of England. However even after he is able to annul his first marriage he runs into other problems mostly to do with producing a male heir.
King Henry VIII (1491-1547)
King Henry VIII is portrayed as a strong and charismatic leader. He is clearly spoiled with his power, always keen to get whatever he desires no matter the consequences. He is highly intelligent, a passionate lover and a very sociable king. However his selfish behavior is no doubt his defining feature which completely changed the religion of England. While the Protestant Reformation was reaching it's height during this time, Henry VIII's decision to break away from the church was driven by his own passion rather than the passion of his people. His life became a cursed one, short-lived due to a near-death experience during a jousting accident. Following this accident his character became all the more selfish.
1st Wife: Catherine of Aragon (1509-1533)
She was the Spanish daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella and arranged as Henry VIII's wife for political affiliations. She is portrayed as somewhat of a cold and dull character. She was much older than King Henry, and their relationship lacked passion perhaps from the get-go. She bore Henry a daughter named Mary (who would later become known as Bloody Mary) however could not bore him a son. This lack of a male heir, gave way to Henry's dismay with the queen and his hunger for a new suitor. Henry was able to make claim that his marriage with Catherine was illegitimate because her previous marriage to his brother, was indeed consummated. He also took advantage of the Protestant movement in an effort to turn the people against Queen Katherine's Catholic motives. Once he was able to annul the marriage he banished her from the kingdom where she spent her final days in exile.
2nd Wife: Anne Boleyn (1533-1536)
Anne Boleyn is often portrayed as a seductive noble-woman, driven by her selfish father to advance the family name. She uses charm and wit in the king's court to gain his attention. At first it is merely a power grab, however she herself becomes enamored with Henry VIII and the idea of being queen of England. She becomes Henry's prime mistress as he grows frustrated with Catherine. She helps convince him to annul his marriage with Catherine and establish the Church of England. Henry VIII agrees to go thru with the divorce and seperating from the Catholic Church so that he can marry Anne. However once she is queen, she is unable to produce a male heir. Their first and only child is Elizabeth (whom will later become the Golden Queen of England). Over the years Henry grows frustrated with the lack of a male heir, and eventually falls out of love with her. She is then accused of adultery and witchcraft and cruelly executed. Henry quickly replaces Anne with another noble-woman Jane Seymour
3rd Wife: Jane Seymour (1536-1537)
Jane is portrayed as a much more innocent and modest woman than Anne is. Henry discovers her in his court and their romance begins as his marriage with Anne begins to crumble. She later becomes engaged to him on the day of Anne's execution. She attempts to restore good grace with the Catholic church, however she is unable to convince Henry on this matter. She does however reunite him with his first daughter Mary as well as his second daughter Elizabeth. To Henry's delight she bores him his first male child, Edward, however she dies a few weeks after from the child birth. She is the only of Henry's wives to receive a proper funeral.
4th Wife: Anne of Cleves (1540-1540)
King Henry was a widower for nearly 3 years until he was re-arranged with another wife for political reasons. This time it was a German princess named Anne of Cleves. However Henry did not care for her at all and considered her to be unattractive and uninteresting. The marriage only lasted for 6 months until they came to a mutual agreement to divorce. She was given a fair parting and went on to a live full life free from King Henry. She remained close with the kings daughters throughout her life and was the last of his 6 wives to die.
5th Wife: Catherine Howard (1540-1541)
King Henry was attracted to Katherine Howard from court, for her youth and beauty. At this point he was in his late 40s, feeling old from the injuries sustained from his near death experience. Katherine was full of life and she made him feel young again. However she was at constant odds with the approval of Henry's daughter Mary, who was coming of age at the time. It was later discovered that she was having an affair with one of the kings councilmen, Thomas Culpeper, and the two were beheaded.
6th Wife: Catherine Parr (1543-1547)
In Henry's final years he had grown very obese and mentally unstable however he still found favor in a woman from his court, Catherine Parr. At the time she had already been married twice and was in love with Thomas Seymour the brother of Jane. Once her husband died, the king quickly disrupted her relationship with Thomas by sending him overseas on a diplomatic mission. He proposed to Catherine and she knew she could not refuse. She loved him and did her part as queen during the king's dying years. She took on the role as regent queen and gave way for prince Edward's ascension to the throne. Following the king's death she went on to marry her fourth husband in Thomas Seymour.
The premise focuses on Henry VIII's reign of England during the 1500s. It revolves around his 6 wives and his conflict with the Catholic Church. The first season demonstrates his dismay with his elder wife Queen Catherine of Aragon. From that point on the scandalous story is put into motion as Henry is eager to divorce Catherine and remarry one of his mistresses, Anne Boleyn. In order to do this he decides to break apart from the Catholic Church and establish the Church of England. However even after he is able to annul his first marriage he runs into other problems mostly to do with producing a male heir.
King Henry VIII (1491-1547)King Henry VIII is portrayed as a strong and charismatic leader. He is clearly spoiled with his power, always keen to get whatever he desires no matter the consequences. He is highly intelligent, a passionate lover and a very sociable king. However his selfish behavior is no doubt his defining feature which completely changed the religion of England. While the Protestant Reformation was reaching it's height during this time, Henry VIII's decision to break away from the church was driven by his own passion rather than the passion of his people. His life became a cursed one, short-lived due to a near-death experience during a jousting accident. Following this accident his character became all the more selfish.
1st Wife: Catherine of Aragon (1509-1533)
She was the Spanish daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella and arranged as Henry VIII's wife for political affiliations. She is portrayed as somewhat of a cold and dull character. She was much older than King Henry, and their relationship lacked passion perhaps from the get-go. She bore Henry a daughter named Mary (who would later become known as Bloody Mary) however could not bore him a son. This lack of a male heir, gave way to Henry's dismay with the queen and his hunger for a new suitor. Henry was able to make claim that his marriage with Catherine was illegitimate because her previous marriage to his brother, was indeed consummated. He also took advantage of the Protestant movement in an effort to turn the people against Queen Katherine's Catholic motives. Once he was able to annul the marriage he banished her from the kingdom where she spent her final days in exile.2nd Wife: Anne Boleyn (1533-1536)
Anne Boleyn is often portrayed as a seductive noble-woman, driven by her selfish father to advance the family name. She uses charm and wit in the king's court to gain his attention. At first it is merely a power grab, however she herself becomes enamored with Henry VIII and the idea of being queen of England. She becomes Henry's prime mistress as he grows frustrated with Catherine. She helps convince him to annul his marriage with Catherine and establish the Church of England. Henry VIII agrees to go thru with the divorce and seperating from the Catholic Church so that he can marry Anne. However once she is queen, she is unable to produce a male heir. Their first and only child is Elizabeth (whom will later become the Golden Queen of England). Over the years Henry grows frustrated with the lack of a male heir, and eventually falls out of love with her. She is then accused of adultery and witchcraft and cruelly executed. Henry quickly replaces Anne with another noble-woman Jane Seymour3rd Wife: Jane Seymour (1536-1537)
Jane is portrayed as a much more innocent and modest woman than Anne is. Henry discovers her in his court and their romance begins as his marriage with Anne begins to crumble. She later becomes engaged to him on the day of Anne's execution. She attempts to restore good grace with the Catholic church, however she is unable to convince Henry on this matter. She does however reunite him with his first daughter Mary as well as his second daughter Elizabeth. To Henry's delight she bores him his first male child, Edward, however she dies a few weeks after from the child birth. She is the only of Henry's wives to receive a proper funeral.
4th Wife: Anne of Cleves (1540-1540)King Henry was a widower for nearly 3 years until he was re-arranged with another wife for political reasons. This time it was a German princess named Anne of Cleves. However Henry did not care for her at all and considered her to be unattractive and uninteresting. The marriage only lasted for 6 months until they came to a mutual agreement to divorce. She was given a fair parting and went on to a live full life free from King Henry. She remained close with the kings daughters throughout her life and was the last of his 6 wives to die.
5th Wife: Catherine Howard (1540-1541)King Henry was attracted to Katherine Howard from court, for her youth and beauty. At this point he was in his late 40s, feeling old from the injuries sustained from his near death experience. Katherine was full of life and she made him feel young again. However she was at constant odds with the approval of Henry's daughter Mary, who was coming of age at the time. It was later discovered that she was having an affair with one of the kings councilmen, Thomas Culpeper, and the two were beheaded.
6th Wife: Catherine Parr (1543-1547)
In Henry's final years he had grown very obese and mentally unstable however he still found favor in a woman from his court, Catherine Parr. At the time she had already been married twice and was in love with Thomas Seymour the brother of Jane. Once her husband died, the king quickly disrupted her relationship with Thomas by sending him overseas on a diplomatic mission. He proposed to Catherine and she knew she could not refuse. She loved him and did her part as queen during the king's dying years. She took on the role as regent queen and gave way for prince Edward's ascension to the throne. Following the king's death she went on to marry her fourth husband in Thomas Seymour. 
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