The Tudors
Tags: intrigue

Plot synopsis:
=== Season 1 ===
Chronicles the period of Henry VIII's reign in which his effectiveness as King is tested by international conflicts as well as political intrigue in his own court. Cardinal Wolsey plays a major part in the series, acting as Henry's trusted advisor.
In Episode 1, Wolsey persuades his King to keep the peace with France and the two Kings meet at Calais to agree a pact of friendship, while the pressure of fathering a male heir compels him to question his marriage to his Queen, Katherine of Aragon. He also has a string of affairs and, in Episode 2, fathers an illegitimate son with his mistress, Elizabeth "Bessie" Blount, who is also one of Queen Katherine's ladies-in waiting (the son, Henry FitzRoy, later dies).
Anne Boleyn catches Henry's eye — she has been attending the French court — and she is encouraged by her father and uncle to seduce the King, though she also falls in love with Henry as the season unfolds. Her shrewd refusal to his open invitation to become his mistress unless he will marry her pushes him to use Cardinal Wolsey to take action against the Queen, the King instructing his trusted advisor to get papal dispensation for his divorce on the grounds that his wife did indeed consummate her marriage to his brother, Arthur. In Episode 6, Wolsey's increasingly desperate efforts to persuade the Catholic Church to grant a royal divorce, primarily as a result of Emperor Charles V's influence over the Pope as Katherine's nephew, starts to weaken his position.
In Episode 7, the mysterious sweating sickness arrives in England, killing both the high-born and low-born, and Henry, who is terrified of catching the plague, secludes himself with his herbal medicines in the deep countryside away from court. Anne Boleyn contracts the illness but recovers. A papal envoy finally lands on English shores to decide on the annulment and, at the end of a specially convened session at which both Henry and Katherine are initially present, eventually decides in favor of Katherine. Cardinal Wolsey is stripped of his office, in Episode 9, and banished to York, where he pleads with the King to restore him to office. Sir Thomas More, Henry's devotedly loyal friend, is chosen as his successor.
In the final episode (Episode 10), Cardinal Wolsey makes one last desperate attempt to save himself by allying himself with his old enemy, Queen Katherine, but their plot is discovered and Wolsey kills himself during his internment in the Tower of London after saying a brief prayer apologizing for his sins, but asking no forgiveness for them.
=== Season 2 ===
Henry will do whatever it takes to marry Anne Boleyn, even defying Pope Paul III. He prepares to take Anne on a royal visit to France, having demanded loyalty from the English clergy. The papacy in Rome organises an assassination plot against Anne but the assassins' attempts fail.
In Episode 3 the newly appointed Archbishop of Canterbury annuls Henry's marriage, clearing the way for Henry to marry a by now pregnant Anne, which also increases the growing rift between England and Rome. Bishop Fisher refuses to recognise the validity of Henry's marriage — after Henry issues a decree ordering all his subjects to recognise their new Queen — and is finally joined by Sir Thomas More, who is granted permission by Henry to retire from his public office. In Episode 5, Fisher and More's refusal to sign an oath of allegiance recognising Henry's supreme authority as head of the English church eventually leads to their executions.
In Episode 6, Thomas Cromwell, who has assumed More's office as Chancellor of England, announces his plans to cleanse England of dissenters to the New Monarchy. Also, England's relationship with France is complicated by King Francis's refusal to unite their kingdoms in marriage, thus causing Henry to question his decision to have married Anne. Episode 7 sees an increasingly ill and disillusioned Katherine who has been forbidden to see her daughter, Lady Mary, and Cromwell has legislation approved by Parliament agreeing to the dissolution of first the smaller and then the larger abbeys and monasteries.
In Episode 8, Henry has Cromwell initiate overtures to the Emperor to make peace with Rome as a bulwark against a hostile France, and the King starts to pay court to Lady Jane Seymour after Anne's two miscarriages following the birth of Princess Elizabeth. It is his long-time friend, Charles Brandon who, with Cromwell, eventually alerts Henry to Anne's apparent indiscretions and her fate is sealed. She is conducted to the Tower of London and her four supposed lovers, one of whom is her own brother, are executed followed eventually by her own — delayed by some hours as a result of the French executioner's late arrival from Calais. Her devious father, who shows little remorse at the death of his son and Anne's impending death, is allowed to go free but banished from court and is shown leaving the Tower without even acknowledging his daughter waving from her cell window.
On the morning of his Queen's execution, Henry enjoys a lavish breakfast, symbolically consisting of the mate of a swan he has seen outside his window, as he looks forward to a new start and heirs with Lady Jane Seymour.
=== Season 3 ===
Focuses on Henry's marriages to Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves, the birth of his son Prince Edward, his ruthless suppression of the Pilgrimage of Grace, the downfall of Thomas Cromwell, and the beginnings of Henry's relationship with the free-spirited Catherine Howard.
Henry happily marries his third wife but his honeymoon period is soon spoilt by a growing resentment against the Reformation in the north and east of England. The growing band of rebels disperses in Lincolnshire but gathers strength in Yorkshire, primarily because of its able leaders such as Robert Aske and Lord Darcy. The royal troops, commanded by the Duke of Suffolk, are severely outnumbered and are forced to parley, whilst on the Continent the papacy sends a newly appointed English cardinal to persuade the Spanish and French monarchs to support the English rebellion, deemed the Pilgrimage of Grace by its followers as their objective is to restore the old Catholic religious practices.
In Episode 3 Henry is determined to stop at nothing to suppress the revolt, his fears stirred by remembrances of the Cornish uprising during his father's reign. He deceitfully persuades the rebel leaders to lay down their arms and disperse their followers, promising to hold a Parliament in York to answer all their grievances, which is never convoked. A second uprising is savagely suppressed and the leaders executed as Henry, via Cromwell, instructs Suffolk to shed quantities of blood to act as an example. Jane Seymour goes into labor and produces a baby boy, but she dies soon after as a result of her protracted labors. In Episode 5, Henry retires from public view, bereft by the loss of his Queen, but finally emerges: his first act is to get the church leaders to agree on a new Protestant doctrine, one that threatens to undermine Cromwell's Reformation.
In the ensuing episodes, the King has the last remaining Plantagenet heirs, the Pole family, put to death (mother, son and grandson) as a result of Cardinal Reginald Pole's actions to undermine his rule. This creates a schism with Spain and France and, upon Cromwell's urging, Henry agrees to an alliance with the Protestant League by marrying Anne of Cleves after first dispatching the English Ambassador to Holland to negotiate terms, followed by Hans Holbein to paint her likeness. However, Cromwell's plans to bolster the Reformation are undone by Henry's dislike for Anne, whom he calls a 'Flanders mare'. He is unable to consummate his marriage and vents his frustration on his Lord Privy Seal, which is encouraged by the Duke of Suffolk in league with Edward Seymour, as both want Cromwell removed from office. With his enemies encircling him, Cromwell pleads with Anne of Cleves to submit herself to her husband, but she is powerless to deflect King Henry's antipathy towards her. Finally, Cromwell is dragged off to the Tower after being accused of being a traitor by the King's Council and, despite writing a letter begging his master's forgiveness, is gruesomely beheaded by a drunken executioner.
In the meantime, Sir Francis Bryan is instructed by the Duke of Suffolk to find a woman to rekindle Henry's jaded love interest, and the beautiful and very young Catherine Howard, a distant relation of the Duke of Norfolk, is introduced at court and, catching the King's interest, he beds her in secret and a new romance begins.
=== Season 4 ===
The fourth and final season covers Henry's ill-fated marriage to Catherine Howard and his final, more congenial, marriage to Catherine Parr. The ageing King seeks military glory by capturing Boulogne, France. In his final hours, he is troubled by the ghosts of his dead wives.
Henry marries 17 year old Catherine Howard, and, besotted by her beauty, calling her "his rose without a thorn", feels rejuvenated. Catherine starts to dally with the King's groom, Thomas Culpepper, and is encouraged by her senior lady-in-waiting, Lady Rochford — Henry's sister-in-law — who is also being bedded by Culpepper. In Episode 2, Henry invites his former wife, Anne of Cleves, to court to celebrate Christmas as he wants to reward her for keeping her word to him and for her loyalty. She, in turn, is grateful for the charity he has shown towards her. After the festivities, he is struck down once again by his leg wound — from his former jousting days — while Catherine is with Culpepper.
Feeling the need for company, Henry visits Anne of Cleves and has a liaison with her. He and Catherine embark on the royal Passage to the North to forgive the former rebels, accompanied by the Princess Mary who is popular with the King's northern subjects. It is during this period that Catherine and Culpepper consummate their relationship and Catherine is truly in love with him. In Episode 4, Henry makes friendly overtures to the French Ambassador, hoping to prevent an invasion, and Francis Dereham, Catherine's former lover when they both resided with the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, arrives at court and blackmails the Queen into making him her private secretary. Some weeks later Henry receives a secret letter about their prior sexual exploits.
In Episode 5 the King grants permission to the Earl of Hertford to investigate the Queen's infidelity. He plans to pardon her but is then informed by his Council of her affair with Culpepper — revealed by Dereham under torture — and he has all three executed, along with Lady Rochford who has gone mad in the Tower. On the scaffold, Catherine states that, although Queen of England, she would have preferred to have been Thomas Culpepper's wife. In Episode 6, Henry is courted by both Spain and Rome to form a military alliance against the French, who have allied with the Turks, and he is persuaded to form an alliance with the Emperor and invade France. Thomas Seymour introduces Catherine Parr at court and she catches the King's eye, even though married. Henry pursues her and sends Seymour over to Belgium to remove him as a love rival.
Military preparations are made and English troops lay siege to Boulogne, bombarding it with cannon as an Italian engineer digs a tunnel to blow up the castle. Charles Brandon, the Duke of Suffolk, captures a French father and daughter and falls in love with the daughter Brigitte. At home, Catherine Parr is acting as Regent in Henry's absence and uses her power to further the Protestant cause but is checked by Bishop Gardiner and his Catholic faction, supported by the Princess Mary. In Episode 8, the castle of Boulogne is overcome and the keys to the city handed over to Henry by the French mayor. Henry returns to court in triumph, leaving the Earl of Surrey in charge of the new possession.
At home, Henry is disturbed by the struggle between the Catholic and Protestant factions and Catherine alienates him through her support of the Reformation. Bishop Gardiner continues his campaign against heretics and gathers enough evidence to persuade the King to issue an arrest warrant against the Queen for heresy. In the meantime, Henry Howard, now Lieutenant General Surrey, loses a disastrous battle at Boulogne and, in an attempt to usurp power away from the new men like the Seymours and Richard Rich, he is arrested and tried for treason and executed, despite the paucity of evidence against him.
In Episode 10 an increasingly frail Henry is facing his own mortality. His mind is on the succession and he appoints Edward Seymour, the Earl of Hertford, to be Lord Protector until Prince Edward reaches his maturity. Catherine, knowing the mortal danger she is in, orders her ladies-in-waiting to destroy all their heretical books and no longer to discuss religious matters; she also submits herself to her husband and he pardons her. Charles Brandon, the King's most trustworthy friend and loyal servant, is reunited with Henry for one final meeting before he dies. As the end approaches, the ghosts of Henry's first three wives confront him over their ends and his treatment of their children. Henry orders his family to spend their Christmas at Greenwich, bidding them his final farewell and instructing the Princesses Mary and Elizabeth to care for their brother. The final scene has him approving the portrait painted for him by Hans Holbein, depicting him as a virile, youthful King.

Review: I'm glad to see Showtime taking on the Tudor era, even if they are doing it because Henry's life is a tabloid-seller's dream come true, and our culture is tabloid-obsessed.I love the casting of Jeremy Northam (Sir Thomas More) and Sam Neill (Cardinal Wolsey).I read an earlier comment after I had already expressed the following thought elsewhere, and I completely agree -- Steven Waddington (Buckingham) would have been a better Henry VIII - he's bigger (he properly fills the screen, which in various shots J R-M painfully cannot, either in height or breadth); red-haired (as Henry was); and a POWERFUL, mesmerizing actor who's a better age for the part.
Some dramatic license is expected (like flipping France for Portgual b/c they introduced Francis I early on) but there is no GOOD excuse for making a composite of Henry's sisters by telling Princess Mary Rose Tudor's story, but calling the character Princess Margaret, which was her older sister's name.The real Margaret had a dramatic story, too -- and she's got the line to the current royal family through her great-granddaughter, Mary, Queen of Scots -- but they lost the chance to tell that by combining the sisters.
Having finished the first season and rewatched it a half dozen times as I wait impatiently for Showtime to unveil the second season of "The Tudors," I have to admit that this show has intrigued me in the history surrounding Henry VIII and his unfortunate wives better than any before it.
Like the fact that the little wrestling match between Henry of England and Charles of France actually did take place, or that the only time Queen Katharine lost her cool in all that she was forced to endure was over the succession, and subsequent threat to her daughter's rights to the throne.
Even certain of the dialogue is ripped right from the pages of history.True, things are pushed out of order so as to move the story along at a more rapid pace, and the worst bastardization of history comes in the form of the preposterous mingling of Henry's sisters Margaret and Mary into one individual (oddly enough, they don't even bother to push through the fact that one marriage lasted eighteen years and produced several children, which would have given them a lead-in for producing a later series built on this one about the heirs to the throne), but the reality is that this is solid film-making.
(It also doesn't give the audience much empathy for Henry, who seems incapable of "making love." Even his eventual tryst with Anne Boleyn has more primal boredom to it than wooing.) I know it was a low ploy by Showtime, cashing in on the "sex sells" shallowness of our culture, but the story is much more profoundly lingering without it..
I understand people may argue that there are many historical inaccuracies but these become irrelevant when you realise the quality of the sets, scripts and not to forget the incredible acting.I also think that the costume department also deserve an enormous amount of credit for designing royal attire that would have been fit for any Tudor King or Queen.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry VIII was absolutely excellent throughout, he thoroughly owned the character and delivered with incredible passion and conviction.
This outstanding series composed by 38 episodes results to be a magnificent costumer , set in Henry VIII's (Jonathan Rhys Meyers) epoch .
The drama is based on so much sexual activity that it rather spoils the look for those who want to see also History without quite such great liberty taken.Costuming is less than stunning; and hair and make-up do nothing but enhance the physical beauty of the actors.
There are movies that embellished on Henry VIII...like HBO's HenryVIII, but, they stuck to the basic facts and the actors were cast brilliantly.At this point, for those of us who know our history, it's like watching a train wreck, you just can't help it...as horrible as it is, you can't turn away.I watch more now to see just how badly they can keep on screwing up.
I do know if I can make it through the first season, I won't be watching the second.Most of us "haters" were excited about the show coming out because that was a very dramatic time in history...to be more accurate we are now "dissapointed" by the show and feel let down.
After all, it is called the The Tudors...one would expect it to be a fairly accurate account of The Tudors...*all* of them.If they wanted to make a series about a King and his court, then do it...but don't call it by a name that is part of history then rape the real stories of the real people.That's just my 2 cents....
The people of this particular time period should have only wished that they looked this good."The Tudors" also take generous liberties with actual historical events, characters and costuming.
If you are truly interested in seeing a historical and accurate depiction of Tudor life and events, rent "Anne of the Thousand Days", "A Man for All Seasons" or the PBS specials "The Six Wives of Henry the Eighth" or "Elizabeth R"..
JRM's Henry8 would be at home on 'Growing Up Gotti' while the aplomb and skill of the other actors (most notably Neill and Northam) show him up as common and juvenile.None of the foregoing will matter, however, to viewers looking for mindless entertainment, and whatever its deficiencies, viewers are forced to learn some rudiments about one of history's most intriguing monarchs..
This rather lack luster series deals with the early years pertaining to the rule of Henry VIII, and trades, rather unfortunately boobies and gratuitous sex for historical accuracy.
- Jonathan Rhys Meyers - how can it be possible to be such a miscast, his looks can go so far as the first episodes after that he has to produce a strong character with the dimension and complexity of Henry the VIII at least, and basically be able to come across as a monarch not as a street ganger, with totally wrong facial expressions, moves, poses, lac of royal pose, after all he's a King and was born and educated to be one, it's not you grocery delivery boy down the street that was just promoted to be King.
that's a pretty big statement: so, it's for the Americans it's OK, they don't care about history and as long as it has pretty people in it, lots of sex scenes, and looks old and historical, everything goes....
hi friends, I'm coming from China, and very like history of world.From mid of 2007, I found this great TV series on net, and inspired by it immediately, as I know about a picture of King Henry VIII and imaging from books, he is a fat and normal looking man, had changed 8 wives, killed 6 of them, and his doctor is Queen Elizabeth I, but in this TV series, the actors makes me almost back to that age, all the environment, language, scene and people of that age comes to my eyes like a hurricane, their act and charming makes the TV becoming one of the greatest history TV series, like Rome and the Band of Brothers etc.The king is a most complex person, and also the Anne Boleyn was same, the two actors play the role from their soul, I think even the real King Henry and Queen Ann would be satisfied with them.my poor English level can't allow me to write more, but I'm very happy to know this series and waiting for the serious extended to Elizabeth age asap----the King Henry's time is long enough, IMO, kidding..
if only, the time of King Henry was a time of great drama and could have easily provided enough of a story without cherry picking costumes, period features, etc.It really is a shame, the potential was there but bad choices, 'acting' and research really let it down.Do not let this put you off watching for yourselves, it was entertaining at times..
There are some good performances and some of the scenery is breathtaking but why try to reinvent a saga like this: A prince destined for the church finds himself king of England against all odds when his brother dies young; he marries his brother's widow, imprisons and torments her for a decade, disowns his daughters, breaks with Rome and creates a new religion; marries five more women in succession, executing two of them; produces one male heir who dies before coming to the throne; makes martyrs of two of his close councillors.
I loved the way they had sexed up the historic characters.The other stroke of genius was to cast Natalie Dormer as Ann Boleyn.
Instead of casting capable age-appropriate actors to thesp the necessary roles, we're given a near predominantly nightmarish youth-cultured cast to portray king, country and subjects (mostly anyway).Henry the eighth was a pretty big man (for the period at least), and, like most kings, threw his weight around (no pun intended).
The acting and costumes, for all they're worth, is actually fairly respectable, but the direction in which the show started, and has continued, leaves much to be desired.In short, if advertisers want TV audiences to buy their clients' products via their sponsoring of television shows, then maybe they better do the following; A) LOWER the prices of the product; B) sell BETTER products (i.e. plastic-junk that doesn't fall apart a year after you buy it); C) do your own stinking research for once, instead of relying on the model-T of data gathering engines; D) make a show people will like.I've really wanted American TV to make a grab for historical dramas, much like Japan's highly successful samurai track record, as well as Europes (specifically England's BBC and ITV, as well as France and the Scandinavian countries).
Jonathan Rhys Meyers was excellent as king henry, the whole cast was fantastic.i think he made him, if its possible, a more likable character but Jonathan is much much more handsome of course than henry was, once i got used to the idea of henry not having red hair,i forgot all about it!i don't suppose i'll ever see anything as good as that again,in fact I'm going to watch it all over again!!!!
As much as I like JRM's good looks, he simply lacks the appropriate charisma for the role, and let's face it he and the other characters are way too skinny for the show to look the slightest historically accurate.
"Anne of a Thousand Days" with Genieve Bujold in the title role is a much more accurate depiction of the events surrounding Henry's divorce and eventual marriage to Boleyn.Part of the problem with this production is the casting seems radically off.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers seems like a good actor, but all wrong for Henry VIII, at least not the Henry who wooed Anne Boleyn.
For my money, the two best Henry VIII's on screen will always be Richard Burton in "Anne of a Thousand Days" and Robert Shaw in "A Man for All Seasons", certainly not easy acts to follow.
Some of it was unbelievable and the characters are far too pretty as is several other aspects but I wasn't watching a documentary on King Henry or his life.I really get bored of reading rants and raves like OMG it's not the same as the book, or OMG it doesn't follow history to the last detail.
Probably some of the finest set dressing and costuming ever assembled for a huge cast kept the eye entertained while the quality of acting included some of the more important actors of the day along with introducing some fresh and exciting faces: Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Henry Cavill, James Frain, Sarah Bolger, Natalie Dormer, Maria Doyle Kennedy, Jeremy Northam, Sam Neill, Hans Matheson, Henry Czerny, Peter O'Toole, Joely Richaradson, Max von Sydow, Joss Stone, Gabrielle Anwar, David O'Hara and on and on.
Terrible casting (or wasteful casting), bad acting, and historical inaccuracies (yes, so called history teacher from the U.S., it DOES matter!) Dumbed down, sexed up entertainment for those who would be just as amused watching a gerbil spinning around in his exercise wheel.
There is a good cast, including Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Henry Cavill, Sam Neill and Peter O'Toole.
I've noticed that some of the reviewers have criticized "The Tudors" for historical inaccuraciesall I can say is that to expect filmmakers to honestly and accurately give a historical account of a story is like expecting a defense attorney to make an accurate accounting of the facts for his suspected client.I don't know much about the historical truths behind "The Tudors" so I just sat back and enjoyed the 4 seasons, which covers which I guess to be about the final 25 years of Henry's reign as King.
Although people seem to be complaining about some of the casting and such, but I find no such problems.I love the character of King Henry and of Cardinal Wosley.
I acknowledge that sex is something that is done and enjoyed, but the pilot had so many sexual scenes that it seemed like a pornography.I was considering in buying the series but after so many sexual scenes it would just seem like a porn collection that I would not share to my friends or family.There should be more acknowledgment of the history and their symbolisms: the Houses of York in Lancaster or epilogues to the reign of the King, the Market Bosworth, the legacy of Edmund Tudor; use those aspects in replacement of the repetitive pornos.This show made me really sad, it just demoralizes the English Monarchy and the real history in which it is told.This version is so condescending intellectually and hard to watch with all the inaccuracies involved.-Alex.
Likewise, ANY show that makes the average American viewer want to learn more about history of a country other than the US is praiseworthy.Now, I have read some rave reviews of Natalie Dormer's performance as Anne Boleyn and think something must be wrong with my eyes, or the rest of the world is going crazy.
I see that another reviewer felt that the actor chosen to play Henry was not well suited...I think you need to keep in mind that this is a television show and not a history book...The story line is staying pretty true to historical findings, while still remaining entertaining...sex appeal is part of television, so to cast an unattractive male lead, wouldn't work...I think you need to pay more attention to the actors ability to act, in which case the Jonathan Rhys Meyers is a good choice; he's attractive and a good actor...I think the fist episode was a slow start, but the show is picking up and becoming more and more interesting...I think if you have missed the beginning of the series you should try to catch up, if reruns allow...stay tuned....I see this getting even better..
This Showtime series focuses on the young life of King Henry the VIII of England and seems to be a direct response to HBO's "Rome".
Jonathan Rhys Meyers is the focal point of the series, playing the Renaissance man that was Henry the VIII.
Showtime's promotion of Jonathan Rhys Meyers seemed a risky venture for their final choice of that imposing and formidable Henry VIII, in their series, The Tudors.I get that Showtime is in hot competition with its cable foe, HBO, and I can just imagine a Big Shot and his Assistant, wrestling with the knotty problem, mired in deep contemplation, looking to make a quality A-list product.Big Shot (BS): "So the reason we're meeting today is because we've got to choose someone for the lead role in The Tudors." Assistant (ASS): "Ray Winstone?" BIG Shot (BS): "He'd be great!
Some people are complaining that the series is not at all like "Tudor history".
this series could easily continue for years, the characters fascinating, interesting and a good history lesson, Jonathan Rhys Meyers half naked would change most peoples mind about history!
The cinematography is good, and the pace is engaging, but I would have liked more adherence to the real facts of Tudor history..
Forget history, forget everything and understand this: this series created a fictional story based on real historical facts and characters.
"The Tudors" shouldn't be viewed by people demanding a historically accurate picture of the life of Henry VIII.
For those demanding a high-budget costume drama with sumptuous sets and a liberal amount of nudity, this will be up their street.Jonathan Rhys Meyers plays Henry like a Tudor Robbie Williams.
It didn't matter that Jonathan Rhys Meyes didn't look like Henry he was brilliant, his acting made you forget about that fact as far as I'm concerned, and the rest of the cast were also fantastic.
I especially love Jonathan Rhys Meyers, he is an excellent actor and portrayed King Henry VIII perfectly!
And the development of the characters along the seasons really got my attention, especially, Henry VIII, showing that the actor had some talent, unfortunately in real life he's addicted to alcohol and drugs, and the Duke of Suffolk, the only true friend of the king.To sum up, The Tudors is a very well produced and directed TV series.
If you don't see a big problem if there are some differences in the story between the show and what really happened , after all is just a way to present us the court and the reign of Henry VIII and find interesting the medieval age, surely you will enjoy your time watching The Tudors..
British History quite clearly is only the starting point for The Tudors series which is not supposed to be a like-for-like account of historical fact.
Broadly speaking it is based on the events of the Tudor reign of King Henry but if we want an accurate account we can visit one of our many historical landmarks or read such books as 'The Monarchy' which is a great account of this period of British History.