Harry Tudor

**Henry Tudor VIII** was the King of England and Lord of Ireland. He was born the second-born living son of Henry VII and his wife, Queen Elizabeth of York. He was married six times to, Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Katherine Howard, Anne of Cleves and Catherine Parr. He is the father of Katherine Tudor, Mary Tudor, Elizabeth Tudor, Edward Tudor and Jane Tudor.

## Season One

Season One focuses mostly on Henry's Annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon. His affair with the beautiful Anne Boleyn. The first episode opens with everybody receiving news of Henry's uncle's death, which has made Henry mad with grief and extremely furious. Henry declares that they must declare war on France. He then goes to sleep with his mistress. Henry is constantly cheating on his wife Catherine, however she is not aware of his adulterous ways until she discovers that his mistress, Lady Elizabeth Blount is pregnant with his child. Henry is ecstatic when Lady Elizabeth has a son, who is named Henry Fitzroy. Henry sends the boy away to his own establishment when he is of old enough age, however, Henry's happiness at having a son is short-lived, as Henry Fitzroy catches the sweating sickness and dies. Lady Elizabeth, dressed in black, comes to her son's bed where he lies dead and cries, while episode 5 ends with a devastated Henry crying about his son's death while looking at the crown his son wore when he was named Duke. Anne and Henry make plans to get married and when Henry announces to Catherine of Aragon, his wife, that their marriage was null and void and that it has come to an end, she is devastated. Anne promises Henry a son. The first season ends with Henry riding with Anne on horseback into the forest; they get off their horses and have sex but Anne shoves Henry off and tells him "No you must not " after he attempts to get her pregnant. Henry, furious, screams in anger and storms off out of the forest.

## Season Two

Henry's beard indicates that he and Anne have been together for a few years now. His court is changing; his former teacher and friend Sir Thomas More, a Catholic, has been displaced as 'First Minister' by the cunning Thomas Cromwell, a supporter of Protestantism. Meanwhile, the Archbishop of Canterbury is eventually bullied into declaring Henry Head of the Church. Henry's interest in reforms stems primarily from his determination to remove Papal authority from England; to this end, he allows Cromwell to close down various monasteries that are deemed "corrupt" or refuse to take the Oath of Supremacy (recognizing Henry as Head of the Church). When More and Cardinal John Fisher also refuse to take the Oath, Henry has them executed- despite the fact that More was one of his closest friends. Henry's actions enrage the Pope, as well as offending the Catholic monarchs of Spain and (to a lesser extent) France. Although neither monarch is confident enough to declare war on England, diplomatic relations with both countries have been damaged, which will mean trouble ahead for Henry.

Henry sleeps with Anne while they are in France (to present her as his betrothed to King Francis), causing her to become pregnant. In episode 2.03, he and Anne marry secretly to legitimize the baby, which is subsequently crowned King of England as the new, Protestant archbishop of Canterbury (Thomas Cranmer) nullifies Henry's marriage to Catherine; Catherine is then sent into solitary exile at the Castle Moore, where she eventually dies of illness. Much to Henry's joy, Anne gives birth to a girl and a boy, the girl named Elizabeth and the boy is named Edward. Anne died is childbirth leaving Henry heartbroken. Henry, to greeve, sleeps with about all of the dead Queen's ladies-in-waiting.  Henry does not want another wife, but knows that court will want a Duke of York.

Henry took a liking to one of Queen Anne's ladies-in-waiting, Jane, and the two become engaged. This is how season two ends.

## Season Three

Henry and Jane marry. Henry falls deeply in love with Jane, who in turn mends Henry's relationships with his family. Jane becomes a good friend of Henry's daughters Katherine and Mary, and helps Henry reconcile with both of the girls. Henry's newfound happiness, however, is disturbed by a large Catholic-backed rebellion in Northern England, known as the Pilgrimage of Grace; the rebels are opposed to Thomas Cromwell's religious reforms and his seizure of their monasteries and abbeys, which Henry had approved (mainly for his own benefit). Fearful of the size of the uprising, Henry blames Cromwell for provoking it (despite having just rewarded him handsomely) and orders Charles to ready the Royal Army. After seeming to negotiate with the Pilgrimage's leader, Robert Aske, he launches an attack once the majority of the rebels have dispersed. Henry's vengeance against the Pilgrimage is boundless, as he has thousands of men, women and children executed even though they had laid down their arms. This atrocity severely damages Henry's already infamous reputation abroad, especially with the major Catholic powers of Spain and France. Whereas before the kings of Spain and France were angered, but largely aloof about Henry's internal affairs and quarrels with the Vatican; Henry's oppression of English Catholics has given the Catholic monarchs *casus belli* to prepare for a holy war against England. Charles V and Francis I are both urged by the Pope to make a joint invasion of England, with the intention of putting Henry's Plantagenent cousin, Cardinal Reginald Pole, on the throne to restore Catholic rule by force. Ultimately, Francis' feud with Charles gets the better of him, and France eventually resumes its' war with Spain/the Holy Roman Empire. As a result, the invasion of England, while often feared by Henry and Cromwell in Season Three, never actually happens.

After almost a year into her marriage to Henry, Jane subtly implies her pregnancy by her craving quail eggs. Jane gives birth to a daughter, but the birth is long and painful. She contracts an illness and dies 12 days after Jane's birth, much to Henry's devastation, who named the new daughter he now had after her dead mother. He isolates himself in his chambers, depressed and devastated.  When Henry recovers from his depression, he becomes determined to return (for the most part) to the Catholic doctrine he formerly devoted himself to, to the horror of Cromwell.  When Henry decides to re-marry, Cromwell steers him towards a marriage with Anne of Cleves in order to re-establish Protestant links with England, but this backfires on Cromwell when Henry is repulsed on actually meeting Anne; the marriage is a failure that ends after six months, while Henry is infatuated with his new 17-year-old mistress, Katherine Howard.  Fallen from royal favor, Cromwell is placed in the Tower where he desperately gives Henry grounds to annul his marriage to Anne and pleads for mercy, but Henry allows Cromwell's enemies to put him to death.

## Season Four

While the rivalry between Protestants and Catholics burns hotter than ever, Henry appears to be weary of the conflict in Season Four; while he is still capable of enormous rage, he loses his temper less often and makes gestures of kindness more frequently.  During the first half of the Season, Henry tries to get back a taste of his youth and vitality through his marriage to 17-year-old Katherine Howard, but his increasingly infected leg means he is unable to keep up with her sex drive, with the result that she eventually begins an affair with his groom, Thomas Culpepper.

Despite Henry's outward good cheer, he begins to show some repentance for his many of his past actions of cruelty- and regret for those he has lost through it, especially his wives.  Watching his daughters Katherine, Mary and Elizabeth grow up, he remembers and regrets the tragic ends of their mothers Catherine and Anne; watching his beloved son Edward prosper, he reminisces sadly about the loss of Jane, and to see how her daughter is growing; making a progress of the North, where he once dealt out horiffic repressions, he makes gestures of reconcilliation when the crowds come to cheer him.  Greeted by begging and sickly citizens outside his gate, Henry gives them his blessing and distributes alms among them personally.  While he still has some imprisoned nobles executed and shows anger towards his Privy Council, Henry also releases 50 prisoners from the Tower in 4.01 and pardons them.  Amazingly, Henry even goes as far as saying he *mourn*s the execution of Cromwell, though this is mainly because Cromwell ran his government so efficiently.

Henry's progression towards a more humane personality, however, is sharply interrupted when Katherine's scandalous past is revealed, which convinces him to coldly annul their marriage despite her pleas; when further investigation reveals Katherine's adultery, Henry goes into his characteristic fury once more, having her and all those involved in her affairs executed.

Deciding he will no longer have further children (Katherine only had one false pregnancy despite all of Henry's 'attentions') Henry instead goes back to his warlike ways, seeking war first with Scotland and later with France.  His success against Scotland (mainly thanks to a new royal favorite of his, the Earl of Surrey) perhaps convinces him that France is the next target, and at long last he makes a new alliance with Emperor Charles.

Henry also makes a powerful gesture of fatherly love to his daughters in Season Four, one that would have world-changing results historically: he restored Katherine, Mary, Jane, and Elizabeth after her, to the line of Succession after their brother, should he die childless while King. Eventually, his interest is taken by Lady Catherine Parr, and when her husband dies in 4.05 he proposes marriage to her. Catherine proves a very stabilizing force in Henry's life; she does her duties as Queen Consort impeccably, looks after Henry during his bouts of illness, and becomes a loving stepmother to his children.

Having at last secured his family life, Henry then takes advantage of the renewed war between France and Spain/ the Holy Roman Empire, allying with Emperor Charles V in the hopes of pressing his claim to the throne of France. To the dismay of the Catholic faction at his court, Henry leaves the Protestant Catherine as Regent in his absence; he sails to France and quickly lays siege to the city of Boulogne, aided by Surrey and his longtime friend Charles Brandon. After a long and costly siege, the city finally falls, but the English are in no position to exploit their victory further and Emperor Charles has made peace with France, being busy against their allies the Turks.

Undeterred by his incomplete victory *or* the fact that he is virtually bankrupt, Henry returns to England celebrating his 'great triumph'- only to find London simmering with religious schism. Although Henry largely takes the side of the Catholics (as he does not intend to allow any further reforms) he is angered by the constant conflicts at his Court and publicly asks both factions to reconcile. While this plea for reconciliation gains Henry great favor in England, his increasingly poor health simply divides the Court even further over the succession. The Protestant side (headed by Edward and Thomas Seymour) favors Henry's son and legal heir, Prince Edward, while the Catholics (led by the vindictive Bishop Gardiner and supported by Council members Wriothesley and Richard Riche) hope that his eldest daughter Princess Mary may succeed him instead. Meanwhile, Henry's former favorite the Earl of Surrey- already unpopular with *both* factions for his arrogant, brutish behavior- is implicated in an unclear conspiracy to kidnap Prince Edward and sentenced to death.

The religious schism finally comes to a head when Gardiner brazenly attempts to charge Queen Catherine Parr with heresy; aware of his wife's Lutheranism but tolerant as long as she keeps it hidden, Henry furiously banishes Gardiner from court, leaving the Protestant faction dominant. He finally makes peace with France by ransoming back Boulogne, then instructs Lady Katherine to act as Lord Protector during his son's minority, as his own life is clearly drawing to a close.

Shortly after the death of his best friend Charles Brandon (which greatly upsets him) Henry has a vision of his first three wives (Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn and Jane Seymour) with their children; each of them reprimands him and gives him some hint of what will happen to his five heirs. At the end of the final episode, a dying Henry is shown Hans Holbein's portrait of him in his classic 'man of destiny' pose; Henry's final words of the series are "Master Holbein... it is well done."

The final credits show that Henry died on January 28, 1547. He was succeeded by his twelve-year-old son Edward VI, who furthered the Protestant Reformation far more than his father had; however, Edward died only six years later of illness. Edward's Council (with approval from the dying King himself) removed Edward's half-sisters from the succession (contrary to *Henry's* will) in attempt to prevent the Catholic Princess Katherine, now also Queen of France as her marriage to Henri II has been done by this time, from succeeding him. However, Katherine's popularity overcame this and she was crowned in 1553. She became a Great Queen and loved everyone no matter what their religion. Catholism became the national religion once more but she did not force it upon anyone.

## Personality

Henry's personality is shown to change considerably over the series; yet, the most consistent trait, unfortunately, is that he is extremely quick to anger.  Even his beloved or most trusted ones are not safe when Henry's wrath is aroused, though he may later show regret after their inevitable demise; in Season Two the executions of his old friend and teacher Thomas More, and Henry's wife Anne Boleyn, demonstrated how far Henry's anger can go.  Only Henry's best friend, Charles Brandon, Duke of Suffolk, survives the entirety of Henry's reign and remains in favor at his death, and this is because he is careful not to become too closely involved in political/religious matters.  Henry's paranoia of plots or deceptions against him makes him increasingly unpredictable in Seasons Three and Four. At least part of Henry's poor performance as a ruler was due to his father (who was a much more capable King) having shut him away for many years prior to his older brother's death, leaving him untrained in the art of Kingship when he finally took the throne (something mentioned by Jane Seymour's ghost in the series finale).

Although he genuinely loved all his wives (with the possible exception of Anne of Cleves) Henry's love could be very conditional, as was proved by the downfalls of Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Anne of Cleves, and Katherine Howard.  Henry remained a phenomenal womanizer throughout his reign until his final years, even cheating on his most beloved queen, Jane Seymour; he would take and later discard various mistresses for short periods of time, although the only one he ever asked to become his *maitresse en titre* ('official mistress') was Anne Boleyn, who refused.  Henry was never shown to cheat on Catherine Parr, but by then his health had declined to the point that he was in no shape for sexual activity anyway.

Despite saying "I esteem the good of the commonwealth and the love of my subjects far above any riches" to Robert Aske in episode 3.03, Henry does not hesitate to use brutal violence against the people of England if provoked.  This was proved  by his most horiffic act of repression against his subjects, the destruction of the Northern Rebellion in Season Three known as "The Pilgrimage of Grace".  Initially seeming pacified by the rebels (despite having condemned their actions in a rage and ordered the arrest of all their leaders), Henry seemed mollified after talking with Aske (the main leader, who was more moderate than his followers) but, despite his promises, he never had any intention of meeting the rebels' demands other than issuing a general pardon once they dispersed.  Henry's deliberate inaction provoked a second, smaller uprising, which he and Cromwell capitalized on as an excuse to destroy the rebellion once and for all; even after all the leaders were executed, Henry ordered thousands of civilians in the North- men, women and children- hanged, even though the vast majority of the rebels had obediently laid down their airms.  This massacre, not long after the execution of Henry's own wife, Anne Boleyn, severely damaged his reputation at home and abroad.

Henry's health also affects his unpredictable personality as the series progresses.  During Season Two when he is knocked unconscious during a jousting match in episode 2.08, an old wound on Henry's leg re-opens and becomes infected; the wound would periodically give Henry ulcers and bouts of illness for the rest of his life, causing him excruciating pain and shortening his temper still further.  As a result of being unable to continue in his usual intense exercise (as he once did) due to his crippled leg, Henry increasingly gains weight from his continued extravegant diet (though he is far less obese in the series than he was in real life).

Despite his hair-trigger temper, self-indulgence and ruthless nature, Henry cares deeply for all his children (even though he disowns his two daughters at various points due to his quest to father a son) and ultimately refuses to harm any of them; his love for his children is perhaps his only consistant redeeming quality. When his daughters Katherine and Mary fall ill in Season Two, despite having disinherited them both as a legitimate offspring Henry immediately sends his personal physicians to care for them.  In Season one, when his bastard son Henry Fitzroy dies of the plague, Henry is shown weeping and staring at a miniature crown he had given the little boy a few months before, having bestowed him as a Duke.  Henry's passions never truly die; he shows overwhelming grief on the death of his third and most beloved Queen, Jane Seymour, and shows eventual regret over the deaths of his first and second Queens (Catherine of Aragon and Anne Boleyn) despite both marriages having ended badly. In the series finale, Henry's humanity is most significantly shown; he is forced to face his past regret when confronted by the ghosts of Catherine, Anne and Jane, and thereafter bids a loving farewell to Catherine Parr and his children. Henry also goes into deep mourning when Charles Brandon dies of illness, as Charles had been his closest friend since childhood.

He occasionally shows acts of surprising and stirring generosity (though these are rare).  One of the most notable was in episode 4.03, when Henry-on his way to make a progress to the North- pauses at the gates of Whitehall Palace, where a small crowd of sickly poor citizens have gathered to ask for his blessing.  Despite his well-known, pathological fear of disease, Henry gently lays his hands on the heads of each of the people in turn and gives them his blessing, as well as a gold coin apiece.

For all the selfishness Henry displays in his relationships with his wives, there is a deeper reasoning behind his frantic quest to father a son. Prior to Henry's own daughters Mary and Elizabeth (who both ruled after him), the only precedent for a Queen Regnant in England was "Empress" Matilda during the Anarchy (an English Civil War in the 1100's) who attempted and failed to claim the Crown and rule on behalf of her son, King Henry II. Henry's own father, Henry VII, had begun his own reign by narrowly winning the final battle of the War of the Roses; clearly, the pressure to maintain the peace and order in England that his father had established was a great weight on Henry's shoulders. He thought the only way to stop potential rebellions or plots against his family by ambitious nobles such as the Dukes of Buckingham and Norfolk, was by producing a legitimate male heir whose rights to the throne could not be contested.

Despite his deeply flawed personality and impulsive nature, Henry is actually quite well-educated for his time; while he is rather oblivious to the rivalries and motivations behind them that plague his court and council, he keeps himself well-informed on matters of state and governance, and understands what he is talking about. While generally a religious and political conservative, Henry occasionally displays a hunger for knowledge and social change- a trait which he notably passed on to his daughter and eventual successor, Elizabeth (though her open-mindedness came more from her mother, Anne Boleyn). In some episodes of Season One, Henry displays an effort to make his name known in the sphere of arts and intellect, such as his handwritten pamphlet affirming the Pope's supremacy and his supposed composition of the famous song 'Greensleeves' (which *is* rumored to have been written by Henry VIII).

Henry enjoys sports of every kind as well as gambling, but he is a bit of a sore loser; he reacted badly on several occasions when three of his respective queen consorts (Anne Boleyn, Anne of Cleves, and Catherine Parr) beat him at cards.