I had planned to write a bit about the TV series The Tudors, but until now I haven’t had time. Last Wednesday in class, we were speaking about Henry VIII and his wives when I thought: “What a wonderful occasion to review this serial!” And here you have it.
Henry VIII was a monarch of great importance in English history. Why? Well, like all the kings at that time, he considered himself God’s presence on earth. What is really shocking is that when the Pope denied him his divorce from his first wife, Katherine of Aragon, so that he could marry one of his mistresses, Ann Boleyn, he proclaimed himself the Head of the Church in England and founded a “new” religion: Anglicanism. All this just to marry Ann Boleyn! Whoever objected to accepting this new religion was beheaded, even one of his best friends, Thomas More.
Six were the wives of Henry VIII: Katherine of Aragon, Ann Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Katherine Howard and Katherine Parr. The most amazing thing was that two of them were beheaded accused of treason, two others died, and only two survived him. The serial faithfully reflects the reign of Henry VIII and his love story with Katherine of Aragon, a queen which he let die of cancer in the famous Tower of London, where whoever was punished got sent, just before they were beheaded. His marriage to Ann Boleyn was going well until but deteriorated because she couldn’t give birth to a son, only to Elizabeth. Besides, many advisors to the King lied and said that she had cheated on him with many men, even his brother, who was beheaded for that. Then Henry married Jane Seymour, the woman he really was in love with. Unfortunately, she died at labour when he gave birth to Henry’s only son, Edward. Some people think Henry let her die so that his son could be born. His fourth marriage to Anne of Cleves wouldn’t last long, because she despised her. As he said in the serial, “she looks like a horse”. Oliver Cromwell, one of his advisors, was beheaded for having advised him to marry her. As a result, Henry got the divorce. His fifth (and youngest) wife, Katherine Howard, was beheaded for cheating on him with one of his advisers, Thomas Culpepper, which is exactly what he did to all his women. His last wife, Katherine Parr, was fortunate enough to survive him.
Although this TV serial’s historical acuracy has been questioned, I hold the view that it perfectly reflects the way Henry VIII behaved: his cruelty, (he slaughtered all the rioters who disobeyed his orders), his pride, his morality, his lack of feelings, his obsession to have a male heir, which led him to abhor and reject some of his wives, and his unstoppable thirst for power, for conquering new places and expanding England’s territories overseas. Furthermore, the serial highlights most of his physical changes. The king evolves from a handsome, agile man who fought in wars to an unsightly, insane, aged, plump man (his overweight is not seen in the serial, though). However, Henry VIII is not the only evil in the story, given that he is surrounded by wicked advisors, as thirsty for power as himself. When he died, he was buried with his beloved Jane Seymour. In the end, he was “punished” in some way; as his only son reigned just for a few years and died young.
To sum up, The Tudors portrays the life of Henry VIII who, despite his cruelty, became the most hated but, at the same time, the most loved and respected king who deeply influenced the history of England.
Thanks a million, Miguel, for yet another fantastic contribution to our blog. Well done!
You know, I watched the series myself, and I loved it. Not the most accurate, as you say, in terms of historic rigour, but still a lovely depiction of the most despicable English King ever.
So I thought I should embed a clip of the serial and, because both of its picture quality and engaging content, I've selected this one:
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