Sex and death are inextricably linked in this Showtime series on King Henry XIII.
From his first wife, Katharine of Aragon, to his last wife, Katherine Parr, Henry’s lust and power never stops.
This series is richly detailed, and though some historical facts are changed for the sake of dramatizing and simplicity, the basic story line is pretty accurate.
Henry had six wives, starting with his dead brother’s wife, Katharine of Aragon. When she fell out of his favor (for who knows what reason), he uses that as his excuse for a divorce: the Bible expressly forbids a brother to take his brother’s wife. Of course the Pope denies his divorce, but Henry has been spoiled all his life, and won’t let that stop him: he proclaims himself Head of the Church of England and separates from the Catholic Church.
Thus his second wife, Anne Boleyn. Anne lives long enough to give him Elizabeth I, when she is executed for many reasons, but the truest one that she has also fallen out of Henry’s favor for not giving him a son. The other wives pass by the next more quickly than the last: Jane Seymour, who gave Henry a son but died in childbirth; Anne of Cleves, who Henry detested from the beginning of their marriage and who he divorced; Katherine Howard, who was caught having an affair and subsequently beheaded; and finally, Katherine Parr, who outlives Henry.
The Tudors is the story of one man who was given too much and who took too much–the story of one man who had all the power he wanted, and never was denied anything that he wanted. The repercussions of this man were and remain to be great: England becoming a Protestant country, a king marrying women who weren’t royalty, a woman reigning as queen without marrying…the consequences of Henry’s reign were negative and positive alike, and the series does a good job of portraying this.
It should be noted that only one character in the series lasts from the first episode to the very last episode: Charles Brandon, duke of Suffolk and one of Henry’s good friends. Most are executed, some die of natural causes, some of war, but everyone but Henry and Charles die.
I would also make the observation that Henry’s wives get a bad reputation throughout history for their supposed misdeeds, but the majority of them (in fact, quite possibly all six of them) are simply pawns in the political strategies of men. This is no exception for Anne Boleyn, who was used by her father for political power (the same goes for Jane Seymour), or Katherine Howard, who was taken out of an orphanage by persons from Henry’s circle for a distraction for Henry, or even Anne of Cleves, whose brother sought to strengthen the Protestant bond between Sweden and England.
The relationship between power and patriarchy is blatantly clear, as women are sacrificed daily in men’s greedy search for power and riches.
I would recommend this series to anyone–it’s 45-minute episodes are easy to fit in because of their length, and once you watch one, you won’t want to stop. There are four seasons, with a total of 38 episodes. The series is on Netflix instant watch, and you can have a free trial month…so go start watching!