Position:Home>History> THE TUDORS ?? Info please ...?

The reason why Henry is so paranoid is because his father was considered a usurper, he had taken the crown when there were other people with more powerful claims!. Henry now believes that there are other families in England that feel they have more legitimate claims than his family, so he must make his family as powerful as possible!. He is particularly worried that he does not have a male heir (he has a daughter, and girl monarchs are considered weak), and wants desperately to have a son!.

His queen, Catherine (who had been a princess of Spain), was married to his older brother, and when the older brother died the father forced her to marry Henry rather than have to return the dowry to the King of Spain!. Now, Henry is afraid that he is being punished by God for having married his brother's wife!. He believes he has to get rid of Catherine in order to get a son!.

The other problem that is going on is that the religious unity of Europe is falling apart because many countries are leaving the Catholic Church to enter the Protestant religion!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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M@ is right that the series moves along faster than real history, but not that Henry VIII had a daughter named Margaret!. Rather, he had two <i>sisters,</i> Mary and Margaret, but in the TV show they combined these two into the character of Princess Margaret so that viewers would not get confuse Henry's sister Mary with his daughter Mary!.

Beyond that, to follow the historical events that the show is (very loosely) based on, the main characters to be keeping straight in the first season are Henry, his wife Catherine of Aragon, Cardinal Wolsey, Sir Thomas Moore and Anne Boleyn!. Anne Boleyn's success in persuading Henry to annul his marriage to Catherine so that he could marry her was the spur for Henry's decision to create the Church of England and start the English Reformation, and is inextricably bound up with Wolsey's fall from power!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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The TV show is extremely inaccurate, from the characters' appearances, through the times and events and costumes (a nice 18th century carriage was seen earlier) to the merging of Henry's two sisters into one murderous female called Margaret!. By doing this, the writer(s) has consigned the tragic Lady Jane Grey into oblivion! (Jane was the lady who was Queen for nine days after the death of Henry's one legitimate son!. She was the granddaughter of Henry's youngest sister, Mary!.)

You might like to explore this site on "The Tudors"; it has a wealth of information and opinions!. There's a long section on the inaccuracies, too:
http://tudorswiki!.sho!.com/
http://en!.wikipedia!.org/wiki/The_Tudors

On Mary Boleyn:
http://englishhistory!.net/tudor/citizens!.!.!. (you can navigate around this site for more information)
http://www!.bbc!.co!.uk/history/british/tud!.!.!.

Here's an interesting site on all the Boleyns:
http://www!.geocities!.com/boleynfamily/ma!.!.!.

Henry VIII and his wives (some parts unfinished, but containing pictures and more information):
http://tudorhistory!.org/henry8/

Hope this helps, and that you find the links interesting!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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This show annoys me, it is historically inaccurate, yes it has the basics correct but that's about it!. The costumes are so out their laughable and so it the scenes!.

The best this to do is read about the Tudors from non-fiction books or read some "faction" books but have a care they have small errors also!.

If your interested about the life of Anne Boleyn I picked up a good autobiographical book today called "Anne Bolyen" and it's by Joanna Denny!.

:o)Www@QuestionHome@Com

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The series moves along much quicker than history itself!. It is fairly accurate, with some events changing slightly and other portions left out, including Henry's other daughter, Margaret!. The writers chose to leave her out to avoid confusion with his sister Princess Margaret!. Other than that, don't go into the series expecting a detailed history lesson, just enjoy the story on an entertainment level!.Www@QuestionHome@Com

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THE WIVES OF HENRY THE VIII
HENRY-VIII’s matrimonial adventures owed much to politics as to passion!. He was betrothed to Catherine of Aragon, his brother’s widow, when he was but eleven years of age, and married he as soon as he succeeded to the throne aged only seventeen!. The motive seems to have been a mixture of chivalry and an inability to repay the dowry which had been received!. Their first son lived only a few days in AD-1511, and a series of miscarriages and still births soon followed!. The only surviving child was princess Mary, born in AD-1516!. By the 1520’s Henry’s mind was turning towards divorce!. In AD-1527 a formal set of proceedings for an annulment of marriage were instituted, by which time Henry’s attentions had moved on to Anne Boleyn, younger sister of a former mistress!. Catherine resisted great pressure to retire to a nunnery and the negotiations continued until AD-1533, when Cranmer’s appointment as Archbishop coincided with Anne’s pregnancy!. At the coronation in June AD-1533, Anne was Six months with child, and the Princess Elizabeth was born in September!.
By January AD-1536, when Catherine died at Kimbolton, Henry’s passion for Anne was spent, and his eye had been taken by Jane Seymour, a lady-in-waiting and sister of the future Lord Protector!. Anne’s miscarriage later that month had sealed her fate, and in the summer she was accused of incest and adultery and she was beheaded by a French swordsman at her own behest!. The betrothal to Jane Seymour followed a day later!. Henry’s third marriage lasted sixteen months, and in October AD-1537 Jane died giving birth to Prince Edward!. Henry’s forth marriage, to Anne of Cleves, was purely diplomatic, and was intended to rally Protestant Germany against the Emperor!. Henry hastened to Rochester to greet his bride, whom he had never seen, but recoiled in dismay, complaining that he had been deceived by her portrait!. To Cromwell, he confided: “if it were not that she is come so far into England, and for fear of making a ruffle in the world, and driving her brother into the Emperor and the French King’s hands, I would never have her: but now it is too far gone, wherefore I am sorry!.” Closer inspection merely confirmed the Kings anxieties and a few months later, the marriage was to Anne was annulled on the grounds of none-consummation!. Anne was assured that she would be treated as a sister, was given a generous settlement, and remained in England until her death in AD-1557!. A month later, Henry’s next, was to marry Catherine Howard, an attractive and vivacious seventeen-year-old, but who had formed previous attachments!. After little more than a year, she was accused of adultery and beheaded, dying in the tower with composure and dignity!. Henry’s sixth wife was Catherine Parr, twice widowed and aged thirty-two, older and more mature than her predecessors, Catherine got on well with Henry and his mixed brood of children, created something of a home, survived him, and married a forth time a few months after his death!. She died in childbirth at Sudeley Castle in September AD-1548!. Henry’s lifelong desire for a secure succession produced three legitimate children, none of whom had offspring!.
Www@QuestionHome@Com

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