www.byzcath.org Forums General Discussions Town Hall Showtime's The Tudors

Has anyone been watching this series? I find it very interesting despite some of the historical inaccuracies. It has shed some light on King Henry VIII for me. Does anyone have any comments?

I always wonder how accurate these movies are.
It really does paint Henry in a very bad light.
Hardly what one could call a reformer at all.
Stephanos I

Utterly inaccurate (except for painting Henry VIII in a very bad light): the atmosphere, costumes, language and thought processes of the protagonists are all anachronistic. It's more like, "What if a bunch of contemporary American and British actors were actually 16th century British aristocrats?"

A much better series was "The Six Wives of Henry VIII", starring Keith Mitchel--made back when BBC had no money but high standards.

Henry wasn't a Reformer, his intentions where ot keep the Church of Engkand thourougly Cahtolic in its teachings, except tthat it no lionger woudl submit to the Pope, but instead to the King.

Cranmer and others saw this as a CHance to import the ideas of the Reformation, as they had been influenced by them, and wanted them implemented.

Cranmer had, in fact, been converted to the Protestant beelifs (But secretly) durign a trip to Germany, where he also secretly married a Lutheran Priest's Daughter.

He had embaced much of the teaching of Martin Luther or William Tyndale before returning, and eagerly sought ways to implement the changes within his own country, without loosing his posiiton in the CHurch.

Henry's seperation of the CofE from the Papal controle was the oportunity that he could use.

Cranmer was also not alone and several clergymen also sought to implement reforms.

Henry initally refused, in fact orcerin the Churhc to remain Cahtolic, except not to go tot he Poep to settle disputes on doctrine. Soon, however, rpessure mounted as the Popular appeal of the Reformation took hold, and both the common layety, some noble layty, and many clergy pushed for such reforms. Still, Henry's own allowance of such was mild, and in some cases existed just to SPite the Pope.

Henry Tudors main concern though as just to gain his DIvorce and marry his lover, and hpefully have a male heir.

It was mainly political.

Henry VIII: Lust gone amok! "Amok: a psychic disturbance characterized by depression followed by a manic urge to murder".

I find this interesting in that King Henry did in fact remain "catholic" in beliefs and worship. I think Henry lost control and didn't know all that Cranmer was doing.

From the Tudors show, Henry wanted to get rid of Catherine because he believed she had consummated her marriage to Henry's brother, Arthur. Henry was convinced she had though Catherine many times stated she and Arthur had not. So, throw in Anne and the seductiveness and you have Henry using Catherine's previous marriage as a scape goat to allow him pursue Anne.
I found it ironic that Anne backfired in Henry's face as well. According to the show, she was not a virgin when she wed Henry so he was authorized to divorce her. I thought I read somewhere that if a Queen commits adultery that it's not punishable by death. Was she killed for treason? If so, what did she do that was treasonous?
I found it interesting that Mary returned the country back to Catholic and then some 40 years later Elizabeth returned it to Protestant. I would think once it returned to Catholic it would have stuck with the people.

How is the House of Tudor related to the House of Windsor?

I must say, despite the gratuitous sex and historical inaccuracies, I'm quite mesmerized by the show.

It makes me sad to say my ancestors followed Henry or Elizabeth, otherwise I wouldn't of had to convert back to Mother Church.

Here's the opening credits/theme, the song is pretty cool.

Me too... I think that it is quite well done despite the gratuitous sex.
Ofcourse, I was quite saddened and did squirm alot with the inhumane death sentences.

The opening of Season I on the youtube link is indeed awesome!

I shudder to think that an entire generation is growing up thinking this is what the Tudor era really was like. At least earlier docudramas tried to hew close to the facts. What are they going to do when Henry weighs 300 pounds and has a supperating ulcer on his leg?

HeHeHe!

Dear Stuart,

I understand what you are saying... and the actors are obviously quite appealing by *today's* standards, though if we think about it, these characters were indeed young at one time, and the sexual scenes are obviously totally out of historical context, but as an art historian, I find that much of the manner in which the costumes, jewelry, court etiquette, flirtations, coquettery, religious practices, mannerisms, etc., are depicted, are much more evocative of the era than anything else I have seen.

I think that this show wanted to start with youth rather than the insane old, sick, obese man which Henry VIII has been immortalized as.

It is kind of like Elvis Presley! He was such a good looking young celebrity at one time, yet now he is forever remembered in popular psyche as the overweight, ridiculous looking middle aged man he was before he died!

Alice

The BBC series from 1970 began with young Henry, and Keith Michell was absolutely gorgeous in the title role. But the series did not sugar coat the era, and Henry's physical and mental deterioration is portrayed with graphic intensity. By the last episode, he resembles nothing so much as a wheezy, rheumy, bearded Jabba the Hutt. It makes you understand why winsome 18-year old Katherine Howard was so repulsed by the man that she risked (and lost) her head cuckholding him. Moreover, the BBC series portrayed the politics and religious dimensions of Henry's reign far more accurately than the HBO series, in part because, back then, the people who ran BBC expected their audience to know this stuff from school. Thus, you could do worse if you wanted to know the background to the English Reformation, the roles of Wolsely, Cranmer and Cromwell, and why they took it all so seriously, than to watch the BBC series. You can find snippets of it on You Tube, which are enough to reveal its superior qualities.

You should read the book "Stripping the Altars"
it shows that the reformation was tolerated because of the tyranny of those in power but never accepted and Catholicism always made a come back as soon as it was possible.
Stephanos I

I have read Eamon Duffy's excellent book, and your point is right on. However, over a period of two centuries, the southern portion of England became solidly Protestant--and of a distinctly reformed variety, while the north retained a far more Catholic outlook. Most of the Catholic revolts against the English Reformation began (and ended, bloodily) in the north, which was far more agrarian and less commercial than the south. As Kevin Phillips' book "The Cousins' Wars" demonstrates, this conflict was transported over the ocean and continued shaping American history down to the Civil War.

My favorite movie is "Man for All Seasons"

"My favorite movie is "Man for All Seasons""

It is equally unfortunate that most people think Thomas More was just as he is portrayed in the movie.