Details
The Tudors is an Irish-produced historical fiction television series created by Michael Hirst. The series is based upon the reign of English monarch Henry VIII, and is named after the Tudor dynasty.
Plot summary
Season One of The Tudors chronicles the period of Henry VIII's reign in which his effectiveness as King is tested by international conflicts as well as political intrigue in his own court, while the pressure of fathering a male heir compels him to reject his wife Katherine of Aragon for Anne Boleyn. He also has a string of affairs, and fathers a son, Henry, by Elizabeth Blount.
Season Two finds Henry as the head of the Church of England, the result of his break with the Catholic Church over its refusal to grant him a divorce from Katherine. During his battle with Rome, he secretly marries a pregnant Anne. Anne's own failure to produce a son dooms her as Henry's attention shifts toward Jane Seymour.
Season Three focuses on Henry's marriages to Jane Seymour and Anne of Cleves, his ruthless suppression of the Pilgrimage of Grace, the downfall of Thomas Cromwell, and the beginnings of Henry's relationship with the "dangerous" Katherine Howard.
Season Four is thought to cover Henry's short-lived marriage to Katherine Howard, her subsequent affairs, his domestic life with Catherine Parr, and to touch on the relationship of Mary, Elizabeth and Edward with each other, in order to pave the way for any potential follow-on series.