Anne Boleyn grows increasingly paranoid that Lady Mary and Katherine of Aragon are plotting her demise. She is troubled by a recurring dream of being burned alive. She expresses her fears to her brother George, brazenly suggesting that she should simply order the deaths of the two women next time Henry travels abroad and leaves her as regent. An irritated George advises his distressed sister to pull herself together and behave in a more dignified manner – as Queen Katherine unfailingly did when she lost her husband’s love, her marriage, and her royal title. The unfavorable comparison to her mortal enemy further enrages Anne.
Katherine of Aragon Dies
For ten years, Queen Katherine has been humiliated, cast aside, divorced, and deprived of adequate funds to run her household. Mercifully, her suffering finally comes to an end in 1536 when she dies after a long battle with a debilitating illness, the most likely culprit being cancer. Shortly before passing, she dictates a letter to King Henry that both chastises and forgives his ill treatment of her. In a touching scene, the King is clearly moved by her generous spirit and weeps as he sits alone and reads Katherine’s final words to him. Anne, on the other hand, is deeply relieved by the news; at long last her position as Queen of England is secure and uncontested.
Religious Houses Across England Are Disbanded
As Supreme Head of the Church of England, King Henry has free reign to order the disbandment of religious houses throughout the kingdom. Thomas Cromwell’s claims of corruption and vice are greatly exaggerated to give the King license to plunder the riches of these monasteries and convents to fill his depleted treasury. It is yet another prime example of the ruthlessness and callousness with which King Henry often treated his subjects.
King Henry VIII is Smitten With Jane Seymour
During a hunting trip in the country, King Henry and his coterie of friends opt to stay overnight at the home of the Seymours. Sir John Seymour is an old friend of Henry’s, and the group is welcomed, fed, and entertained. Of course, the real purpose for the visit is to present Henry with the opportunity to meet Sir John’s daughter, Jane, who eventually becomes his third wife. The angelic, acquiescent Jane Seymour is the antithesis of fiery Anne Boleyn, of whom Henry is slowly tiring. During a later scene in the episode, the King invites Sir John to bring Jane to court and become the Queen’s newest lady-in-waiting.
King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn Conceive Another Child
In what will be the final intimate scene between Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Natalie Dormer, Henry and Anne vigorously seduce each other after a court party. To Anne’s great relief, the encounter results in her third pregnancy.
At a May Day celebration that wraps up the episode, Anne is confronted by her father, who is vexed that she quarrelled with Cromwell over the plundering of religious houses. Her swift retort is a reminder that it was her intelligence and charm – not merely the actions of ambitious men in her family – that contributed to her meteoric rise. Smugly she announces that she is pregnant with the King’s son, and celebrates her renewed sense of security by twirling gaily in her brilliant yellow frock. “We are on the edge of a golden world,” she happily declares.[1]
Incidentally, Anne’s decision to wear yellow on that day has always been considered by historians to be a blatant gesture of disrespect toward the recently deceased Katherine of Aragon.
This garden party is the last time viewers of The Tudors will see Anne Boleyn looking quite so blissful and carefree.
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Erika Wittlieb - I am a professional librarian in the Canadian Prairies, and earned both my undergraduate degree and Master's degree in Library and ...
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