Episode Summary: King Henry VIII appoints Charles Brandon as Lord Great Master and President of the Council following Thomas Cromwell’s failure to keep the court in order during the king’s absence. The responsibility to preside over the court in the king’s absence now falls on Brandon instead of Cromwell. His Majesty has also tasked Edward Seymour to investigate the Poles, a consequence of Cardinal Reginald Pole’s campaign against him.Continue reading...
Sir Francis Bryan arrests Lady Salisbury and all members of her family including her very young grandson for charges of treason. Edward sees Sir Henry Pole who asserts that his family has disowned his treacherous brother, Cardinal Pole, and professes his family’s allegiance to the king. Edward, however, produces a letter he wrote praising his brother’s campaign and criticizing the changes that has happened in England. Moreover, he wrote in the letter of celebrating the death of King Henry VIII. Doing so has made the charges against him graver especially because the Poles’ are rumored to be the rightful heirs to the throne for they are members of the House of Plantagenet.
King Henry VIII seeks a new wife and sets his sights upon the French widow Madame de Longueville, but the French ambassador Castillon dissuades His Majesty from pursuing Madame de Longueville for her marriage to the King of Scotland has been arranged. However, this did the opposite to Henry, informing the ambassador of being able to offer more than what the Scottish king could. Castillon, however, does nothing to satisfy Henry’s wishes, and offers instead Madame de Longueville’s other sisters as potential brides for the English king. Unhappy with the French brides offered to him, Henry looks somewhere else, and puts into consideration the Emperor’s recommendation, the Duchess of Milan. Christina who hails from the Netherlands is the Emperor’s niece who in her teens had been married to the Duke of Milan who died a year after their marriage. Henry instructs Cromwell to have the ambassador in the Netherlands to learn more about his potential bride. Cromwell, however, after conveying to Sir John Hutton the King’s order to find out more about the Duchess of Milan instructs him to make enquiries about the Duke of Cleves’ two sisters whom he desires to be part of the reckoning.
Thomas Cromwell imparts a report from Sir John Hutton about the Duchess of Milan whom he speaks with great esteem, but whose purity he confesses to be below that of the king’s late wife, Jane Seymour. Cromwell also speaks of the Cleves. He is bold enough to suggest that the King’s marriage to any one of the sisters has political benefits for the Cleves are a member of the Protestant League, a group that continues to grow in number and power. Cromwell foresees their power to rival that of England. A union through marriage, however, would be advantageous for Henry’s realm. Despite Cromwell’s arguments, Henry still has his eyes on the Duchess of Milan, and sends Holbein to draw sketches of her to ascertain the beauty he has only heard from envoys.
Sir Hutton tries to convince the Duchess of Milan to accept King Henry VIII’s proposal, but Christina who is a relative of the late Queen Catherine of Aragon is skeptical of the king for his notoriety precedes him. The Duchess of Milan does not desire to become King Henry VIII’s next queen knowing the fate of the three queens that came before her. Sir Hutton tries to persuade the Duchess of Milan, but the young woman is unyielding, and declares that she will only marry the King of England at the request of the Emperor. Henry seems unaware of the woman’s reluctance to marry him for he decides to marry her after seeing the sketch from Holbein. He, however, begins to have second thoughts seeing Brandon’s delight at his choice. He assumes that Brandon wants him to have an imperial wedding just as Wolsey desired for him a French bride.
Having found evidence against Lord Montagu, King Henry VIII orders Sir Francis to look for evidence against Lady Salisbury. Sir Francis and his men ransack the house of Lady Salisbury, and unearth the royal banner of the Plantagenets, and a banner of the rebellion. Although Lady Salisbury does not deny possessing the incriminating banners, she maintains that she has not plotted against the king. Even though she managed to maintain composure in front of Edward, she broke down to tears at hearing the cries of her very young grandson. In fact, the people of England have expressed their pity for the old woman and the young child imprisoned in the Tower of London. Henry is aware of the public opinion surrounding his prisoners. He, however, is committed to eliminating all potential rivals to the throne.
King Henry VIII suffers from excruciating pain on his leg leaving him bedridden and out of sight for a week. His long absence from court brought forth rumors of his death that even Edward is unsure if there is truth in the rumors. Determined to dispel rumors, Edward manages to convince Charles to allow him to see the king, and he finds him alive but unconscious. With the king seriously ill from a highly infected leg, Edward and Charles send instructions to heighten security on the heirs of the throne. Seeing no improvement in his condition, and fearing for the king’s life, Charles goes against the physician’s directive, and summons the Surgeon-Barbers to lance the ulcer on his leg. The Surgeon-Barbers were successful, and King Henry VIII with his son appears before a cheering crowd to assure them that he is alive and well.
With the worst over, Henry returns to the matter of his marriage, and asks about Madame de Longueville only to learn from Cromwell that she had already married the Scottish king. Complications regarding affinity surround the Duchess of Milan with her being a great niece of King Henry’s late wife, Queen Catherine of Aragon. They would need papal dispensation to pursue the marriage, but with England no longer under the pope’s rule and Henry heading the Church or England, he must only convince the emperor to allow him to carry out the dispensation.
Anne Stanhope resumes her affair with Sir Francis knowing that her husband has found their affair of little interest to him. Sir Francis having discerned Brandon and Cromwell’s agenda becomes curious of Edward’s, and learns from Anne that the man sees Prince Edward as his key to his destiny. Sir Francis believes him to be a reformer, but Anne neither confirms nor denies this. She, however, alludes to Edward being the one who sent an assassin to murder Robert Pakington. Meanwhile, Edward pays a visit to Lord Montagu bringing with him Bishop Gardiner to administer last rites. Lord Montagu maintains his innocence, but continues his critique of the current rule where legal procedures to prove one’s innocence no longer exist. He believes that the realm is ruled with tyranny such that the accused stands no chance of defending oneself. He warns Edward of suffering the same fate as his for all are in the mercy of the king. This, Bishop Gardiner, has witnessed first-hand after divulging to the king of the evangelical, John Lambert, whom he found to be preaching against the six articles of faith. His Majesty has ordered Lambert to recant his denial of the consecration of the Eucharist or face death. Bishop Gardiner, however, has his own agenda, and he has brought Lambert to the attention of the king as a means to reveal Cromwell for who he truly is. He informs of Cromwell’s dismissal of the heretic charges against Lambert when he was last apprehended.
Cromwell shows King Henry VIII portraits of potential French brides, but the king still having doubts as to the likeness of the images expresses his desire to meet the women in person. The business of the king’s desire to remarry interests Lady Mary as well. She, however, learns from Ambassador Chapuys that the marriage between the Duchess of Milan and her father will not be enacted for it was found that Christina is a great niece of her mother, Queen Catherine of Aragon. Her interest stems from the fact that her marriage is tied to whom her father marries. Because Henry is no longer to marry the emperor’s niece, she may not marry Don Louis. Lady Mary, however, is far more concerned with the fate of the Poles especially that of Lady Salisbury who cared for her when she was a child. She blames their fate on Cromwell believing that the man has poisoned the king’s mind, and confesses to Ambassador Chapuys her desire to put Cromwell to death.
King Henry informs Cromwell of the arrest and impending execution of Lambert, a man he knew when he was studying in Cambridge. He tries to pry from him any inclinations of going against the Church of England, and so branding him a heretic. Cromwell, however, handles himself well under the king’s scrutiny, and declares to believe whatever it is the king believes. After a disagreeable meeting with Castillon who makes a mockery of the king’s request to bring together the French brides-to-be for him to scrutinize, King Henry VIII considers Cromwell’s recommendation, and instructs him to send an envoy to meet with the Cleves. Duke William receives the English envoys in the Swan Castle in Cleves, Germany to speak to them of King Henry’s desire to make a wife of one of his sisters. The Duke, however, is not pleased with the king’s method of acquiring a wife. He sends away the English envoys without allowing them to meet with his sisters. They leave without having seen the women, and without any portraits to show the king for the duke claims that the court painter is ill. King Henry VIII sends Holbein to sketch a portrait for him, desiring to see an image of Anne of Cleves. The envoys return to the Swan Castle to get a glimpse of the duke’s sisters, but the duke has presented the women with dark veils covering their faces.
Cromwell pays a visit to Lambert, and tries to persuade him to recant his belief about the Eucharist. Lambert, a true protestant, will not recant his belief, and finds a hypocrite in Cromwell for the man has advised him to say not what he truly believes. Cromwell argues that his advice is for the benefit of the reformation for they are in more need of living men to evangelize the people than of martyrs. Lambert, however, sees right through Cromwell who uncovers the ulterior motive to his advice. Lambert’s association with Cromwell puts him under scrutiny. To save his career and secure his safety, Cromwell cannot be associated with a heretic. Lambert is soon burned at the stake. Cromwell informs His Majesty of the successful execution of the heretic, and hands him a letter from Lady Mary pleading him to spare the life of Lady Salisbury whom she declares to be like a mother to her. Lady Mary’s pleas were unheard. At last, it was time for Lady Salisbury’s execution, and the old woman has lost her composure and appears to have lost her sanity. She begs for her life to no avail.
News of his family’s execution reaches Cardinal Pole who becomes distraught at learning of his family’s fate. Cardinal Von Waldburg arrives to appease the young cardinal, but shows more interest in waging war against King Henry VIII believing that the Emperor and the King of France will come to their aid. He argues that they must pursue the war against England in order to save the souls of its people. Cardinal Pole being the victim of Henry’s tyranny must be at the forefront of this crusade, but afraid of his own fate he begs the cardinal reprieve from his task. Moreover, he is overcome with guilt for causing the death of his family members. Cardinal Von Waldburg, tells the young cardinal to be strong. He, himself, is not a stranger to persecution for his family has been a victim of such when they were still in Germany. He, in fact, was witness to the rape and murder of his sister whom the Lutheran mercenaries fed to the dogs. As Cardinal Von Waldburg was able to live through the heinous memory of the cruelty done to his family so shall Cardinal Pole.
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