Episode Summary: Anne Boleyn awakes from a terrible nightmare where she is caged and burned to death by a fire lit by Lady Mary Tudor. She unburdens to Sir George Boleyn his frightful nightmare and her belief that her safety lies in the death of Mary and Catherine of Aragon. Anne jokes about ordering their deaths the next time her husband the King goes abroad and she is left Regent. His sister’s thoughts and behavior disturb George. He firmly tells her to act like the Queen of England just as Catherine of Aragon never failed to lose her composure. Much to her dismay, George advises her to act more like Catherine.Continue reading...
Anne asks Henry to persuade King Francis to relent to his wish for Elizabeth to marry his son. Henry, however, finds the refusal an insult. He believes that an alliance with the Emperor might be suitable. It annoys Anne to have Catherine’s nephew, as their ally for such an alliance will favor the deposed Queen. Henry insists that the goal of the alliance is to further the interests of England. Later, Thomas Cranmer, Archbishop of Canterbury, along with Thomas Cromwell and Lord Rochford presents the Valor of Ecclesiasticus to King Henry VIII. It contains the results of the Commissioner’s investigations into the wealth and practices of all religious houses in England. It accounts the treasures, the wealth, and the vast private lands of the monasteries and other religious establishments. Moreover, it also reports the wrongdoings of the religious institutions. Lord Rochford intimates usurping the possessions of the religious establishments to supply the depleting treasury of the English Crown.
Thomas Cranmer and his wife receive Thomas Cromwell in their house as their guest. They speak of the suppression of religious houses and the abolition of the holy days that fall during the law terms and the harvest. The latter is a move to improve the economy and to help impoverished workers who do not earn wages due to the holy days. Thomas Cranmer adds that the priests will be required to preach the Supremacy, while parents and employers will be required to teach their children and servants prayers in English instead of Latin. All clerics are also ordered to attack the superstitious cult surrounding images and relics, and will be instructed to spend the money on the less fortunate instead. His wife Katharina, however, believes that their efforts are lacking the intensity staunch reformers expect. This criticism causes both Cranmer and Cromwell to ridicule her legal status, after all Cranmer only smuggled her in a wooden box from Germany, a box he uses to transport her up to this day. Katharina takes offense at their derision and demands equal respect for her ideas notwithstanding her gender. She adds her opinion that the Catholic Church’ ways and teachings are evil, which must be eradicated without pity. Cromwell agrees to this and adds that the Catholic Church is irredeemable.
Father Abbot receives suppression orders from Mr. Cromwell sanctioned by King Henry VIII. John Leland, the King’s librarian, soon arrives at the priory unannounced. King Henry had instructed him to visit the libraries of the religious houses that are to be suppressed in order to seize their works and move them in the Royal libraries. Mr. Leland is also to find texts that emphasize the Royal Supremacy and the new monarchy, but in Father Abbot’s anger, he asserts that nothing of the sort can be found in his priory. Soon, a crew of Huguenots arrives at the priory and ransacks it, stripping it of the religious images and plundering it of food. News of the suppression of the religious houses and the seizure of their wealth reaches Anne Boleyn. She summons Thomas Cromwell and questions the policy that subjugated all religious houses including those that received good reviews from the Church Commissioners. She questions the unlawful seizure of wealth in order to replenish the King’s treasury unaware that it was her father’s recommendation to do so. Anne accuses Cromwell of acting on his own and threatens him with death.
Lord Rochfort, afraid of King Henry’s growing disapproval of Anne Boleyn, orders his son to speak to Anne. Lord George Boleyn finds that she has taken his advice and has masked her sorrow with superficial merrymaking. King Henry arrives causing everyone to fall silent, but he orders Mark Smeaton to play the Volta. He and Anne dance zealously rekindling the passion they once had for each other. King Henry and Anne Boleyn have rough sexual intercourse once again after a long period of absence satisfying the King to the fullest. Anne tells Henry her desire to conceive a son, a yearning that will not materialize as long as Catherine and Mary Tudor are alive. She learns the next day that she remains in the King’s disfavor for he had left to go hunting with the Duke of Suffolk without a word to her. She drowns her sorrows with Mark’s music, but she remains unhappy with the thought of finding happiness only in bearing a son. One of the ladies in waiting finds them together and witnesses her kissing the fiddler on the cheek. Meanwhile, King Henry successfully finishes his kill, but he refuses to return home. The Duke of Suffolk suggests they spend the night at Wulfhall, the house of Sir John Seymour and his family. Sir John and Lord Suffolk joyfully recall the memories of their great battles, but King Henry remains somber. The appearance of Sir John’s daughter, Lady Jane Seymour ends his morose disposition for she captivated the King.
Queen Catherine of Aragon has fallen very ill. Fortunately, Lady Elizabeth Darrell’s loyalty to the Queen is exceeding that she stays with her and attends to her needs despite having to do work of lowly servants. However, Queen Catherine’s greater sorrow lies in the forbiddance to see her daughter, Lady Mary Tudor. She has not seen her for more than four years. Queen Catherine takes comfort in the Curia’s Judgment declaring her marriage to King Henry VIII lawful and legitimate, which she believes the eternal truth that no man can ever deny. In reality, the King of England’s Great Matter, remains in deliberation at Vatican next only to the discussion of commissioning Michelangelo to paint the Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel. Pope Paul III, however, continues to believe that King Henry VIII will realize the errors in his ways and will once again seek the help of the Church. Meanwhile, Queen Catherine lies in agony on her bed, but finds strength and happiness at the sight of her daughter. She is unaware that her presence is nothing but a delusion. A priest blesses Queen Catherine on her deathbed as mournful servants surround her bearing witness to her wishes. She writes a letter to her husband, King Henry VIII, and sends her undying love and loyalty to him despite his cruelty towards her. Queen Catherine of Aragon forgives him for all the wrongs he has done to her and asks God to forgive him as well. Moreover, she asks that he become a good father to their daughter, Lady Mary Tudor. Lastly, she declares that she desires him above all things. She, with the help of Lady Elizabeth Darrell, signs her letter. Queen Catherine of Aragon finally succumbs to death. Lady Mary Tudor receives the things her late mother left her including the Curia’s Judgment; she mourns the death of her mother. King Henry VIII receives her letter and grieves the death of the loving wife he cast away. Conversely, Anne Boleyn receives the news of Catherine’s death with immense delight. She is now, without question, the Queen of England. Sir Thomas Wyatt, who has fallen in love with Lady Elizabeth Darrell, pays a visit to The More and finds it dark and seemingly abandoned. He also finds there the corpse of Lady Elizabeth hanging from the ceiling. The poor, loyal servant to the late Queen has taken her life.
The King and Queen of England hold festivities at court. All are happy but Jane Parker, Lady Rochford, whom Sir George Boleyn abandons for Mark Smeaton. Mark suggests a tryst with Sir George that evening, but Sir George refuses. The fiddler learns that Sir George has not informed his wife of their relationship arousing anger in him for he believes Sir George has enough authority to do as he pleases such that his homosexuality will never be an issue. Meanwhile, King Henry asks Sir John Seymour to have Lady Jane Seymour become one of Anne’s ladies in waiting. Sir John Seymour graciously accepts the offer. The quarrel between Anne and Cromwell reaches Lord Rochford, who reproaches her daughter for arguing with a man close to the King, but Anne argues that she is closest to the King for she is his wife. Lord Rochford reminds her of her rise to the throne insinuating her debt of gratitude to him, but Anne is fully aware that considerable credit for her success is due to her own efforts. Anne Boleyn then bursts out laughing troubling her father, but Anne assures her that there is nothing to worry about for Catherine is dead and she is again with child. The news indeed delights Lord Rochford.
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