The Tudors Episode Guide

Showtime original series The Tudors is a fictional retelling of the life and times of Tudor Dynasty king Henry VIII of England, from his separation of the Catholic Church from England to his many love affairs. While many of the events and people are based on actual events, great liberties have been taken with the plot to appeal to modern audiences.

Season One begins with Henry preparing to go to war with France and trying to keep hidden the fact that his Queen's lady-in-waiting is carrying his child. Through treaty arrangements, Henry takes on Mary Boleyn as his lover, but soon finds himself enamored with Mary's sister, Anne Boleyn. Anne does not wish to simply be the mistress of the king, however, she wants more. Henry seeks to divorce the Queen, Katherine of Aragon, but the Church denies him, so Henry threatens to remove England from Papal rule.

Season Two starts on March 30, 2008, and finds Henry at the head of the Church of England, where he can finally take control of his own destiny. With plans to annul the marriage he so desperately wishes to put behind him, it is only a matter of time before Anne finds herself on the throne as Queen of England.

• "You think you know a story, but you only know how it ends. To get to the heart of the story, you have to go back to the beginning."-King Henry VIII

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  • "In this premier episode, Henry VIII of England prepares for war with France but receives cautious counsel from the powerful Cardinal Wolsey, who urges a peace treaty. The king also learns that his queen's lady-in-waiting, Elizabeth Blount, is pregnant with his child."-TV.com

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  • Mary Boleyn becomes the new mistress of the king.

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  • Anne Boleyn captures Henry's attention...

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  • Henry is named "Defender of the Faith" after denouncing Martin Luther, and when Anne leaves court for awhile, Henry finds himself longing for her.

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  • Anne turns Henry down when he offers to make her his only mistress.

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  • "As King Henry gains in confidence, his displeasure with the way the Catholic church handles his request for an annulment of his marriage to Katherine of Aragon grows."-TV.com

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  • "The plague begins to disappear and the King receives news that his mistress, Anne Boleyn, has miraculously survived."-Showtime

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  • "A papal envoy has come to discuss the annulment of the King's marriage to Katherine of Aragon, as requested by the King."-TV.com

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  • "Cardinal Wolsey's fall is quick and pitiless. Stripped of office and authority, he is banished from the court and sent far from his much-beloved King. His unlikely successor is Sir Thomas More..."-Showtime

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  • "Cardinal Wolsey attempts to save his career by finding a new, yet surprising ally: Queen Katherine..."-TV.com

• First Aired: March 30, 2008
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  • "As he seeks the annulment of his marriage to Katherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII appoints himself the head of the Church of England. And Anne Boleyn insists that Henry remove Queen Katherine from the picture -- and Court."-IMDb

• First Aired: April 6, 2008

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• "When Anne Boleyn insists Henry break all contacts with Katherine, the noble Queen is banished from court. The Reformation has begun." -Showtime

• First Aired: April 13, 2008

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• "Henry destroys all ties with authority and the past. After many failed attempts to have his marriage to Katherine annulled, an impatient Henry marries Anne Boleyn in secret."—Showtime

• First Aired: April 20, 2008

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• "Questions of faith dominate the court. As the infant Princess Elizabeth is baptised, the 'Act of Succession' is unveiled declaring that only children of Henry and Anne are legitimate successors to the English throne."—Showtime

• First Aired: April 27, 2008

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• "Attempts to legitimise the King's marriage and increase his power hit unmovable obstacles as Sir Thomas More and Bishop Fisher insist that only God can be head of the church. Imprisoned in the Tower of London they face likely execution unless they take the Oath of Allegiance. Meanwhile Henry's wandering eye continues to roam."—Showtime

• First Aired: May 4, 2008

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• "As the Reformation gathers pace Sir Thomas Cromwell becomes ever more powerful as propagandist-in-chief of a new moral order. Henry is haunted by the memory of the executed Thomas More while Queen Anne Boleyn's insecurities border on paranoia. Her husband's affairs continue and an effort to have her daughter Elizabeth betrothed to a French royal is disappointed when the French King refuses to recognise that the infant Princess is of legitimate birth."—Showtime

• First Aired: May 11, 2008

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• As Thomas Cromwell's increasingly ruthless 'reforms' spread terror through an ever more vulnerable Catholic Church, Anne Boleyn has nightmares that her position at the King's side is under threat from the continued existence of former Queen Katherine and her daughter Mary. Meanwhile Henry is occupied by sad news and a happy encounter."—Showtime

• First Aired: May 18, 2008

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• Jane Seymour is made lady-in-waiting to Queen Anne, and when Henry is injured while jousting, the kingdom is in a panic over the fact that he has yet to provide an heir.

• First Aired: May 25, 2008

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• When Anne loses a son, Henry's interest in her wanes, and the Seymour family begins to overshadow the Boleyn's as court favorites. Anne soon finds herself accused of adultery and is immediately sentenced to death.

• First Aired: June 1, 2008

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• While Anne awaits her execution, Henry has already moved on and proposed marriage to Jane Seymour. When Henry's marriage to Anne is declared illegitimate, his daughter Elizabeth is removed from the line to the throne.