Death of a Monarchy - Recap

Series finale and Henry’s rein is about to end. The scene opens with a horse running through a forest and a quote from King Henry VIII. Henry is talking to Charles Brandon and asks what something a man can never take back is. Time is what the King has been thinking about lately. Meanwhile, Bishop Gardiner signs the warrant of Catherine’s arrest. Prince Edward has mastered his Latin as he welcomes the French Admiral to court. Catherine, Mary and Elizabeth greet him too. On the side, Lady Mary and Gardiner talk about how Lord Hartford has control over Prince Edward and that the claim to Catherine’s heresy is coming close to an end. King Henry enters and tells that they’re going to sign a new treaty with France and King Henry tells that he has changed the religion of England. He tells that Mass for both realms are to be a simple ceremony and not a big thing. The Admiral falls to his knees and says that he cannot negotiate the terms and says that King Francis is dying of Syphilis. King Henry tells that it is because for his neglect to notice his own mortality that King Francis now has Syphilis.

Gardiner has the warrant to arrest Catherine and he gives it to a servant to give to Lord Grisley. However, the servant who is supposed to deliver the letter gives it to a servant of the Queen and Catherine reads it. Henry hears that she is crying and goes in to see that she is devastated and crying at her bed. She walks up to the King and tells that she feels that he has lost favor in her. The King doesn’t know what she is talking about and asks if there is something that should make him loose favor in her. She tells there is not. After the King leaves Catherine changes her tune of the Lutheran campaign and tells her ladies in waiting to hide their books and never talk about their own beliefs anymore and to be submissive.

Lord Harford visits a sick Charles Brandon and they tell of King Henry’s health. Lord Hartford tells that they need to push the King to make up his mind to who is going to succeed him on the throne and that he wants Charles on his side. Charles tells Hartford that he forgives him for leading Surrey to his death and manipulating people, but wants England to be happy like it was before. Lady Hartford is summoned to Gardiner’s office and he tells that he has a warrant ready to be signed by the King of her arrest. But Lady Hartford has leverage on Gardiner and tells that she will divulge his secret that he stole from the alleys and the King. She tells that he needs to tear up her warrant or else she will tell everyone about his secrets.

Henry is entertaining and a new submissive Queen Catherine enters. Henry is proud that she came. He tells that he wants to know why she feels that reading the bible is good. But, Catherine admits that she is going to obey his view on religion and that she was only talking about religion because he thought it was helping the King’s infirmaries. She resolves herself to King Henry’s judgment. She exits and King Henry tells that he will never doubt Catherine again. A servant asks to whether or not to resend the arrest warrant for the Queen. To this King Henry asks “Why?” Charles is having a nightmare and Bridgette is there comforting him. Charles tells her that he is happy.

The arrest warrant is on its way with Grisley and he tells that he has the right to arrest her. The King gets up outraged and calls Grisley every name in the book that is bad and tells him to leave them. This was his plan all the time. He tells Catherine that Grisley has no right for her sympathy and that she has nothing to fear. Grisley tells Gardiner that he was called bad names by the King and that the arrest did not take place. Gardiner thinks that Henry is only playing with Catherine but Grisley doesn’t think so. The Lords meet with Grisley and Gardiner and they tell that they need to make provisions for the King when he dies and for Prince Edward, who is heir to the throne. Lord Hartford tells that it is nonsense that they go over the same things and tells that Prince Edward is of his blood and that he should always be made the watcher over him. Gardiner accuses Hartford as a heretic and Hartford punches Gardiner in the face and walks off. Bishop Gardiner tries to run to the King for help on the matter and the King refuses him. He tells the servant to tell Gardiner to leave court and to never return. There is no loyalty between Grisley and Gardiner anymore and Grisley apologizes to Lord Hartford for acting so rash to him to protect his own skin.

A Mr. Holebine, a painter, is commissioned to paint a portrait of King Henry and as he is painting, a sick and dying Charles is in his bed. A servant of the King walks in and asks if Charles would care to have an audience with the King. Despite refusals of Bridgette, Charles gets up out of bed and walks to the King. Meanwhile, Henry starts to see hallucinations of Katherine of Aragon. She chastises the King of not taking care of Mary properly and has not found her a husband yet. The hallucinations end and Charles visits the King despite his condition. The two old men talk about their time together as they get emotional and Henry tells that he has the power to make Charles well. He tells Charles to kneel. He gives Charles a blessing and commands him to be healed. But the next scene shows a dead Charles in his bed. At the funeral Bridgette is crying and his Charles’s estranged wife enters in with his son Henry. Bridgette walks up to her to say something, but she ignores her. She feels betrayed and walks out.

King Henry tells that he will pay for Charles’s burial. Henry tells that Charles was the only one to not betray him. The King tells Hartford that they need to talk about after he is dead later. Holebine the painter comes back to show the Painting of King Henry that is still a work in progress. He is angry with it and tells that he has painted him as a broken old man and that is not what he wanted. He retreats to his chambers and hallucinates again. This time it is Anne Boleyn. She tells that Elizabeth is clever and tells that Henry should be proud of her. Henry weeps that he wishes that he could be more part of her life. He tells Anne that it was her fault that she was killed. But Anne tells that she and Catherine Howard were innocent and that they were two moths drawn to the flame and got burned.

A sick Henry is saying his farewells to his wife and two daughters. Henry tells Mary, Elizabeth, and Catherine that he is going send them away for the last year of his life. He tells that Mary needs to be a helpful mother to Prince Edward. To Elizabeth, he tells that she is young but she is to look after Prince Edward as well. To Catherine he bids farewell to and tells that she is to have £7,000 a year as long as she lives. As the King leaves Lady Mary is really emotional at the fact that she is going to be an orphan. Henry hallucinates again for the last time. This time, it is Jane Seymour. She asks about her son. Henry tells that he will be King. She is not happy with this. She tells that he is going to die young and that it is Henry’s fault for keeping him locked away for so long. Henry meets with his Lords and discusses the arrangement of his burial and the care of his son. A peaceful Henry sleeps and in a dreamlike sleep, a young Henry looks out into the sunset and a man with a sword rides up in a skeleton mask. Henry awakes from his dream. Mr. Holebine has redone the painting of King Henry and wants to show the finished product. This time it is larger than before. As Henry looks at the painting, his life flashes before his eyes of the people he loved, killed, lost and the great victory of Boulogne. The painting shows Henry healthy and strong, just as Henry wanted it.

Henry VIIII dies on January 28th, 1547. At the age of Nine, King Edward VI becomes King, but dies six years later. Afterwards people tried to prevent Mary from being Queen because of her Catholic Beliefs, but she was crowned in 1553 and burned many protestant martyrs thus became know by many as “Bloody Mary”. Elizabeth succeeded her in 1558 and ruled England as the “Virgin Queen” for forty-four years. Her rein was known as “The Golden Age”. In the reigns of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I, the Tudors had two most famous monarchs in English History. Thus the series ends and the rein of King Henry VIII comes to a close.

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