0:00:05 > 0:00:07Divorced,
0:00:07 > 0:00:08beheaded,
0:00:08 > 0:00:10died.
0:00:10 > 0:00:11Divorced,
0:00:11 > 0:00:13beheaded,
0:00:13 > 0:00:14survived.
0:00:14 > 0:00:18The story of Henry VIII and his six wives
0:00:18 > 0:00:21is one of the best-known in history.
0:00:21 > 0:00:25There's Catherine of Aragon, the bitter, abandoned first wife.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28Anne Boleyn, the original "other woman".
0:00:28 > 0:00:31Jane Seymour - bit of a doormat.
0:00:31 > 0:00:35Then we've got Anne of Cleves, she was the ugly one.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37Catherine Howard, the one who slept around.
0:00:37 > 0:00:41And Catherine Parr, the saintly nurse.
0:00:41 > 0:00:45But I'm going to tell you a very different story.
0:00:47 > 0:00:49I'm going to take you back in time,
0:00:49 > 0:00:53and into the private lives of Henry's six wives.
0:00:53 > 0:00:55I'm going to see the story
0:00:55 > 0:00:56from THEIR point of view,
0:00:56 > 0:00:59and I'll watch as events unfold.
0:00:59 > 0:01:01- ANNE:- '..and not defy the Church in this way!'
0:01:01 > 0:01:03The fate of my soul is no longer your concern!
0:01:03 > 0:01:06It will ALWAYS be my concern.
0:01:06 > 0:01:08These events all really happened,
0:01:08 > 0:01:11and were recorded in historical documents,
0:01:11 > 0:01:13or reported by eyewitnesses.
0:01:13 > 0:01:15I asked for his head.
0:01:15 > 0:01:17Not his coat.
0:01:17 > 0:01:21They reveal six complex women who lived in a dangerous age
0:01:21 > 0:01:26as they struggled to survive being married to Henry VIII.
0:01:26 > 0:01:28You are still prepared to question me?
0:01:30 > 0:01:33Six wives, whose names were tarnished
0:01:33 > 0:01:35by Henry's propaganda machine.
0:01:37 > 0:01:40Six queens, whose stories I want to re-examine.
0:01:42 > 0:01:43Is she here?
0:01:44 > 0:01:46I'll observe their life at court.
0:01:48 > 0:01:50I'll watch them romanced
0:01:50 > 0:01:52by a charismatic king...
0:01:52 > 0:01:54- Tell me you're the same.- Always.
0:01:54 > 0:01:57..who craves the company of women.
0:01:57 > 0:02:00The King is a very...sociable man.
0:02:00 > 0:02:03I'll show you how they fall from favour.
0:02:03 > 0:02:05I am your loyal wife, my lord!
0:02:05 > 0:02:09Leave, or I shall have you dragged from here.
0:02:09 > 0:02:12I have here a warrant for the arrest of Queen Catherine.
0:02:12 > 0:02:15I'll see how their reputations are destroyed...
0:02:15 > 0:02:18I beg of you to tell the King that my heart is filled with sorrow.
0:02:18 > 0:02:20And assure him of my repentance.
0:02:20 > 0:02:25..and lives cut short at the hands of a ruthless, brutal man.
0:02:25 > 0:02:27Six children born!
0:02:27 > 0:02:29Five of them dead!
0:02:29 > 0:02:30SHE GASPS
0:02:30 > 0:02:33This is the ultimate true story
0:02:33 > 0:02:36of love, loss and betrayal.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40Remember what happened to my last wife and queen?
0:02:58 > 0:03:01It's the 18th of January, 1510.
0:03:04 > 0:03:09Catherine of Aragon has been married to Henry VIII for seven months.
0:03:16 > 0:03:17LADIES GROAN
0:03:17 > 0:03:19# Da-da! #
0:03:20 > 0:03:22Excellently played, Maria.
0:03:22 > 0:03:24Luck, my lady, nothing more.
0:03:24 > 0:03:26ALL GIGGLE
0:03:30 > 0:03:31METALLIC SCRAPE
0:03:31 > 0:03:33DOOR RATTLES >
0:03:35 > 0:03:37DOOR RATTLES
0:03:37 > 0:03:39Maud.
0:03:44 > 0:03:46LOCK CLACKS
0:03:56 > 0:03:57Who is it?
0:04:02 > 0:04:03Nobody.
0:04:05 > 0:04:07SHOUTING
0:04:07 > 0:04:10LADIES SCREAM
0:04:14 > 0:04:17SHE GASPS, HE CHUCKLES
0:04:18 > 0:04:20SHE GASPS
0:04:23 > 0:04:25HE LAUGHS, SHE CHUCKLES
0:04:27 > 0:04:28My darling lady.
0:04:28 > 0:04:30- We frightened you?- Half to death!
0:04:30 > 0:04:32HE LAUGHS
0:04:32 > 0:04:33I'm sorry.
0:04:33 > 0:04:35Mmm...
0:04:35 > 0:04:39We thought you ladies far too clever to be fooled.
0:04:39 > 0:04:41ALL CHUCKLE
0:04:43 > 0:04:46What does the King think of my new robe?
0:04:46 > 0:04:49Beautiful. Every inch of you.
0:04:49 > 0:04:51HE CLEARS HIS THROAT
0:04:51 > 0:04:55- What does the Queen think of the King's costume?- Quite the rogue!
0:05:03 > 0:05:05Friends,
0:05:05 > 0:05:07such a pity you have to leave us.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10HE LAUGHS
0:05:19 > 0:05:21Henry VIII is a loving husband
0:05:21 > 0:05:25to his Spanish queen, Catherine of Aragon.
0:05:25 > 0:05:29Those two truly believe that theirs is a match made in Heaven.
0:05:31 > 0:05:35A few hours and I miss you with all my heart.
0:05:35 > 0:05:36I feel delirious.
0:05:38 > 0:05:40What's wrong with me?
0:05:41 > 0:05:43Perhaps you're coming down with a fever.
0:05:44 > 0:05:47- Tell me you're the same.- Always.
0:05:50 > 0:05:54Henry has been King of England for nine months
0:05:54 > 0:05:57and Catherine is already pregnant.
0:06:02 > 0:06:05We don't think of Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon
0:06:05 > 0:06:07ever being in love.
0:06:09 > 0:06:11Catherine was his first wife,
0:06:11 > 0:06:12and as the rhyme tells us,
0:06:12 > 0:06:14the one he divorced.
0:06:16 > 0:06:18The bitter ending of her marriage
0:06:18 > 0:06:22has come to define her as an angry woman, obsessed with religion,
0:06:22 > 0:06:25but I'm going to show you a different Catherine.
0:06:25 > 0:06:30In reality, she was a steadfast and popular queen.
0:06:30 > 0:06:33And for most of the 24 years of her marriage,
0:06:33 > 0:06:35she really was rather good at handling
0:06:35 > 0:06:38an increasingly difficult man.
0:06:44 > 0:06:45In an age of arranged marriages,
0:06:45 > 0:06:49that between Henry VIII and Catherine of Aragon was unusual
0:06:49 > 0:06:51because it was a love match.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55He could have had his pick of all the ladies of the Court,
0:06:55 > 0:06:58and he later said, that of all the ladies in the world,
0:06:58 > 0:07:00he would, again, have chosen her.
0:07:00 > 0:07:02She was a bit older than him.
0:07:02 > 0:07:04When they married she was 23,
0:07:04 > 0:07:06and he was about to turn 18.
0:07:06 > 0:07:09But they did have quite a lot in common.
0:07:09 > 0:07:11They were both the children of dynasties
0:07:11 > 0:07:15that had recently come to power through conflict,
0:07:15 > 0:07:17and they were both ambitious.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20They wanted to create a bigger role for themselves,
0:07:20 > 0:07:24and for England on the European stage.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28Ambition was something Catherine had had instilled in her
0:07:28 > 0:07:31from a very early age.
0:07:36 > 0:07:40This is the extraordinary Alhambra Palace in Grenada.
0:07:40 > 0:07:43This is the closest thing that Catherine had to a home.
0:07:43 > 0:07:46It was just one of many palaces of her parents,
0:07:46 > 0:07:48Queen Isabel of Castile
0:07:48 > 0:07:51and King Ferdinand of Aragon.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56The Alhambra was Catherine's favourite,
0:07:56 > 0:07:59and, by far, the grandest palace in the whole of Spain
0:07:59 > 0:08:01with its beautiful gardens.
0:08:01 > 0:08:05But it was also a fortress that witnessed battles,
0:08:05 > 0:08:07sieges and slaughter.
0:08:07 > 0:08:10Catherine's parents were fearsome rulers.
0:08:10 > 0:08:13They'd forged alliances, and united kingdoms.
0:08:13 > 0:08:17Her mother, Isabel, was known as the "Warrior Queen".
0:08:18 > 0:08:23And Isabel had big ambitions for Catherine. At the age of three,
0:08:23 > 0:08:26she was promised in marriage to the heir of the throne of England -
0:08:26 > 0:08:30we're not talking about Henry here, but his older brother, Arthur.
0:08:30 > 0:08:34To Catherine's parents, this was a great opportunity -
0:08:34 > 0:08:36a new dynastic alliance.
0:08:36 > 0:08:38But to Catherine herself,
0:08:38 > 0:08:42it meant that she'd have to go and live in a very different country,
0:08:42 > 0:08:44almost a different world.
0:08:44 > 0:08:45And once she'd left Spain,
0:08:45 > 0:08:48she'd never see her parents again.
0:08:55 > 0:08:59Aged just 15, Catherine landed on the shores of England,
0:08:59 > 0:09:01there to marry Prince Arthur.
0:09:01 > 0:09:03He was the same age.
0:09:03 > 0:09:07But their marriage would be tragically short-lived.
0:09:07 > 0:09:10After just a few months, Arthur sickened and died.
0:09:10 > 0:09:13It must have been devastating for Catherine,
0:09:13 > 0:09:15who was now a teenage widow.
0:09:17 > 0:09:19Her father then tried to marry her off
0:09:19 > 0:09:21to the new heir to the English throne,
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Arthur's younger brother, Henry.
0:09:25 > 0:09:28The Spanish and English kings spent seven years
0:09:28 > 0:09:30trying to agree on the marriage contract.
0:09:30 > 0:09:34Eventually, Henry's father called the marriage off.
0:09:34 > 0:09:36But behind the King's back,
0:09:36 > 0:09:40the young prince had grown rather fond of his Spanish princess.
0:09:40 > 0:09:42And when the old king died,
0:09:42 > 0:09:46the first thing the new king, Henry VIII, did
0:09:46 > 0:09:48was to marry Catherine of Aragon.
0:09:50 > 0:09:55So, Catherine and Henry were the ultimate thrusting power couple.
0:09:55 > 0:09:58But top of the agenda for their marriage
0:09:58 > 0:10:00was the continuation of the dynasty.
0:10:00 > 0:10:04It was now her job to have children
0:10:04 > 0:10:08and she did manage to get pregnant pretty easily.
0:10:08 > 0:10:12It was only a few months later that the problems began.
0:10:20 > 0:10:23Catherine's nearly five months pregnant
0:10:23 > 0:10:26but it looks like she's had a miscarriage.
0:10:28 > 0:10:29Has the King been told?
0:10:31 > 0:10:33Not yet, my lady.
0:10:33 > 0:10:35Then he must know.
0:10:35 > 0:10:37Somebody fetch him.
0:10:38 > 0:10:40Wait!
0:10:40 > 0:10:42What is it?
0:10:42 > 0:10:44Please, speak.
0:10:44 > 0:10:46I'm confident, Your Highness,
0:10:46 > 0:10:50- the situation is not as we had feared.- How so?
0:10:51 > 0:10:52You are still with child.
0:10:55 > 0:10:57- It's impossible. - I have taken the utmost care,
0:10:57 > 0:11:01a thorough examination has been made, and the evidence is there.
0:11:01 > 0:11:03My womb is empty.
0:11:03 > 0:11:05I've seen the evidence myself.
0:11:07 > 0:11:10- How do you dismiss that? - I do not, Your Highness.
0:11:10 > 0:11:12My explanation is thus.
0:11:13 > 0:11:16A twin pregnancy.
0:11:16 > 0:11:18One child lost,
0:11:18 > 0:11:21the other child continuing to grow.
0:11:23 > 0:11:26Your belly is still full.
0:11:29 > 0:11:32You're certain?
0:11:32 > 0:11:33Quite.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40Then I must take your word.
0:11:42 > 0:11:45The Queen will require meticulous care during her confinement.
0:11:45 > 0:11:46Of course.
0:11:48 > 0:11:50Thank you.
0:11:59 > 0:12:01This is a miracle from Christ, is it not?
0:12:04 > 0:12:06The weight of expectation that Catherine is under
0:12:06 > 0:12:11to produce an heir to the throne is absolutely crushing.
0:12:11 > 0:12:13Oh, quickly.
0:12:15 > 0:12:16Can you feel it?
0:12:16 > 0:12:18I think so.
0:12:22 > 0:12:24A miracle.
0:12:31 > 0:12:33On the physician's word,
0:12:33 > 0:12:36relief and excitement flood through the royal household...
0:12:38 > 0:12:43..and preparations for Catherine's confinement can proceed.
0:12:43 > 0:12:46She will spend the last month before the birth locked away
0:12:46 > 0:12:50with her personal servants, including her ladies-in-waiting.
0:12:50 > 0:12:55The Tudors believe that disease travels through the air,
0:12:55 > 0:12:59so the floors, doors and windows of her chambers are sealed
0:12:59 > 0:13:02to prevent her or the baby from getting ill.
0:13:06 > 0:13:09The groaning chair is prepared.
0:13:09 > 0:13:13The mother sits in this to groan her way through labour,
0:13:13 > 0:13:15and to give birth with the aid of gravity.
0:13:15 > 0:13:19And, finally, the bed is blessed.
0:13:26 > 0:13:30The day has come. My queen must go.
0:13:30 > 0:13:34- Only as far as my bedchamber. - Which might as well be in Spain...
0:13:36 > 0:13:41Gentlemen, I trust you'll look after the King in my absence.
0:13:41 > 0:13:43I'll be in good hands.
0:13:43 > 0:13:46But none as fair or kind as these.
0:13:49 > 0:13:53- My heart aches at the thought of weeks without you.- Mine too.
0:13:55 > 0:13:56But what prize at the end?
0:13:57 > 0:13:59Indeed.
0:14:01 > 0:14:02Pray for me.
0:14:03 > 0:14:04I'll pray for you both.
0:14:15 > 0:14:19Catherine enters confinement in spring 1510.
0:14:29 > 0:14:33Ahead now lies the ordeal of childbirth.
0:14:33 > 0:14:36It's terrifying, because of the distinct possibility
0:14:36 > 0:14:38that you might die.
0:14:38 > 0:14:41Husbands often have portraits painted of their wives
0:14:41 > 0:14:45while they're pregnant, so that a baby will have something
0:14:45 > 0:14:49to remember its mother by if she doesn't make it.
0:14:50 > 0:14:52I would prefer to undress alone.
0:15:04 > 0:15:08But there's something Catherine fears more than death.
0:15:08 > 0:15:10And that's failing in her royal duty.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16With just weeks to go before the birth,
0:15:16 > 0:15:17should she trust her doctor
0:15:17 > 0:15:21who believes there's a surviving twin still inside her?
0:15:21 > 0:15:24Or should she trust her instincts?
0:15:24 > 0:15:27All she can do is wait and pray
0:15:27 > 0:15:32that God will deliver the Tudor dynasty a son.
0:15:35 > 0:15:36SLAMMING
0:15:58 > 0:15:59You've loaded them, surely?
0:16:05 > 0:16:07KNOCK AT DOOR
0:16:16 > 0:16:18Your Grace.
0:16:20 > 0:16:23- What is it?- The Queen, my lord.
0:16:23 > 0:16:25What's the matter with her?
0:16:25 > 0:16:28The matter is not with the Queen herself...
0:16:29 > 0:16:30..but with the baby.
0:16:30 > 0:16:32It's been born?
0:16:32 > 0:16:36I'm afraid she has suffered a loss of the child.
0:16:37 > 0:16:40The physician has just left the Queen's chamber,
0:16:40 > 0:16:41he confirms as much.
0:16:43 > 0:16:44Please leave us.
0:16:51 > 0:16:52Get out!
0:16:59 > 0:17:01The child?
0:17:01 > 0:17:03What was it,
0:17:03 > 0:17:05male or female?
0:17:05 > 0:17:07I do not know.
0:17:07 > 0:17:08You do not know?
0:17:10 > 0:17:11How can that be so?
0:17:11 > 0:17:13I came in haste.
0:17:14 > 0:17:18'The Queen asks if you will pay a visit to her chamber.'
0:17:18 > 0:17:20She is bereft, my lord.
0:17:28 > 0:17:30Maud, a stillbirth?
0:17:32 > 0:17:34No birth.
0:17:34 > 0:17:35There was no child.
0:17:39 > 0:17:42Catherine's bump has simply disappeared.
0:17:42 > 0:17:46It looks like the doctor's got it spectacularly wrong.
0:17:46 > 0:17:47Not a second baby,
0:17:47 > 0:17:49but an infection.
0:17:52 > 0:17:56The infection must have made Catherine's belly swell up.
0:17:56 > 0:17:59And I believe she was so desperate to have a child
0:17:59 > 0:18:02that she convinced herself that she was still pregnant.
0:18:02 > 0:18:04It was humiliating.
0:18:04 > 0:18:07All of that time spent in confinement,
0:18:07 > 0:18:11all of that ceremony, and absolutely nothing to show for it.
0:18:11 > 0:18:13Rumours started to circulate
0:18:13 > 0:18:16that Catherine was unable to conceive.
0:18:16 > 0:18:19And people at Court began to think that she was,
0:18:19 > 0:18:21maybe, unsuitable as a queen.
0:18:24 > 0:18:26And what about Henry?
0:18:26 > 0:18:29He must have been disappointed too.
0:18:29 > 0:18:33After all, he had the future of the dynasty to consider.
0:18:33 > 0:18:34We sometimes forget,
0:18:34 > 0:18:39but he was only the second Tudor king after his father, Henry VII.
0:18:39 > 0:18:42The dynasty was young, it was still insecure.
0:18:42 > 0:18:46And then, there was the security, the peace of the country.
0:18:46 > 0:18:49If Henry were to die without an agreed heir,
0:18:49 > 0:18:52there could be civil war -
0:18:52 > 0:18:55exactly what his father had managed to stop.
0:18:55 > 0:18:59So, it's difficult to underestimate the pressure
0:18:59 > 0:19:03that Catherine must have felt, literally, to deliver.
0:19:03 > 0:19:05Fortunately for her,
0:19:05 > 0:19:08her luck was about to change.
0:19:08 > 0:19:10A few months later, she did conceive again,
0:19:10 > 0:19:14and, this time, it was a real pregnancy.
0:19:18 > 0:19:20It was also a smooth pregnancy.
0:19:22 > 0:19:24On New Year's Day, 1511,
0:19:24 > 0:19:26Catherine gave birth.
0:19:26 > 0:19:27It was a boy,
0:19:27 > 0:19:30and he was christened Henry.
0:19:30 > 0:19:34It looked like God was happy at last with Henry VIII,
0:19:34 > 0:19:35with the Tudor dynasty,
0:19:35 > 0:19:38with the whole kingdom of England.
0:19:38 > 0:19:40London went wild with celebrations,
0:19:40 > 0:19:43there were bonfires and fireworks,
0:19:43 > 0:19:46and, here at Westminster, there was a joust.
0:19:51 > 0:19:55The grandest jousting tournament of Henry VIII's reign
0:19:55 > 0:19:59was now held in honour of Catherine delivering him a son.
0:19:59 > 0:20:05The event was recorded on a spectacular 60-foot-long manuscript.
0:20:05 > 0:20:06For the last 500 years,
0:20:06 > 0:20:10it's been looked after by the College of Arms in London.
0:20:10 > 0:20:15Its custodian is the York Herald, Peter O'Donoghue.
0:20:16 > 0:20:20So, Peter, this is the actual moment of jousting.
0:20:20 > 0:20:22What's going on here? It looks very exciting.
0:20:22 > 0:20:24This is Henry on his horse,
0:20:24 > 0:20:29and he has struck his opponent on the head, and broken his lance.
0:20:29 > 0:20:31It's the most prestigious blow in jousting -
0:20:31 > 0:20:33to break your lance on your opponent's head.
0:20:33 > 0:20:35You can't really tell that he's the King, can you?
0:20:35 > 0:20:38- Because he's in disguise. - Yeah, that's right.
0:20:38 > 0:20:41There is this disguising, this playful element to it.
0:20:41 > 0:20:44He's fighting under an assumed name.
0:20:44 > 0:20:47You can make out what that name is with the heart,
0:20:47 > 0:20:48that's a "Coeur Loyal".
0:20:48 > 0:20:52- He's called "Sir Loyal Heart"? - That's it, exactly.
0:20:52 > 0:20:55So, tell me a bit about the ladies.
0:20:55 > 0:20:57The most important lady here, of course, is the Queen.
0:20:57 > 0:21:00So, here's Catherine of Aragon, watching.
0:21:00 > 0:21:04And here we have this motif of Ks everywhere.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07'By calling himself Sir Loyal Heart,
0:21:07 > 0:21:09'Henry was declaring his love for Catherine.
0:21:09 > 0:21:13'She'd done everything right. She'd given him a son.
0:21:13 > 0:21:17'This really was the high point of their marriage.'
0:21:17 > 0:21:19And this is the King on the way home again afterwards?
0:21:19 > 0:21:23That's right. "Desarmey" - "disarmed", on the way home.
0:21:23 > 0:21:25He's out of his armour,
0:21:25 > 0:21:28in his golden robe which is very spectacular.
0:21:28 > 0:21:33And what I really like is the way you can see his piercing blue gaze
0:21:33 > 0:21:37and he's training it straight on the beautiful queen.
0:21:37 > 0:21:40He is looking right at the woman he loves.
0:21:40 > 0:21:43Oh! Look at this, all the other ladies are looking at her
0:21:43 > 0:21:46and they're going, "Oh, isn't your husband gorgeous?"
0:21:46 > 0:21:48You know, you see him here
0:21:48 > 0:21:52painted in this, sort of, wonderful work of art.
0:21:52 > 0:21:55He's just had his son, so the dynasty is established.
0:21:55 > 0:21:57The whole kingdom waited with bated breath
0:21:57 > 0:21:59to see what the outcome of that pregnancy would be.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02If you've got a son and heir, everyone can relax.
0:22:02 > 0:22:04And he is the hero of the day.
0:22:04 > 0:22:07He's young, he's incredibly rich,
0:22:07 > 0:22:09he's incredibly glamorous and handsome...
0:22:09 > 0:22:11And a beautiful wife as well.
0:22:11 > 0:22:13What could possibly go wrong(?) PETER LAUGHS
0:22:13 > 0:22:14Exactly right.
0:22:19 > 0:22:22There were endless celebrations for the royal birth.
0:22:22 > 0:22:25But they were all in vain.
0:22:26 > 0:22:31At just seven weeks old, Prince Henry sickened and died.
0:22:33 > 0:22:36Three barges draped with black cloth
0:22:36 > 0:22:40brought a baby's body down the river from Richmond to Westminster
0:22:40 > 0:22:43where he was buried in the Abbey.
0:22:43 > 0:22:46For Henry, he could hardly bear to talk about it.
0:22:46 > 0:22:49One ambassador going in for a meeting with the King
0:22:49 > 0:22:51was advised not to mention it,
0:22:51 > 0:22:54lest it "revive his grief".
0:22:55 > 0:22:59And we're told that Catherine made much lamentation.
0:23:00 > 0:23:02She was inconsolable.
0:23:02 > 0:23:05She'd now lost two babies.
0:23:10 > 0:23:13Catherine is struggling to give the King an heir.
0:23:13 > 0:23:15But in pretty much every other respect,
0:23:15 > 0:23:18she's still his perfect queen.
0:23:18 > 0:23:19It's two years later,
0:23:19 > 0:23:21Henry is away fighting the French.
0:23:21 > 0:23:25This is an on-off war that'll go on throughout his reign.
0:23:25 > 0:23:28And in his absence, he's made Catherine regent.
0:23:28 > 0:23:30She is running the country.
0:23:30 > 0:23:32Now, this is quite uncommon.
0:23:32 > 0:23:36For me, it's evidence that not only does he still love her,
0:23:36 > 0:23:40but also, that he respects her judgment.
0:23:42 > 0:23:46With Henry away, the Scottish king, James IV,
0:23:46 > 0:23:50has seized an opportunity to invade England.
0:23:50 > 0:23:53But he hasn't calculated on the Spanish warrior queen,
0:23:53 > 0:23:55Catherine of Aragon.
0:23:55 > 0:23:57DOOR OPENS
0:23:57 > 0:24:00She's deployed an army of 26,000 Englishmen
0:24:00 > 0:24:04and is awaiting news from the battlefield.
0:24:07 > 0:24:09Your Highness...
0:24:11 > 0:24:12..the Scot is dead.
0:24:12 > 0:24:15CHEERING
0:24:18 > 0:24:20And what proof is this?
0:24:20 > 0:24:23The Earl of Surrey thought it more...palatable
0:24:23 > 0:24:25to send his clothing.
0:24:25 > 0:24:26LAUGHTER
0:24:26 > 0:24:28SHE CHUCKLES
0:24:28 > 0:24:29"More palatable"?
0:24:29 > 0:24:31For whom?
0:24:33 > 0:24:35He was killed on the battlefield in Northumbria yesterday,
0:24:35 > 0:24:37along with scores of his men.
0:24:39 > 0:24:41The Queen can be assured that this is his blood.
0:24:41 > 0:24:43That may be so.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45But where is the body?
0:24:46 > 0:24:48I asked for his head.
0:24:48 > 0:24:50Not his coat.
0:24:51 > 0:24:53- The body's in London. - Then have it brought to me.
0:24:53 > 0:24:55As you wish, Your Highness.
0:24:55 > 0:24:57Majesty.
0:24:57 > 0:24:58Your Majesty.
0:25:04 > 0:25:06This shall be sent to King Henry.
0:25:13 > 0:25:17A reputed 10,000 Scots lie dead on the battlefield -
0:25:17 > 0:25:19the invasion defeated.
0:25:19 > 0:25:23Catherine's popularity as queen soars,
0:25:23 > 0:25:28and the dead king's coat is dispatched to Henry in France.
0:25:29 > 0:25:32She'd wanted to send something even better,
0:25:32 > 0:25:33as she wrote to Henry...
0:25:33 > 0:25:38"I thought to send himself unto you."
0:25:38 > 0:25:40By which she means she'd wanted to send
0:25:40 > 0:25:42the actual corpse of the dead king.
0:25:42 > 0:25:47"But our Englishmen's hearts would not suffer it."
0:25:47 > 0:25:49By which, she means her wimpy English servants
0:25:49 > 0:25:52had thought that this was a bit too much.
0:25:52 > 0:25:56Later on in the letter, she says something rather intriguing.
0:25:56 > 0:26:00That she is off to see "Our Lady at Walsingham".
0:26:09 > 0:26:11Walsingham in Norfolk
0:26:11 > 0:26:13is the site of a religious shrine.
0:26:13 > 0:26:15Since the Middle Ages,
0:26:15 > 0:26:18it's been associated with fertility and childbirth.
0:26:18 > 0:26:21It was a hugely popular place in Tudor times.
0:26:22 > 0:26:25Catherine came here in 1513
0:26:25 > 0:26:28to pray and give thanks.
0:26:28 > 0:26:30She had lots to give thanks for.
0:26:30 > 0:26:35There was that victory over the Scots, and, even more significantly,
0:26:35 > 0:26:37she was, once again, pregnant.
0:26:44 > 0:26:49And Catherine believed that she was in need of God's protection.
0:26:49 > 0:26:52This was her third pregnancy in four years of marriage
0:26:52 > 0:26:54and she still had no children.
0:26:59 > 0:27:04Catherine of Aragon was now 27 years old,
0:27:04 > 0:27:07in Tudor terms, that's middle-aged.
0:27:07 > 0:27:11Royal women were giving birth at 16, even 15.
0:27:11 > 0:27:14In fact, Henry VIII's own grandmother
0:27:14 > 0:27:17gave birth to his dad when she was just 13.
0:27:17 > 0:27:20So, Catherine was definitely an older mum.
0:27:22 > 0:27:25She must have felt like time was running out.
0:27:33 > 0:27:36But Catherine's prayers weren't answered.
0:27:38 > 0:27:41For the third time, she'd lose the baby.
0:27:43 > 0:27:48Tragically, it had been a boy.
0:27:48 > 0:27:51Catherine's success as queen was now being overshadowed
0:27:51 > 0:27:54by her failure to deliver a healthy son.
0:27:54 > 0:27:57She was starting to test the King's patience.
0:28:03 > 0:28:06As Catherine struggled to bring babies to term,
0:28:06 > 0:28:10her husband's fancy started to wander.
0:28:10 > 0:28:12There was nothing astonishing about this.
0:28:12 > 0:28:17Whenever the Queen was expecting, her health came first - no sex -
0:28:17 > 0:28:20but nobody expected Henry to go without.
0:28:20 > 0:28:22He looked through his wife's ladies-in-waiting,
0:28:22 > 0:28:23women of good family
0:28:23 > 0:28:25chosen as the Queen's companions.
0:28:25 > 0:28:28And he picked out Bessie Blount.
0:28:28 > 0:28:31They started a relationship.
0:28:31 > 0:28:35Bessie got pregnant, she even gave birth to a son,
0:28:35 > 0:28:38the only downside was that he was illegitimate.
0:28:38 > 0:28:41But Henry was proud of him, recognised him,
0:28:41 > 0:28:44and gave him the name Henry Fitzroy,
0:28:44 > 0:28:46meaning "son of the king".
0:28:48 > 0:28:49But Bessie Blount's son
0:28:49 > 0:28:53can never be the legitimate heir to the throne of England
0:28:53 > 0:28:55and the King respects his queen enough
0:28:55 > 0:28:58to send Bessie away from Court.
0:29:03 > 0:29:06This must have been awful for Catherine,
0:29:06 > 0:29:09her husband's mistress giving him a boy, where she'd failed.
0:29:09 > 0:29:12But then, after five pregnancies,
0:29:12 > 0:29:15four stillbirths, one infant death,
0:29:15 > 0:29:17and six years of marriage,
0:29:17 > 0:29:19God smiled on Catherine.
0:29:19 > 0:29:23She gave birth to a healthy baby who lived.
0:29:23 > 0:29:25The only problem was,
0:29:25 > 0:29:26it was a girl.
0:29:28 > 0:29:29Mary?
0:29:31 > 0:29:35The Princess Mary is now six years old.
0:29:36 > 0:29:37Mary?
0:29:37 > 0:29:38Mother?
0:29:40 > 0:29:42Since her daughter was born,
0:29:42 > 0:29:46Catherine has tried and tried to give Henry the son
0:29:46 > 0:29:48that he desperately craves.
0:29:48 > 0:29:51But now, her age is against her.
0:29:51 > 0:29:54She's 37 years old.
0:29:54 > 0:29:56It looks increasingly likely
0:29:56 > 0:29:59that Mary will be her only surviving child.
0:30:04 > 0:30:06Henry is putting on a pageant.
0:30:11 > 0:30:14Catherine's ladies-in-waiting are playing Virtues.
0:30:14 > 0:30:16Such as Perseverance,
0:30:16 > 0:30:18Beauty, Kindness.
0:30:18 > 0:30:21And they await rescue by knights.
0:30:23 > 0:30:24Mary?
0:30:24 > 0:30:26But the Queen is a spectator.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29She hasn't been invited to take part.
0:30:29 > 0:30:31Mary?
0:30:42 > 0:30:45A more apt description I couldn't imagine.
0:30:46 > 0:30:49Although...Beauty would be equally fitting.
0:30:50 > 0:30:52Beauty belongs to the King's sister, my lord.
0:30:52 > 0:30:54Hm.
0:30:54 > 0:30:56THEY CHUCKLE
0:30:58 > 0:31:00And mine?
0:31:00 > 0:31:02"Ardent Desire".
0:31:02 > 0:31:04Quite.
0:31:04 > 0:31:07Henry's new love interest is one of two sisters
0:31:07 > 0:31:12who've recently arrived at Court as ladies-in-waiting to Catherine.
0:31:12 > 0:31:16They're the daughters of a landowner and diplomat, Thomas Boleyn.
0:31:19 > 0:31:22This is the beginning of a series of events
0:31:22 > 0:31:26that will ultimately destroy the royal marriage.
0:31:27 > 0:31:29But this isn't Anne Boleyn.
0:31:29 > 0:31:33Catherine's husband is kissing Anne's older sister, Mary.
0:31:44 > 0:31:47Mary Boleyn grew up here, at Hever Castle in Kent,
0:31:47 > 0:31:50along with her brother, George, and her sister, Anne.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56Mary and Anne were close in age,
0:31:56 > 0:31:58but they were very different girls.
0:31:59 > 0:32:02Of the two sisters, everybody thought
0:32:02 > 0:32:04that Mary was the more attractive.
0:32:04 > 0:32:07She had fair hair, and she was super vivacious.
0:32:07 > 0:32:11Anne had dark hair and olive-coloured skin.
0:32:11 > 0:32:15It's definitely fair to say that Tudor gentlemen preferred blondes.
0:32:15 > 0:32:17Mary was married
0:32:17 > 0:32:20to one of Henry's best friends.
0:32:20 > 0:32:23But this didn't stop him from pursuing her.
0:32:23 > 0:32:24After all, he was the king,
0:32:24 > 0:32:26he could have whoever he wanted.
0:32:28 > 0:32:31We don't know an awful lot about Henry VIII's affair
0:32:31 > 0:32:34with Mary Boleyn, but there is a clue.
0:32:34 > 0:32:36A series of mysterious payments
0:32:36 > 0:32:40from the Crown to her husband, William Carey.
0:32:40 > 0:32:43The theory is that that was hush money.
0:32:43 > 0:32:47Henry's affair with Mary was explosive, but it was short-lived.
0:32:47 > 0:32:48He got bored.
0:32:48 > 0:32:52And in any case, his eye had moved on
0:32:52 > 0:32:55to Mary's sister, Anne.
0:33:01 > 0:33:03It was probably in 1525
0:33:03 > 0:33:07that Henry first really noticed Anne Boleyn.
0:33:09 > 0:33:11At this point, she was actually betrothed
0:33:11 > 0:33:16to somebody else - Henry Percy - and they were probably in love.
0:33:16 > 0:33:18But when Henry got to hear about it,
0:33:18 > 0:33:22he had his advisers break the couple up.
0:33:22 > 0:33:24Anne was probably pretty annoyed about this,
0:33:24 > 0:33:26but she had to go along with it.
0:33:28 > 0:33:31Now that the King's eye had fallen upon her,
0:33:31 > 0:33:35I think that Anne looked at the way Henry had treated Bessie Blount
0:33:35 > 0:33:37and her own sister, Mary,
0:33:37 > 0:33:40and decided that she wasn't going to be
0:33:40 > 0:33:42just another mistress like them.
0:33:47 > 0:33:50And, in fact, Anne wasn't like anybody else at all.
0:33:51 > 0:33:55Compared to her fellow ladies-in-waiting, she was exotic.
0:33:55 > 0:34:00She'd been schooled in the refined world of the French court.
0:34:05 > 0:34:09This is Chateau Amboise in the heart of the Loire Valley.
0:34:09 > 0:34:13Unusually for an English courtier, the teenage Anne
0:34:13 > 0:34:17had spent seven years in the royal household of Queen Claude,
0:34:17 > 0:34:20the young wife of King Francis I.
0:34:22 > 0:34:26Court life in France was different from court life in England.
0:34:26 > 0:34:28It was more...sophisticated.
0:34:28 > 0:34:30It was sexier,
0:34:30 > 0:34:32and some of this rubbed off on Anne.
0:34:34 > 0:34:35At the French court,
0:34:35 > 0:34:38Anne learnt how to sing, how to dance.
0:34:38 > 0:34:41Obviously, how to speak French perfectly.
0:34:41 > 0:34:45And she learnt about fashion that was much more seductive
0:34:45 > 0:34:48and revealing than the English equivalent.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51But, most importantly, she learnt a new way of behaving,
0:34:51 > 0:34:55flirtatiously and confidently with men.
0:34:55 > 0:34:57She picked up this trick
0:34:57 > 0:34:58of using her eyes.
0:34:58 > 0:35:02It was said that she could... "send them forth as messengers
0:35:02 > 0:35:06"to carry the secret witness of the heart".
0:35:06 > 0:35:09Anne became indistinguishable, people thought,
0:35:09 > 0:35:12from a native-born French lady.
0:35:13 > 0:35:17And Anne's European sophistication
0:35:17 > 0:35:20enchanted the cultured English king.
0:35:20 > 0:35:24What really put the seal on Anne's attractiveness was her intelligence.
0:35:24 > 0:35:27She was sharp and curious,
0:35:27 > 0:35:30and interested in matters of the mind.
0:35:30 > 0:35:33So, Anne didn't just flirt with Henry,
0:35:33 > 0:35:34she also argued with him
0:35:34 > 0:35:38on everything from politics to religion
0:35:38 > 0:35:39and he loved it.
0:35:41 > 0:35:46It's New Year's Eve, 1527, and the King is receiving gifts.
0:35:46 > 0:35:50He's been pursuing Anne Boleyn for well over a year,
0:35:50 > 0:35:54but, so far, she's resisted all of his advances.
0:35:54 > 0:35:55- COURTIER:- From Queen Catherine.
0:35:59 > 0:36:00Your Majesty.
0:36:08 > 0:36:11- And where might the Queen be? - She's in her chamber,
0:36:11 > 0:36:14resting before the celebrations later this evening.
0:36:18 > 0:36:21Sent from Anne Boleyn, with her kindest regards, Your Majesty.
0:36:36 > 0:36:38Is she here?
0:36:51 > 0:36:53This is exquisite.
0:36:54 > 0:36:55Thank you.
0:36:57 > 0:36:59Tell me of it.
0:36:59 > 0:37:01The diamond is the North Star,
0:37:01 > 0:37:04the ship's protector, guiding her home.
0:37:12 > 0:37:13And the maiden?
0:37:14 > 0:37:16Well, despite the rough seas,
0:37:16 > 0:37:18she trusts in God that all will be well.
0:37:21 > 0:37:23The lady is right to have faith.
0:37:25 > 0:37:26The storm shall pass.
0:37:27 > 0:37:29If she has patience enough.
0:37:29 > 0:37:31Or the will to see it through.
0:37:36 > 0:37:38I will treasure it.
0:37:42 > 0:37:45Please offer my sincere thanks to the bearers of these gifts.
0:37:45 > 0:37:48Their generosity is greatly appreciated.
0:37:50 > 0:37:52Now!
0:37:52 > 0:37:55I feel some air is called for before the celebrations commence.
0:37:57 > 0:37:59A walk in the grounds, perhaps?
0:38:01 > 0:38:04Anne, would you care to join me?
0:38:06 > 0:38:08With pleasure, Your Grace.
0:38:19 > 0:38:24- I trust it is your will to walk with me?- Indeed, it's my pleasure.
0:38:24 > 0:38:27I'm far happier on the safety of dry land.
0:38:31 > 0:38:33It is such an important moment.
0:38:33 > 0:38:37For the first time, Anne's shown that she IS interested in Henry,
0:38:37 > 0:38:39and she's done it in public too.
0:38:39 > 0:38:42Now, Catherine has seen mistresses come and mistresses go.
0:38:42 > 0:38:44But this time it's different.
0:38:44 > 0:38:46Anne is a real threat.
0:38:59 > 0:39:03The best insight that we can get into Henry's growing feelings
0:39:03 > 0:39:07for Anne Boleyn comes in the form of 17 love letters,
0:39:07 > 0:39:09from him to her.
0:39:09 > 0:39:12It's extraordinary that they still survive.
0:39:12 > 0:39:13They're here in Rome,
0:39:13 > 0:39:15in the Vatican Library.
0:39:15 > 0:39:19And, amazingly, I'm the first person who's been allowed in to film them.
0:39:19 > 0:39:21It's brilliant!
0:39:25 > 0:39:28The letters were almost certainly stolen from Anne Boleyn,
0:39:28 > 0:39:32perhaps by a supporter of Queen Catherine.
0:39:32 > 0:39:34The Vatican paid a handsome sum of money
0:39:34 > 0:39:37to get hold of them in the 17th century.
0:39:45 > 0:39:49My guide to the Vatican Archives is Emalia Delascio.
0:39:49 > 0:39:52She's the only one allowed to touch the letters.
0:39:53 > 0:39:58Emalia, are these really the letters of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn?
0:39:58 > 0:40:01- Yes, they are.- Nearly 500 years old.
0:40:02 > 0:40:04I open for you.
0:40:06 > 0:40:09This one is the first page.
0:40:09 > 0:40:13"Letters of Henry VIII to Anne Boleyn."
0:40:16 > 0:40:17Wow.
0:40:17 > 0:40:20This is Henry's own handwriting?
0:40:20 > 0:40:21These are all in French,
0:40:21 > 0:40:24the language of love, the language of chivalry.
0:40:24 > 0:40:30"I'm sending you, by this messenger, my picture set into a bracelet."
0:40:30 > 0:40:34- It's a gift, a beautiful gift. - Yes.- Very intimate.
0:40:38 > 0:40:39And this is... Oh!
0:40:39 > 0:40:43This one's very romantic.
0:40:43 > 0:40:44And chivalric.
0:40:44 > 0:40:47It's like a knight writing to his lady,
0:40:47 > 0:40:53"Henceforth my heart shall be dedicated to you alone.
0:40:53 > 0:40:58"And hoping that my body will follow."
0:40:58 > 0:41:00This is getting steamy.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02He must have really been in love,
0:41:02 > 0:41:05because we know that Henry hated to write letters.
0:41:05 > 0:41:07- Yes.- He found it difficult.
0:41:07 > 0:41:08He was slow.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11But here he is, gushing away.
0:41:11 > 0:41:13And here is...
0:41:13 > 0:41:16This is wonderful. This is like a little Valentine.
0:41:16 > 0:41:22- He chooses no other than Anne Boleyn. AB in the heart.- AB.
0:41:22 > 0:41:25And then HR. They're embracing.
0:41:25 > 0:41:27AB for Anne Boleyn.
0:41:29 > 0:41:30It's beautiful.
0:41:35 > 0:41:37Oh, and now, it's changed to English.
0:41:37 > 0:41:41"Wishing myself, especially of an evening..."
0:41:42 > 0:41:45"..in my sweetheart's arms.
0:41:45 > 0:41:50"Written in the hand of him that was, is,
0:41:50 > 0:41:54"and shall be yours by his will.
0:41:54 > 0:41:56"HR."
0:41:57 > 0:41:59In his desire for Anne,
0:41:59 > 0:42:02Henry was promising himself to her.
0:42:02 > 0:42:06This last letter was nothing short of a marriage proposal.
0:42:11 > 0:42:13What's extraordinary about these letters
0:42:13 > 0:42:17is that Henry is making a promise he couldn't possibly keep.
0:42:17 > 0:42:19He was already married.
0:42:19 > 0:42:23They also reveal that Henry and Anne hadn't had sex yet.
0:42:23 > 0:42:26Anne was doing what nobody had done before.
0:42:26 > 0:42:28She was refusing the King.
0:42:29 > 0:42:32Historians have sometimes interpreted this
0:42:32 > 0:42:35as tricksy, girlie behaviour on Anne's part.
0:42:35 > 0:42:39But I prefer to think that she had a bold strategy, here.
0:42:39 > 0:42:40Anne is impressive to us
0:42:40 > 0:42:43because she often acts like a modern person,
0:42:43 > 0:42:46like somebody with ambitions who knew where she was going.
0:42:46 > 0:42:49And I prefer to think that Anne made Henry wait
0:42:49 > 0:42:53because she wanted to be Queen of England.
0:42:56 > 0:42:59But there already was a hugely popular queen
0:42:59 > 0:43:02who was alive and well, and believed it was God's will
0:43:02 > 0:43:05that SHE remained Queen of England.
0:43:13 > 0:43:16This is St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle,
0:43:16 > 0:43:18one of the royal residences.
0:43:19 > 0:43:22Catherine worshipped here with Henry.
0:43:22 > 0:43:24God was at the heart of their marriage
0:43:24 > 0:43:27and Catherine had strived to make a success of it,
0:43:27 > 0:43:29and God had given her a daughter, Mary.
0:43:31 > 0:43:33Henry wanted a son, though.
0:43:33 > 0:43:36And after 18 years of marriage to Catherine,
0:43:36 > 0:43:38he now wanted to marry Anne Boleyn.
0:43:38 > 0:43:41This meant getting rid of Catherine.
0:43:41 > 0:43:44You might wonder why he didn't just get a divorce.
0:43:44 > 0:43:46But it wasn't that simple,
0:43:46 > 0:43:49because England was still a Catholic country.
0:43:50 > 0:43:55Marriage was the vital glue that stuck society together.
0:43:55 > 0:43:58Only the Church could sanctify marriage,
0:43:58 > 0:44:02and ending marriage was also the Church's preserve.
0:44:02 > 0:44:05It was possible to get divorced as a 16th-century person,
0:44:05 > 0:44:07but it was difficult, and the problem was
0:44:07 > 0:44:10that you could not then marry anybody else,
0:44:10 > 0:44:12because marriage was for life.
0:44:13 > 0:44:18What Henry needed was an annulment of his marriage to Catherine,
0:44:18 > 0:44:20as if it had never existed.
0:44:20 > 0:44:25But an annulment was granted only in the rarest of circumstances,
0:44:25 > 0:44:28and only by the head of the Catholic Church, the Pope.
0:44:30 > 0:44:31In the summer of 1527,
0:44:31 > 0:44:35Henry ordered a group of his most trusted advisers
0:44:35 > 0:44:39to look into the possibility of getting him an annulment.
0:44:39 > 0:44:43They'd have to put together the best possible case to the Pope.
0:44:43 > 0:44:48The whole business became known as "the King's great matter".
0:44:53 > 0:44:56To try to get the Vatican's agreement,
0:44:56 > 0:44:59Henry started to build his case.
0:44:59 > 0:45:01There was no mention of Anne Boleyn.
0:45:01 > 0:45:04Instead, he would use his wife's previous marriage
0:45:04 > 0:45:07to his dead brother, Arthur, against her.
0:45:09 > 0:45:13Henry discovered this passage in the Bible -
0:45:13 > 0:45:15it's Leviticus 20:21.
0:45:15 > 0:45:21"If a man shall take his brother's wife, it is an unclean thing.
0:45:21 > 0:45:24"He has uncovered his brother's nakedness."
0:45:24 > 0:45:29And this is the key bit. "They shall be childless."
0:45:29 > 0:45:33Henry used this to argue that his marriage had been invalid.
0:45:33 > 0:45:35It was a kind of incest.
0:45:35 > 0:45:39And this was the reason he probably still didn't have a son.
0:45:40 > 0:45:43But Catherine had got wind of the "great matter"
0:45:43 > 0:45:47and was steeling herself to take on the King.
0:45:47 > 0:45:51Because, despite their difficulties,
0:45:51 > 0:45:52and his dalliances,
0:45:52 > 0:45:55Catherine is determined to oppose Henry -
0:45:55 > 0:45:59to stay married and to remain Queen of England.
0:46:04 > 0:46:05My lord.
0:46:10 > 0:46:14- What is it? - My conscience troubles me greatly.
0:46:14 > 0:46:18- I need to speak with you.- You need to absolve yourself of something?
0:46:18 > 0:46:19I wish to find a way forward.
0:46:32 > 0:46:33Be still, please.
0:46:35 > 0:46:36Speak to me.
0:46:37 > 0:46:41For some time now, there's been a vast distance between us.
0:46:41 > 0:46:43And what do you believe the cause to be?
0:46:43 > 0:46:44"Causes".
0:46:44 > 0:46:46A number.
0:46:46 > 0:46:49- SHARPLY:- As far as I understand it, there is only one.
0:46:49 > 0:46:51It's a complicated matter.
0:46:51 > 0:46:53We cannot continue to ignore it.
0:46:53 > 0:46:54I agree.
0:46:56 > 0:46:59Following much consideration, the conclusion is this.
0:46:59 > 0:47:00I wish for us to live apart.
0:47:02 > 0:47:04No longer as king and queen.
0:47:04 > 0:47:06A separation.
0:47:06 > 0:47:09We cannot be separated.
0:47:09 > 0:47:13We knelt before Christ and took vows. That can't be undone.
0:47:13 > 0:47:16It's possible. I've taken advice on the matter.
0:47:20 > 0:47:21My lord...
0:47:24 > 0:47:26..look me in the eyes and tell me our marriage
0:47:26 > 0:47:30- has not been a happy one. - We must be honest with ourselves.
0:47:30 > 0:47:32It's been cursed from the start.
0:47:32 > 0:47:34In the eyes of the Church, you are my sister!
0:47:34 > 0:47:37Then the Church is blind!
0:47:37 > 0:47:39My marriage to Arthur was never binding,
0:47:39 > 0:47:41because we did not lie together.
0:47:41 > 0:47:44You are my one, true husband!
0:47:45 > 0:47:49Grant me the respect I deserve, and please don't dismiss me.
0:47:49 > 0:47:52- I would never dismiss you.- No, but you're prepared to cast me aside
0:47:52 > 0:47:54in order to marry another woman.
0:47:56 > 0:47:58You wish to talk about honesty?
0:47:58 > 0:48:00I'm not a fool.
0:48:00 > 0:48:02Speak the plain truth,
0:48:02 > 0:48:04and do not use our Church for your own gains.
0:48:04 > 0:48:07Catherine, why do you choose to make this harder than it need be?
0:48:07 > 0:48:09You think this should be easy?
0:48:11 > 0:48:13Six children born!
0:48:13 > 0:48:14Five of them dead!
0:48:14 > 0:48:16SHE GASPS
0:48:17 > 0:48:21A life lived in loyal and unswerving devotion. All for nothing?
0:48:21 > 0:48:23Did you really imagine I might bid you farewell
0:48:23 > 0:48:26with a smile on my face? What did you expect from me?
0:48:26 > 0:48:28Respect!
0:48:29 > 0:48:30For your king's wishes.
0:48:30 > 0:48:34What about respect for your queen and daughter?!
0:48:34 > 0:48:36You'll want for nothing.
0:48:36 > 0:48:37I promise.
0:48:37 > 0:48:39How can you say that?
0:48:40 > 0:48:41I want you.
0:48:44 > 0:48:45Catherine, I beg...
0:48:45 > 0:48:47keep your dignity.
0:48:52 > 0:48:53Christ forgive you.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02Catherine believed her marriage to Henry
0:49:02 > 0:49:04was a union preordained by God.
0:49:04 > 0:49:08Yet, she also knew that Henry got what Henry wanted.
0:49:09 > 0:49:11But even with his cunning plan,
0:49:11 > 0:49:14his cherry-picked biblical arguments,
0:49:14 > 0:49:16it will be harder to end his marriage
0:49:16 > 0:49:19than Henry could ever have imagined.
0:49:19 > 0:49:22The Pope may have been head of the Church,
0:49:22 > 0:49:25but he wasn't the most powerful man in Europe.
0:49:28 > 0:49:32That man was the leader of the Holy Roman Empire,
0:49:32 > 0:49:34Charles V, who was busy conquering Europe.
0:49:36 > 0:49:41In 1527, Charles invaded Rome.
0:49:41 > 0:49:45The Pope was holed up here in the Castel Sant'Angelo.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48Now, obviously, this was highly inconvenient for the Pope,
0:49:48 > 0:49:52but it was a diplomatic nightmare for Henry.
0:49:52 > 0:49:55Because Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor,
0:49:55 > 0:49:57who now had the Pope in his power,
0:49:57 > 0:49:59was Catherine of Aragon's nephew.
0:50:01 > 0:50:03This was the perfect opportunity
0:50:03 > 0:50:06for Catherine to use her family connections
0:50:06 > 0:50:08and to build a few alliances of her own.
0:50:15 > 0:50:18First off, she wrote to her nephew, Emperor Charles V,
0:50:18 > 0:50:20asking for his support.
0:50:20 > 0:50:22And she got it.
0:50:22 > 0:50:24Then, she challenged Henry's argument
0:50:24 > 0:50:28that their marriage had been invalid under Church law.
0:50:28 > 0:50:32That's the whole "don't marry your dead brother's wife" thing.
0:50:32 > 0:50:36Catherine said that when she'd married Prince Arthur,
0:50:36 > 0:50:37they'd never had sex.
0:50:37 > 0:50:41The marriage was unconsummated, therefore, invalid -
0:50:41 > 0:50:43therefore, Henry's case was invalid.
0:50:43 > 0:50:46And what about the Pope? What did he say?
0:50:46 > 0:50:48Well, he just kept stalling.
0:50:48 > 0:50:51He didn't say one thing or the other.
0:50:51 > 0:50:54It looked like Catherine had won the battle.
0:50:54 > 0:50:59But Henry hadn't given up hope of winning the war.
0:51:05 > 0:51:09For three years, Catherine had successfully blocked
0:51:09 > 0:51:12Henry's attempts to end their marriage.
0:51:12 > 0:51:17In May 1528, Henry tries a different tactic.
0:51:18 > 0:51:20Provocatively, Anne's been moved
0:51:20 > 0:51:23into her own apartments inside the Palace of Greenwich.
0:51:23 > 0:51:28It's becoming clear that there are three people in this marriage.
0:51:28 > 0:51:30It's getting pretty crowded.
0:51:31 > 0:51:35It's as if there are two queens under one roof.
0:51:35 > 0:51:38There's Anne who has Henry's heart and his hopes,
0:51:38 > 0:51:41and Catherine, his faithful wife,
0:51:41 > 0:51:44who thinks that she has the ultimate power,
0:51:44 > 0:51:46the power of the Church, on her side.
0:51:55 > 0:51:58Henry was still claiming that, in the eyes of God,
0:51:58 > 0:52:02Catherine was technically his sister, not his wife.
0:52:03 > 0:52:05On the 21st June, 1529,
0:52:05 > 0:52:08after two years of deadlock,
0:52:08 > 0:52:13he launched what he hoped would be a fatal blow to Catherine.
0:52:13 > 0:52:16He convened a special public court to hear his case
0:52:16 > 0:52:20and he invited senior clerics from England and Rome.
0:52:22 > 0:52:25It took place, here, in Blackfriars, London.
0:52:25 > 0:52:28Anne Boleyn had been sent off to the countryside
0:52:28 > 0:52:32to get her out of the way, because Henry needed to convince everybody
0:52:32 > 0:52:35that his reason for wanting to end his marriage
0:52:35 > 0:52:37was nothing to do with her at all.
0:52:37 > 0:52:39Catherine knew otherwise,
0:52:39 > 0:52:44and the Queen insisted on giving evidence in person, in open court.
0:52:51 > 0:52:55Henry expects the clerics to grant him his annulment.
0:52:56 > 0:52:59But Catherine's about to take a huge gamble,
0:52:59 > 0:53:03and publicly put her case to the Pope's representative,
0:53:03 > 0:53:05and to the King himself.
0:53:11 > 0:53:12My lord...
0:53:16 > 0:53:18I appeal to your conscience
0:53:18 > 0:53:21to show me the compassion and justice I deserve
0:53:21 > 0:53:23as your one, true wife.
0:53:23 > 0:53:27To honour the years I have dedicated to you and you alone.
0:53:27 > 0:53:30The loyalty I have shown,
0:53:30 > 0:53:32and above all else,
0:53:32 > 0:53:34the love I have...
0:53:35 > 0:53:37..which will never die.
0:53:42 > 0:53:44For the love of God,
0:53:44 > 0:53:46in your heart, you must know there is no other
0:53:46 > 0:53:50in whom you can pledge your trust with such confidence.
0:53:50 > 0:53:53Our long history has proved that to you, surely?
0:53:55 > 0:53:58I have been a true,
0:53:58 > 0:54:00humble and obedient wife.
0:54:01 > 0:54:04I came to you as a true maid.
0:54:05 > 0:54:07Untouched by man.
0:54:09 > 0:54:11And whether it is true or not,
0:54:11 > 0:54:13I put it to your conscience
0:54:13 > 0:54:17that if there is any just cause by law that you can put against me
0:54:17 > 0:54:19of either dishonesty,
0:54:19 > 0:54:20or any other impediment,
0:54:20 > 0:54:24then I am content to depart to my shame and dishonour.
0:54:25 > 0:54:27But if there is none...
0:54:29 > 0:54:31..then I beg of you,
0:54:31 > 0:54:34let me remain in this estate.
0:54:40 > 0:54:44I implore you...to consider your actions today.
0:54:45 > 0:54:50But also to know that, regardless of the decision you make,
0:54:50 > 0:54:52I remain your devoted servant.
0:54:55 > 0:54:57And you remain
0:54:57 > 0:55:00my one, true husband.
0:55:11 > 0:55:14To God, I commit my cause.
0:55:27 > 0:55:31- COURTIER:- Catherine, Queen of England, return to this court!
0:55:34 > 0:55:37The Pope's emissary went back to Rome
0:55:37 > 0:55:41without granting an annulment to the marriage.
0:55:41 > 0:55:45People sometimes forget what a setback this was for Henry.
0:55:45 > 0:55:47He'd achieved absolutely nothing
0:55:47 > 0:55:51apart from being publicly humiliated by his wife.
0:55:51 > 0:55:55And I think that this was Catherine's defining moment.
0:55:55 > 0:55:57She used her passion,
0:55:57 > 0:56:01and her intelligence to defend her marriage.
0:56:01 > 0:56:04She'd won the fight to hold on to her crown.
0:56:04 > 0:56:05At least for now.
0:56:08 > 0:56:09Am I too late?
0:56:09 > 0:56:11Please tell me I am not too late?
0:56:11 > 0:56:15Catherine of Aragon will be cruelly punished for challenging the King,
0:56:15 > 0:56:19and sent into exile to die.
0:56:19 > 0:56:23Henry will defy the Church to marry Anne Boleyn.
0:56:23 > 0:56:26The entire kingdom harbours hatred towards me.
0:56:26 > 0:56:31But it won't be long before his eyes, again, begin to wander...
0:56:31 > 0:56:35Surely I deserve your respect, my lord?
0:56:35 > 0:56:39..and Anne is not a woman to turn a blind eye.
0:56:39 > 0:56:43I'm going to show you a driven, highly intelligent queen,
0:56:43 > 0:56:46who thought that she could take on the King of England...
0:56:46 > 0:56:48What I mean to say is this,
0:56:48 > 0:56:52that if something were to happen to the King, you'd look to marry me.
0:56:52 > 0:56:56..but who miscalculated with dreadful consequences.
0:56:56 > 0:56:58All this for so little a neck.