The Tudors
Checkmate
Season 2, Episode 3 · Aired 2008-04-13
Synopsis
Henry destroys all ties with authority and the past. After many failed attempts to have his marriage to Catherine annulled by the Catholic Church, Henry runs out of patience and marries a pregnant Anne Boleyn in secret. He appoints the young Lutheran Thomas Cranmer to succeed the deceased William Warham as Archbishop of Canterbury and strips Queen Catherine of her title and status, along with Princess Mary; they are hence to be known as the Princess Dowager of Wales and the Lady Mary, respectively. As Sir Thomas More has resigned as Chancellor, Henry hands the position to the pro-Lutheran Thomas Cromwell. Anne Boleyn is crowned Queen of England to a small and uneager crowd and escapes an assassination attempt. Pope Paul III threatens to excommunicate the king and the church of England from the Roman Catholic Church if Henry does not return to Catherine, but Henry tears the papal edict in half. Henry is also disappointed when Anne Boleyn gives birth to a daughter, Elizabeth, instead of his desired son, and soon resumes his philandering with ladies of the court despite assuring Anne they will still have a son.
In the series
This episode is part of The Tudors (2007–2010) on Showtime.
Henry VIII with movie-star abs — history as premium-cable seduction.
Key cast
- Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Henry VIII
- Henry Cavill as Charles Brandon
- Natalie Dormer as Anne Boleyn
- Sam Neill as Cardinal Wolsey
- Maria Doyle Kennedy as Catherine of Aragon
- James Frain as Thomas Cromwell