The Tudors s02e07 Episode Script

Matters of State

Your Majesty.
- Gentlemen.
- Your Majesty.
What's this? The Valor Ecclesiasticus.
The results of the investigations into the wealth and practises of all the religious houses in Your Majesty's kingdom.
It lists the treasures, the wealth, the vast private lands of the monasteries, priories and other religious establishments.
It as well lists the innumerable cases of laxity corruption, evil practise and fraud which have flourished unchecked and in some cases for hundreds of years in these same institutions.
Meanwhile, Majesty, your own treasury is much depleted.
Is it not a thing to marvel at? The richness of those who ought, by right, to be your subjects? And the poverty and debt of the English Crown? It is indeed.
George? - Sir Henry.
- Your Majesty.
I came again to pay court to Lady Sheldon with the king's permission.
- Yes.
Yes, of course.
- L I also wanted an opportunity to express my love and devotion to Your Majesty.
As a reformer myself, I know all the good works you do without ever seeking any praise but always deserving it.
When I visit religious houses, I do so to urge those inside to cleanse and purify their corrupt lives and doctrine.
Or else they will surely be destroyed.
Yes.
Yes, it's true.
We Evangelicals must breathe new life into dead bones and encourage the ignorant to believe in the priority of faith and the word of God.
I see we understand each other, Sir Henry.
Lady Sheldon Sir Henry Norris has come courting.
My lord.
Madam.
- You wanted to see me? - Yes.
I had the dream again.
- Anne.
- I told you I am her death and she is mine.
- For God's sake.
- So long as they are both alive I can't be safe.
Why doesn't Catherine just die? Everyone tells me how ill she is.
- Why doesn't she die? - Stop it.
I had a thought.
The next time Henry goes abroad I shall be left as regent.
I can order their deaths.
You're crazy.
Stop it.
Stop it! Listen to me.
You're the Queen of England.
For the love of God, act like it.
After all, you were a lady to Queen Catherine.
You saw and heard how she behaved.
It seemed to me she never betrayed her real feelings.
Can you not be more like her? - More like Catherine? - Yes.
You heard me.
At least seem happy.
Not a heap of misery.
Father Abbot.
Father Abbot.
What is it, Brother John? A letter from the king.
We are to be suppressed.
By the orders of Mr.
Cromwell.
I don't understand.
Give me the letter.
What have we done, Father? I don't know.
What is to become of us? Will you ask the French ambassador again if Francis will not relent and agree to the marriage of Elizabeth to his son? - I might.
- Well, don't you think it's important? And don't you think your daughter is important? - Of course I do.
- Well, then I Surely you understand Francis' refusal to agree to the marriage in the first place was insulting.
- Do you want me to go back and beg? - No, of course not.
Sweetheart it's been tasted.
It's not poisonous.
Fact of the matter is it might be better to pursue an alliance with the emperor.
- And that would suit Catherine.
- It has nothing to do with Catherine.
It has to do with England.
And England's interests.
After all I am supposed to be concerned with that.
I'm sorry.
Forgive me.
You have no reason to be.
You care for our daughter, as you should.
But leave the greater things to my care.
Do you understand? What a pleasure to have you and your lovely wife to sup, Your Grace.
So tell me, you are suppressing some religious houses? I am starting to, yes.
And what else? No.
I am intending to abolish almost all the holy days that fall during the law terms and the harvest.
This enforced holidays, they damage the country's economy stop vital works, and in fact they also impoverish workers.
And the priests? As far as the clergy are concerned, we mean to issue a set of injunctions requiring them to preach the Supremacy.
There will be an injunction requiring parents and employers to teach their children and servants the Lord's Prayer, Creed and the Ten Commandments in English rather than Latin.
All clerics will be put on notice to attack the superstitious cults surrounding images and relics.
They'll be told it profits their souls to bestow upon the poor and needy what they would currently waste on relics.
That's very good, gentlemen.
But allow me to chide you.
I don't think that you are going far enough or fast enough.
- Your wife is a great radical, Thomas.
- She is.
And illegal.
Two reasons to hide her.
Being carried around in a box does not make you laugh.
My dear, I am sorry about that.
I'm not your dear.
I'm nobody's dear.
I'm a woman and I demand equal respect for my ideas.
For me, the practises of the Catholic Church are evil.
The way people are kept in total ignorance and made to feel guilty about their own bodies and their own thoughts.
And, even worse, the idea that the rich can buy a plot in heaven for their souls.
I agree with you.
The Catholic Church is corrupted, it's irredeemable.
Then you should smash and destroy it utterly and totally and without pity.
That is my advice to you, Mr.
Cromwell.
Now you can put me back in my box.
Good evening, Your Grace.
Good evening, Mr.
Secretary.
We're ready.
Why are you here, Thomas? To see the degradation that we have been forced to? No.
I don't like to see it.
I wonder why you stay here.
Why don't you come back to court? I love the queen.
Nothing in this world would make me leave her.
I am a Catholic.
I believe in my faith.
Perhaps you poets don't believe in anything.
In love, perhaps.
You may kiss me.
Then you will leave me alone.
Forever.
Elizabeth.
Sir? Oh, forgive me.
I should have warned you of my impending visit.
- Who are you? - My name is John Leland.
I am His Majesty's librarian.
You keep a library in the priory, I believe.
We do indeed, Mr.
Leland.
It contains many fine and old manuscripts and texts.
We're very proud of it.
The king has commissioned me to peruse and diligently search all libraries belonging to religious houses about to be suppressed.
He is anxious to preserve all their literary treasures.
You mean you intend to remove them from here? Naturally.
They will be housed in the royal libraries.
- But - His Majesty has also ordered me to find texts that would emphasise the Royal Supremacy and the new monarchy.
I do not think, Mr.
Leland, that you will find many such texts here.
Your Majesty? Elizabeth.
Oh, my own heart.
Ma.
Mama.
Hello.
You may leave us now, Lady Bryan.
My dear girl, my sweetheart.
- Have you missed me? - Yeah.
You missed me? I missed you.
So much.
Oh, let me go with you.
Where? Show me.
Show me where.
- Here.
- Here? They stopped here? Mama will watch you feed the fishies.
- Where? - There and here.
I see them.
I see them.
I see the fishies.
Where do you see fishies, my darling? My lord.
Have you talked to the queen recently? - Yes.
- She's giving me cause for concern.
The king is not so much in love with her as he used to be.
- What's wrong with her? - I don't know.
Perhaps she's afraid.
Poor George.
Have you gone soft-headed? - Me? No.
- I hope not.
You see, George, the stakes are too high.
Whoever is a coward now will soon rue the day and regret his misfortune.
Successful people only recognise fear in others.
Go and talk to your sister again.
- Feeling better? - Much, thank you.
- Ladies.
- My lord.
My Lord Boleyn.
Is this not better, George? Much better.
- Yes.
- Will you dance, my lord? No, not now.
Wine, my lord.
All this time and you're still in love with her.
You're wrong, my lord.
My love is sprung and spent a long time ago.
Anne! Go! - Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
Mark.
Play a volta.
I want to conceive again.
I want to conceive a son.
A son to be the living image of his father.
But I can't.
Why? As long as they're alive, I can't conceive a son.
What are you saying? Catherine and her daughter.
Are you saying you want me to kill them? Mary? Is it you? - Elizabeth.
- Madam.
I have not seen my daughter for more than four years.
Is it not cruel of them to keep her from me? Gentle madam, yes.
It burns my heart.
Read the curia's judgement to me again.
Please.
"We pronounce that the marriage between Henry VllI and Catherine of Aragon stands firm and canonical and their issue still stands lawful and legitimate.
" You see this is the eternal truth which no man can ever deny.
Holy Father, Eminencies.
The next item for our deliberation Alessandro.
Let me look at you.
Well, well, well, how you've grown.
You're almost a man.
Are you honest and clean? Sì, Grandfather.
When you pray to God, are you truly humble? Sure.
Good boy.
Off you go.
He'll make a fine cardinal.
Don't you think? Monsignors, we have other business to discuss.
First, I have invited the sculptor Michelangelo to paint a Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel.
Holy Father there are still people who object to his work on the ceiling.
I know.
I did myself.
But now I like it.
- Won't the Judgment be expensive? - No.
We won't pay him very much.
He's only an artist, after all.
What of the King of England's great matter? I will tell you a story.
Once, when I was a boy, I went swimming.
And the tide carried me away far from the shore, into the deepest water.
It was then I prayed aloud to God and a friendly wave came and pushed me back to the shore.
So it is with the King of England.
He has been carried far from the shore, but he does not know it.
He does not ask for God's help.
He does not ask for our help.
He thinks he can swim alone.
But very soon he will realise he is not swimming but drowning.
Why are you crying like a baby? These are nothing but idols.
Father, who are these men? Bretons, from France.
Huguenots.
- Protestants? - Yes.
Perhaps Mr.
Secretary Cromwell felt that he couldn't trust Englishmen to destroy their own heritage and besmirch their own faith.
The queen.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
- Excuse me, Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
I came to see the king.
Madam, His Majesty left this morning to go hunting with the Duke of Suffolk.
And other nobles.
Suffolk? Yes, madam.
I remember now, he told me.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
- Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.
A good kill.
Do you want to go back to the palace? No.
Is there somewhere around here we can stay? There's Wulfhall.
Wulfhall.
Who owns that house? Sir John Seymour and his family.
I remember Sir John.
He was in France with us.
Let's go surprise him.
Sir John! Hey! Sir John! - Sir John! - Who is this shouting? Sir John, you have an unexpected guest.
- Your Majesty.
- Sir John.
You are most welcome.
Amen.
Your Majesty must forgive the tardiness of my kitchen.
I think I'm very well looked after, Sir John.
The duke and I were reminiscing about the French campaign.
Yes.
It was a shame we only fought one battle against them.
But what a battle.
I remember how we charged at them with His Grace leading the vanguard with tremendous bravery.
And how the French were broken and routed in the charge and fled the field before us.
And all we saw were their spurs.
I must tell Your Majesty, the Milanese ambassador was amazed by you.
He said to me, "The king was fresher after his exertion than before.
I do not know how he can stand it.
" To past victories.
Sir John.
Mary? Oh, Mary.
My daughter.
Oh, sweetheart.
Sweetheart.
Is it you? Don't weep.
Don't weep.
Let me look at you.
There you are.
I have not seen you for so long.
An eternity.
And here you are.
Oh, my sweet child.
My beloved child.
My angel.
My world.
Mary.
She was here.
She came to me.
Yes, madam.
I know.
Let me summon a doctor for you.
No.
I don't want a doctor.
I have wholly committed myself to the pleasure of God.
May the omnipotent God have mercy upon you and forgive you your sins.
And may Jesus Christ lead you to eternal life.
Oh, Mark, I'm so sad.
Why sad? If I had a son If I had a son, it would bring about a golden world.
None of us had seen a sea of mud like that before.
I didn't know what to think.
When your horse sank up to his hindquarters in it I shall never forget your face.
What was I supposed to do? I was in full armour.
Yeah? Well, you hadn't had that before.
Your Majesty, may I present my daughter Lady Jane Seymour.
Jane.
Your Majesty? Mr.
Secretary Cromwell is here.
Madam.
You wished to see me? My father tells me you are determined to close every religious house in England.
Is it true? Yes.
As Your Majesty knows, the Church commissioners found that fraud, laxity and abuse were commonplace.
Yet some religious houses received good report.
Is that not also true? I also hear that all the wealth and assets of the monasteries are to be transferred to the king's treasury.
Indeed.
I intend to make the king the most powerful and the richest king in Europe.
But surely some of that wealth could be put to better uses.
Better uses, madam? Yes.
For endowments to charitable and educational causes which even Wolsey did.
Madam, I am surprised to hear you question the king's policy which your father and brother wholeheartedly support.
I question the policy, Mr.
Secretary, because I am not convinced that it is the king's.
- Madam, I You are far too highhanded, Mr.
Cromwell.
You ought to be careful or I will have you cropped at the neck.
I know that I must die.
I ask that my debts be cleared and my servants be recompensed for the good service they have done for me.
I wish to be buried in the convent of the Observant Friars.
And I would wish that 500 Masses be said for my soul.
And that someone would visit Shrine of our Lady of Walsingham to pray on my behalf.
For my daughter, Mary I leave my collar of gold I brought from Spain.
And my furs.
Madam, let me help you.
Thank you, my loyal and loving Elizabeth.
I must write to the king.
My lord and dear husband I commend me unto you.
The hour of my death draws fast on and my case being such the tender love I owe you forces me to put you in remembrance of the health and safeguard of your soul which you ought to prefer above all considerations of the world of flesh whatsoever for which you have cast me into many miseries and yourself into many cares.
For my part I do pardon you all.
Yea, and I do wish and pray dearly, God he will pardon you also.
For the rest I commend unto you our daughter, Mary beseeching you to be a good father unto her as I have always desired.
And lastly I vow that mine eyes desire you above all things.
Elizabeth, help me.
Madam.
What is it, Nan? Now I am indeed queen.
Elizabeth? Elizabeth? Oh, Jesus.
Elizabeth.
Happy May Day, dear cousin.
And to you, happy May Day.
Sir John, this is my wife, Catherine.
- Sir John, how do you do? - Catherine.
- Right.
- That's the winner.
Here comes His Majesty now.
My lady.
- Your Majesties.
- Your Majesties.
Your Majesties.
Go watch the cockfight, sweetheart.
- My lady.
- My lady.
Not performing today, Mark? No, not today, my lord.
But perhaps later tonight.
I'm not sure.
Have you told her about me? About us? - No.
- Why the hell not? You're George Boleyn.
You're a god around here.
If you could read Greek, Master Smeaton you would know that even the gods had problems with their wives.
Take the ribbon.
Sir John.
Your Majesty.
We wanted to thank you once more for your generous hospitality.
All the more so because our visit was so unexpected.
Sire, it was the greatest possible privilege and pleasure.
And the room Your Majesty slept in shall be known as the king's bedroom.
Your daughter, Jane, should come to court as a lady to Her Majesty.
Thank you, Your Majesty.
You do our family great honour.
Sweetheart.
Come here.
My Elizabeth.
Oh, guards, guards, protect me.
Yeomen! En garde.
You're going to the Tower.
Protect me.
Protect your king.
- Mama.
- Elizabeth.
My papa.
My Elizabeth.
Thanks.
Anne.
Yes, Father.
I have heard some reports which alarm me.
What reports? It seems you have quarrelled with Mr.
Cromwell.
We disagreed on an important and public issue.
Anne I did not bring you up to have opinions or to express them or to quarrel with those closest to the crown.
But I am closest to the crown.
I am the king's wife.
And you should remember how you got there.
I know how I got there.
And it was not all you.
It was not all you or Norfolk or George or any other man you want to name.
It was also me.
He fell in love with me.
He respected me.
And my opinions.
What is it? You have no need to worry.
There is good news all round.
Catherine is dead.
And I I am pregnant.
Do you understand? I am carrying the king's son.
We are on the edge of a golden world.
Happy May Day, Your Majesty.
Your Majesty.

Previous EpisodeNext Episode