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Thomas Cranmer
Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury thanks to ties with the Boleyn family, Thomas Cranmer rose to power from a relatively minor status.
Season 4 Episodes View All
Featured Characters
Anne Boleyn
Henry broke from the Catholic Church and instated the Church of England just so he could marry his mistress Anne Boleyn.
William Compton
At the court of Henry VII the young orphan became a page to two-year-old Prince Henry, and a close friendship was forged that continued long after the Prince became King.
Robert Aske
An attorney from the northern city of York, Robert Aske became the leader of the rebel group ‘Pilgrims of Grace.’
Thomas Cromwell
A key player in the Reformation and supporter of the Royal Supremacy, it was Thomas Cromwell’s efforts that finally won King Henry his first divorce.
The investigation into Katherine Howard‘s past moves with speed. Francis Dereham is arrested and interrogated. Lady-in-waiting Joan Bulmer is questioned, as is the Dowager Duchess of Norfolk, at whose home Joan and Katherine lived as young women. Dereham confesses that he and Katherine Howard had planned to get married and that he knew her carnally before she became Queen—a serious revelation, but not adultery.
Though King Henry uncharacteristically weeps when told of these discoveries, his response is unsentimental and swift. Katherine Howard is removed from court and her title as Queen withdrawn. Her pleas for understanding and forgiveness are coldly ignored, but she knows she is lucky to escape with her life. However, it is not long before fingers begin pointing at Thomas Culpepper…