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She was our most infamous queen.

The second wife of Henry VIII, tried on
his orders for crimes of adultery

and treason.

Anne Boleyn was led from her rooms at
the Tower of London to her death by an

executioner's sword.

This Tudor saga is one of the most
familiar tales in English history.

But to really understand Anne's rise and
fall,

We need to know more about those who
helped shape her.

Her tight -knit, cunning and power
-hungry family.

The Boleyns are one of the great stories
in British history. It is an

extraordinary epic of hubris and pain,
the good and the bad kind of ambition.

Every member of the family had a part to
play.

Thomas Boleyn, the ambitious patriarch.

George, the fearless son.

His sisters, Mary, the reluctant
mistress.

Anne, the calculating courtier.

And their brutal uncle, Thomas Howard.

The Tudor public had always been used.

to stories of tragic falls, the stories
of falls of kings and princes.

But even they might not have imagined a
fall as graphic as the fall of the

Boleyn family.

Based on rare original letters and
documents, the Boleyns will tell this

from their own perspectives.

The court could produce no proof of my
incestuous guilt, other than that I

had spent hours in the presence of my
own sister.

I will not say your sentence, Sunchunt.

My savior has taught me how to die, and
he will strengthen my resolve.

The family played a dangerous game and
paid the ultimate price.

But they left a remarkable legacy,
changing the course of British history

taking their name from obscurity to the
apex of power.

In 1508, the first Tudor king, Henry
VII, is on the throne.

Anne Boleyn and her siblings, George and
Mary, are growing up in wealth and

privilege, watched over by their mother,
Elizabeth.

Anne and George are thick as thieves.

They have the same temperament. They
have the same personality.

They are vibrant children.

They're precocious. They really do take
after their father.

Thomas Boleyn is a career man who has
high hopes for his children.

Thomas Boleyn is highly educated.

He speaks French fluently.

He is also someone who reads.

and understands Latin, and he's
interested in intellectual matters.

Thomas Boleyn is a third -generation
gentleman.

His grandfather really came from
nothing. Very much, if you like, nouveau

that respect.

Thomas Boleyn's grandfather, Geoffrey,
had climbed the greasy pole of 15th

-century society.

all the way from a lowly apprentice
hatter to Lord Mayor of London.

His son William made a good marriage and
acquired further wealth and land.

But Thomas wanted more.

He wanted to become a powerful player at
the King's Court.

Thomas Boleyn inherits this Boleyn
legacy.

He is determined to improve as well upon
his own generation and pass down to his

children. He's ambitious for his family.

What's the point of life if not to rise
above your standing?

But when he started his political career
in the 1490s, he had a problem.

Clearly mapped out in one of the most
influential books of the day.

The go -to handbook, if you were a young
hopeful who wanted to become a

courtier, was Baldassare Castiglione's
The Courtier, El Cortejano.

This is a book that had been printed and
translated across Europe. It's hugely

popular, and it sets out rules and
expectations of what a courtier should

like. The perfect courtier should be
nobly born, for nobleness of birth is

a clear lamp.

that shows forth and brings into light,
makes visible good and bad, and inflames

and provokes virtue.

Thomas understood that success at the
royal court was much easier for those of

noble birth.

Yet the Boleyn family at this time
belonged to the lower rank of gentry.

And class was everything in Tudor
society.

Numerous gentry families vied with the
Boleyns for positions of influence, such

as the Herberts, the Dudleys, and the
Pahs.

But noble dynasties of dukes and earls
were firmly above them in the pecking

order.

The answer for Thomas Boleyn was to
align his family with someone of noble

who could vastly increase his chances of
career success

and that's why in around 1495

he made the smart strategic decision to
marry elizabeth howard

they bring each other in this marriage?

Well, for the Boleyns, it really did
establish the gentry status.

What about the Howards? After all, they
came from this prestigious ancient

lineage. What were they getting out of
it? Well, the most important thing they

were getting out of it was wealth. The
Boleyns were very wealthy.

So it was really a match that was very
advantageous to both of them.

but it was not a match Thomas's new wife
had much say in.

Like all Tudor women, she was simply a
pawn traded by the men around her.

Marriage was a contract, and to seal the
deal, Elizabeth's wedding night had to

be played out in public, surrounded by
members of both families.

For us, looking back, there is a
potentially quite grotesque element to

consummation ceremony.

These consummation ceremonies are alien
to us because they are a public

celebration around an inherently
intimate act between two people.

And these ceremonies can be very
awkward.

Get on with it!

Come on, lad!

This was a connection which was going to
benefit Thomas greatly.

The Howards are such a powerful and
influential family.

They would provide those all -important
connections.

From that point, Thomas Boleyn knew his
future would be entwined with that of

his new brother -in -law, Thomas Howard.

He is one of the highest -ranking peers
in England. He comes from a lot of

money. He is related to anybody who
matters and quite a few who don't. He

been described as one of the most
unpleasant men in the 16th century,

quite the horse race to win.

Thomas Boleyn, of course, knew that by
marrying a Howard, he could expect

preferment at court. He could expect...
Elizabeth's brother maybe to speak up

for him, to have a word in the king's
ear to maybe help get that role at court

that he wanted.

By the early 1500s, as the marriage
progresses and three children are born,

Thomas Boleyn is happy to ride on the
Howard family's coattails, waiting for

opportunity.

And he gets one in around 1501, when he
begins to appear on the fringes of Henry

VII's court.

It's probably easiest to think about the
court like a concentric kind of spiral

of circles of influence.

And at the middle of it is, of course,
the king, like the spider at the centre

of its net.

Thomas Boleyn is now in competition with
over a thousand fellow courtiers.

Those with titles and status are able to
jump ahead.

The rest are involved in a scramble for
the top, using every ounce of ingenuity

and cunning to advance.

Thomas will need to get past powerful
and dangerous men like the Earl of

and Earl of Shrewsbury, who surround the
king.

There's a very, very strong sense that
if you want to climb to that centre, you

have to climb over other bodies.

Almost certainly, because of the
influence of the Howards, Thomas Boleyn

an Esquire of the body, one of the six
Esquires that attended on the king

for personal service.

Exactly what Thomas's new job entails is
set out in an extraordinary document

that dates from the time of Henry VII's
father -in -law, Edward IV.

These records are the earliest attempt
to set out how the royal court

and they describe hundreds of jobs,
including Thomas's.

The duties of an Esquire of the Body
involve many secrets.

We must watch over the king in his
chamber, day or night.

Bring soup or porridge for his
sustenance.

Dress and undress him and ensure no
other man touches the king's person.

Don't let the king's soup get cold.
That's most important.

It's not a fantastic position. It's
merely a stepping stone.

The important thing is he's got his foot
in the door. Now all he needs to do is

make it through.

Once inside the court.

With so many people jockeying for
favour, making the right alliances is

critical.

Thomas Boleyn is very dependent on the
extraordinarily volatile personality of

Thomas Howard.

Thomas Howard is still technically
senior to Thomas Boleyn. They're both

climbing, they're both ambitious,
they're both trying to build their own

reputations. Thomas Howard is building
his as a soldier, he's a good military

commander.

He's not well liked at court.

All that matters to Thomas Howard is,
are you noble or not? What's your blood?

What's your lineage?

He's also about as diplomatic as a bag
of bricks.

If Howard is doing well, Boleyn does
well, but the moment Howard gets into

trouble, his whole hierarchy of
patronage is vulnerable as well.

So Thomas Boleyn at this period has to
have a second option.

That second option is the king's
chaplain.

Thomas Wolsey possibly is the son of a
butcher, a man who really has

unrivaled abilities.

He's far more intelligent than the other
two Thomases.

Wolsey is already beginning what's going
to be a meteoric rise to power and

influence.

Thomas Boleyn is keeping a close watch
on Howard and Wolsey.

But he's also making clever connections
of his own.

He started to build up a relationship
with Prince Henry, who is going to

Henry VIII.

He sees in Thomas Boleyn a man who is
charming, a man who is athletic. They

certainly shared a love of tournament.

and also intellectual interest.

Henry thought this was a man that I can,
you know, I can have around me as a

companion that I might enjoy his
company.

This burgeoning friendship happens at
the perfect time.

In April 1509, King Henry VII dies,
leaving the court in disarray.

As 17 -year -old Henry VIII takes the
throne, many courtiers lose their

positions.

But Thomas's friendship with the young
king pays off.

He not only survives, but is promoted to
become one of the 26 knights of the

bar.

This is an age -old ceremony. It's
already an old custom by this point,

big day comes.

for Bolin and the others, they would
have bathed and come into the white hall

the tower.

The king then comes in, dips his fingers
into the water, makes the sign of the

cross on them and presents them with the
oath of allegiance that they have

taken.

I shall honour God above all things.

I shall love and protect your majesty,
my sovereign lord.

I shall defend the rights of maidens,
widows, and orphans.

I shall never abuse or neglect the honor
of this order as any other member

before or after me.

Thomas Boleyn is made a knight of the
bath in these coronation festivities,

which is very nice, but it's not...
anywhere near as nice as Thomas Howard

getting inducted into the most noble
order of the garter, which is the

chivalric order in England at the time.

He is the Premier League knight, and
Thomas is down there in the championship

waiting for promotion.

But neither Thomas Boleyn nor Thomas
Howard can match the meteoric rise of

third Thomas, Thomas Wolsey.

who has won himself a seat in one of the
highest circles of court, the Royal

Council.

What Henry needs, of course, is people
who will get things done for him. Kings

need pictures in this period because
they don't have a massive bureaucracy to

and do their bidding. They just need a
few people who are bloody good at their

job and worthy of that kind of person.

The young Henry VIII is hungry for
glory.

and he hopes that Wolsey is the man to
help him achieve it.

His new queen, Catherine of Aragon, has
already secured him a valuable alliance

with the Spanish Empire.

But true glory means triumph in war, and
for that, Henry needs an enemy.

What that usually wants, an aggressive
policy, the obvious thing to do is

France. So Wolsey is prepared.

to back him and to make that war
possible.

So he becomes this rather paradoxical
figure of the warlike priest.

To win a war with France, the English
need to forge an alliance with another

European court.

The best option is the powerful Holy
Roman Empire, ruled by the famously

difficult emperor Maximilian I.

Wolsey needs an envoy with charm and
charisma to take part in the

And there is someone waiting in the
wings to grab his chance.

He's about 35 at the time.

He has no diplomatic experience.

He is clearly gifted in French, and I
think that's what makes him very

important. But I get the sense that war
is taking a chance on this young man.

Thomas Boleyn's task is to win Margaret
of Austria's support for the war with

France in the hope that she can persuade
her father, Emperor Maximilian.

What they didn't really count on was the
fact that Maximilian was going to stall

his way through negotiations for months
on end.

It takes almost a year, but
eventually...

Margaret is persuaded to convince her
father to support Henry.

Since my last dispatch, we received news
that our agreement was soon to be

finalised.

Lady Margaret sent a commission to her
father and estimated it would take 20

days to conclude.

She asked me if I would care to lay a
wager on it.

I said it would take only ten.

She promised me her Spanish Corsa for
her part of the wager, and my horse

be hers if she won.

We shall cancel it.

And today, I am the victor.

Our mission is complete.

My lady can keep her horse.

I have another request of her.

With his mission finally over, Thomas
makes a move designed to benefit not the

king, but his own family.

He recognises that this court is far
more magnificent than anything that he

experienced in England.

And so he asks Margaret whether his
daughter can come to her court as

a fille d 'honneur, as a maid of honour.
And Margaret, rather surprisingly,

agreed.

Anne Boleyn, a 12 -year -old girl, being
sent to serve Margaret of Austria. It's

a huge honour.

But she must have been nervous.

She's still a young girl in a foreign
court. We know that she doesn't fully

speak French at this point. She's far
from fluent. And we know this because we

have a letter that Anne wrote to her
father from Margaret's court.

Sir. I understand by your letter that
you desire that I shall be a worthy

in this court, and you inform me that
Her Majesty Lady Margaret will take the

trouble to converse with me, which
rejoices me greatly to think of talking

a person so wise and worthy.

This is a very touching letter.

It has very distinctive crease lines in
it.

I think this is a letter that was read
many times over.

This must have been a very dear letter
to her father, Thomas, indeed.

Anne is very much wanting to impress her
father.

I beg you to excuse me if my letter is
badly written.

And I promise you that my love is based
on such great strength that it will

never grow less.

And I'll make an end to my letter after
having humbly commended myself to your

good grace.

Written by your humble and obedient
daughter, Anna Deboulin.

Votre fille, humble et dévouée.

The survival of that letter is quite
astonishing.

Very few documents like it survive.

This is a really good opportunity for
Anne to experience an incredibly

cultured court that Margaret of Austria
has engendered. She welcomes incredibly

progressive thinkers.

With Anne impressing at Margaret's court
and Thomas' new success as a diplomat,

the Boleyn family's prospects are
looking bright.

But in the Tudor world of foreign policy
and fragile alliances, you can take

nothing for granted.

In 1514, Maximilian pulls his support
for Henry and instead strikes a deal

the French king.

Thomas' hard work seems to have been for
nothing, and Henry doesn't get the

glorious war he wanted.

But Wolsey has a plan to turn this
failure to Henry's advantage.

The argument seems to have been, well,
if you can't make magnificent war as you

want to do, then why not make peace
magnificently?

Make it almost as spectacular as
warfare.

How do you make peace?

in the 16th century? Well, you try to
find a way to create a dynastic

and usually it's through marriage.

So Thomas Boleyn and Wolsey were
suggesting to King Henry VIII, marry

younger sister, and this old king of
France, of a way to make sure that the

peace is going to last.

This new alliance gives Henry VIII a
foothold in France, even though it means

offering up his 18 -year -old sister
Mary to the 52 -year -old King Louis.

And Thomas recognises that the marriage
could benefit his family too.

He wants his daughters, Mary and Anne,
to get the best education, but he also

wants them to forge networks, political
networks.

political alliances thomas is something
of an opportunist he knows which way the

wind is blowing and anne is best placed
in france

thomas secures his 13 year old daughter

a position at the french court as an
attendant to the new queen mary

the court in france set the tone in
terms of

courtly culture how a monarch and his
retinue behave, this display of

magnificence, essentially.

And no -one does it better than those
courts in France, as far as the English

are concerned.

Thomas is riding pretty high.

You know, his daughter will be able to
build up a place for herself at the

French court, learn the wonderful skills
of being a woman of the court.

It's like being a geisha girl without
the sex.

As Anne settles into her new life in
France, back in England, the man who

suggested the French alliance is riding
high.

Thomas Wolsey, by 1514, he's Archbishop
of York. By 1515, he's

made a cardinal at Henry VIII's
insistence. So he's a very...

the highest -ranking person in Henry's
administration, effectively, after the

king, and he wants everybody to know
that.

People think he's an overreacher. He's
the classic example of someone who's

risen too fast and too far, which is
why, quite often, there's murmurs and

-calling of Wolsey as the butcher's dog.

He's the greasy cur, some of them
whisper.

who has followed his master and now
wants the bone all to himself.

Basically, what we'll see is doing is
rubbing their face in it and the

don't like it.

Particularly, Thomas Boleyn's hot
-headed brother -in -law.

The first reported moment of desired
attention.

between Thomas Howard and Wolsey is when
Thomas Howard allegedly pulls a knife

on him. According to Polydor Virgil,
Thomas Howard took a dagger and tried to

stab Wolsey in the middle of a heated
argument.

We're not sure if this is true or not.
Virgil is the only source for it. If

true, this is an extraordinary event.

You know, Thomas Wolsey being stabbed by
an aristocrat does not happen every

day. Many of them might have liked to
try to stab him. Few of them got the

chance. It demonstrates that there's no
love lost between them.

Whatever happened between Thomas Howard
and Thomas Woolsey at this time marks a

tumble for Howard's career. He seems
arrogant, he seems aggressive, and he's

increasingly being outshone by the more
talented and the more level -headed

Woolsey.

Thomas Boleyn needs to be extremely
careful about who he's seen to support.

Thomas Boleyn, he's aware that Howard
and Thomas Wolsey are almost sworn

enemies. And Thomas Boleyn quite
cleverly distanced himself from his

brother -in -law.

He aligns himself with Wolsey. Wolsey is
his road to power and to patronage and

to favour.

Being a diplomat away for long periods
in Europe might sound impressive, but

if your aim is to get closer to the
king.

Thomas Boleyn's angling for a position
at court. He's angling for a position

within the king's household, and he sets
his sights on the treasury ship.

The position he covets is to become
treasurer of the household.

It would be a major promotion, putting
him in charge of the court's purse

strings. and bringing him one step
closer to the centre of power.

It will give him a secure place in the
royal household, but perhaps much more

important, it will give him a place on
the royal council.

And that's the place where political
decisions are made.

Unfortunately, Thomas Boleyn discovers
that Wolsey has blocked the appointment,

that somebody else is going to get the
office instead of him.

And I think he feels humiliated. This is
unfair.

And he writes a letter towards me that
expresses this disappointment.

For some time, I have hoped to serve the
king at court rather than from

overseas.

I did entreat him to appoint me as
treasurer of his household, and he did

faithfully promise me the position when
it became vacant.

I hear now the king will appoint someone
else.

If you would show me favour in this
matter, I assure you will not regret it.

In this letter to Cardinal Wolsey,
suddenly we see an insecurity in Thomas

Boleyn that we've never really had
before.

He trusts that Wolsey has his back.
Wolsey's really one of the few people

court that can speak for Thomas Boleyn.
So he feels betrayed.

But just as it looks as though Thomas
may never reach the king's inner circle,

Fate intervenes.

An Irish relative on his mother's side
has died, and Thomas is one of several

claimants to his title, the Earl of
Ormond.

All he has to do now is win the prize.

At the moment, it's merely a knight.
It's much higher up the social hierarchy

become... An earl.

The earldom, of course, really would
make Thomas stand out in a way that none

his previous Boleyn ancestors had been
able to do.

It really would help him up that ladder
to greatness.

But before he can grab this chance, a
cousin lays claim to the title.

Thomas Boleyn does not like to be
thwarted in this matter.

He brings Henry VIII into the dispute.

Unfortunately for Thomas Boleyn, Henry
VIII cannot afford to alienate his Irish

nobles, and so the earldom goes to
neither Thomas Boleyn nor the butler

But Thomas Boleyn covets that title. He
sees it as rightfully his, and he's not

going to let it go.

Meanwhile, the court in France, where
Thomas' daughter Anne is still living,

been thrown into chaos.

The old French king has died.

Henry's sister Mary has been displaced.

Francis I and his wife, Queen Claude,
are now on the throne, bringing with

their own retinue of courtiers.

Thomas Boleyn is thinking, oh gosh,
what's going to happen for my daughter?

Anne was going to be laid in waiting at
the French court.

She was going to secure important
political networks for me.

So he's thinking, I need to request for
Anne to stay.

Thomas Boleyn manages to persuade the
new queen to keep Anne on as one of her

attendants.

It's a pivotal intervention.

This is where she stays for the
formative years of her life.

During seven years of the French court,
Anne Boleyn learned about the customs of

the country, the language, obviously.

She became French in her attitude. She
became French in her manners.

One source we have is Lancelot de
Carles, who wrote a poem about Anne, and

was present at the French embassy.

He says that she actively studied the
women around her at court so that she

herself could appear.

as French, and very soon nobody would
know that she was English.

She grew in wisdom, knew how to banish
sad thoughts, enlarging her

talents and many exquisite graces.

She was beautiful and had the most
attractive eyes, which she knew well how

use.

She's flirtatious.

She's beautiful.

She knows how to handle men. She is seen
as a woman who has made a big

impression. We can imagine that,
obviously, for her to stay seven years

service of the queen, that Francis I
himself must have liked this girl.

Francis I, he's dashing. He loves pretty
women.

He loves having mistresses.

And he loves, loves being the centre of
attention.

Does that remind you of someone else?

You're the ape, baby.

Henry and Francis decide to meet to form
a new alliance and underscore the peace

between their nations.

And Thomas Boleyn is given the daunting
task of brokering the meeting.

He's stuck in a position.

of trying to bring those two powerful
and dashing young prince together.

Having a daughter who is in the good
books of everyone is exactly what Thomas

Boleyn wanted.

So when Thomas is there, he's obviously
using his daughter in a way. When I say

using, it's not in a bad way. It's just,
yes, I'm Anne's father.

Nice to meet you. And it's remarkable.

Yes, I know.

You can't be a king in the early 16th
century without having an ego the size

a planet. And now you have two young
men, rival monarchs, who are brothers in

arms, although they really hate each
other. And there's a kind of constant

friction.

I mean, these are not intellectual
giants in terms of their kind of

So there's a bit of nudging and
shuffling going on between them.

And there's a famous story of Henry
showing an ambassador his calf and

Francis I hasn't got a leg like that,
has he?

It's not just Europe's peace hanging in
the balance.

It's Thomas' reputation at the English
court.

In a letter to Wolsey, Thomas reports
the petty rivalry between the two kings

that he is struggling to mediate.

The friendship between my master and the
French king Francis has taken a

rivalrous turn.

They agreed to grow their beards.

in competition for their planned
meeting.

Then I was told recently that Henry had
put off his beard.

It's not an easy task to relate this to
the French king.

I told him, as I supposed, it must have
been Queen Catherine's doing.

For whenever His Majesty has worn his
beard long, she has scolded him to put

off.

The French king was well appeased by
this, and did say to me,

Our love is not in our beards, but in
our hearts.

Thomas's clever intervention saves the
two kings from a serious disagreement.

And on the 7th of June, 1520, Henry and
Francis rendezvous at a spectacular 17

-day festival, the Field of Cloth of
Gold.

It was the...

big event of the year, of the decade, in
both England and in France.

Instead of going to war, Henry VIII and
Francis decided to show off how

peaceful they could be.

Somewhat, I suspect, Thomas Boleyn's
chagrin, he was withdrawn before the

details were organised for this great
meeting. And he wasn't French

when the Field of Cloth of Gold took
place.

And Henry wrote rather pointedly to
Francis, saying, Thomas Boleyn has been

great so far, but I'm now going to send
you someone who can convey from my very

heart my feelings towards you. So poor
old Thomas trumps back home and gets

ready to go as an English guest rather
than the resident French ambassador.

It's a sign that he hadn't quite made
it.

He may have married into the
aristocracy, but he's still not an

He's not the man that brings the king
over and presents him to Francis. He's

there, but he's there as one of the
king's attendants and nothing more.

Despite Thomas's personal
disappointment, the meeting is hailed as

international triumph.

But in Tudor politics, nothing is as it
seems.

Even as Henry and Francis celebrate
peace, Thomas Wolsey is secretly

a more powerful alliance with the new
leader of the Holy Roman Empire, Charles

V.

Knowing relations with France are soon
to sour, Thomas removes Anne from her

position at the French court and brings
her home.

There must have been some concern on
Thomas's part for Anne's safety and for

future because the tide is turning away
from a French line.

And it's something of a warning shot for
Francis. He notices Anne's absence

and discerns from this that something is
not right.

And he thinks, wait, why would you
remove the ladies -in -waiting?

To conclude, if we are at peace, if we
are good friends, what are you plotting

against me?

It puts Woolsey in a very difficult
position.

It's virtually inconceivable that it
wouldn't be seen as a sort of diplomatic

incident to put.

Francis of Descent, Wolsey actually
suggests that Anne is being recalled for

marriage proposal.

And there is a grain of truth in
Wolsey's response, because a match is

proposed for Anne, not by her father,
but by her uncle.

Thomas Howard has been sent to Ireland
to quell unrest among the Irish

One of those nobles is Thomas Boleyn's
cousin, Piers Butler, who has laid claim

to the title Earl of Ormond.

In a flurry of letters to Wolsey and the
King, Howard lays bare a scheme to take

advantage of the situation.

Piers Butler desires to claim the most
profitable earldom of Ormond. The title

is also claimed by my kinsman, Thomas
Boleyn.

To that end, I have devised a marriage
plan between my niece Anne Boleyn and

Butler's son, James.

This union will give Butler the earldom
and his help in bringing Ireland under

our control.

This arrangement will require my
presence, naturally, and I do so long to

to England.

Thomas Howard shows that when he is in a
difficult position, family loyalty to

the Boleyns counts for absolutely
nothing to him.

Thomas Boleyn has coveted the
prestigious Irish earldom of Ormond, and

him to no end that of all people, his
brother -in -law, Thomas Howard, who has

nothing to do with the situation, tries
to actually broker a match between Anne

Boleyn and a butler cousin.

She was quite horrified when she was
told about the match.

Ireland in that time was generally seen
by the English as a wild, fairly

inhospitable place, and the idea that
the courtier, Anne Boleyn, would go and

live there must have been horrifying for
her.

This puts Thomas Boleyn in a very
difficult position because Thomas Howard

to get Cardinal Wolsey's support for the
plan.

Anne Boleyn is her father's legal
property. She can't be married without

father's permission.

So Thomas is under pressure to give his
blessing to a marriage that will

effectively disinherit him.

Around this time, Wolsey finally offers
Thomas Boleyn the job he so desperately

wants. And perhaps the timing is no
coincidence.

We know that Thomas is promoted to the
treasurership at this point. I think

actually is happening here is he is
being placated with this coveted

I am made treasurer of the household,
second in charge of running this

honourable court.

The treasurer must set an example to all
others.

of good governance and modest
expenditure.

He is granted to take supper daily in
the King's Hall, or anywhere else he

pleases. This was an absolute vital
stepping stone in his career. It paved

way for much more lucrative and
important positions at court.

Thomas Boleyn, who began as a wealthy
Norfolk gentleman beyond the fringes of

the Tudor court, has finally gained a
seat on the Royal Council.

Slowly but surely, he is advancing
towards the king's inner circle.

For Thomas Boleyn to achieve this in
1522 is such a mark of where he had

But it also is important for his family.

George Boleyn was finally given a court
position, which means he has day -to

-day access to Henry VIII.

Not only is George doing well, but
Thomas's elder daughter Mary is now

to a senior courtier, William Carey.

But the ace in Thomas's hand is Anne.

With the prospect of an Irish marriage
still hanging over her, Anne takes

stage with her sister Mary at her lavish
court pageant hosted by Thomas Wolsey,

known as the Chateau Vert.

This pageant is going to change the
fortunes of the Boleyn family, for

and also for worse.

All the young women on show take the
parts of feminine virtues.

Mary's kindness and perseverance.

It's the kind of pageant to which the
Tudor court is by then well accustomed,

with women, married, single, all playing
their part to big up the king.

Woolsey is the host. He wants it to go
well.

He's a man who enjoys spectacle,
entertainment, who knows that you've got

on a show.

It was a lavish entertainment.

It involved a mock castle being built in
the hall.

Ladies defended this castle from a group
of knights who attempted to attack it.

Essentially, this battle between the men
outside the castle and the women inside

the castle is about culture, it's about
wooing.

Women fall into two categories. They
have to resist men and be virtuous and

chaste, but ultimately they have to give
in when they find the right man who's

usually the king.

Because of her seven years in France.

Anne Boleyn is seen as being a bit
different and exotic.

She's stylish, fashionable, graceful,
and she really causes a stir. She's like

no -one else at Henry VIII's court.

This is really the first time that we
know with absolute certainty that Henry

VIII and Anne Boleyn are in the same
room together.

But Anne isn't interested in the king.

Her sights are set on a young nobleman.

Although there was still talk of her
marrying her Irish cousin and one day

becoming Countess of Ormond, Henry Percy
was heir to one of the oldest earldoms

in the country.

Hugely wealthy, very, very high status,
and a match that was far outside

anything that Anne Boleyn could hope
for.

It's clear that she encouraged Henry
Percy.

Thomas Boleyn was certainly approved.

It's a far better prospect for his
daughter than the Ormond marriage.

Partly because, of course, Thomas Boleyn
has designs on the earldom himself.

But Henry Percy, it was a stellar match.

The king, of course, has the pick of the
women at court.

And he has his eye on one in particular.

the wife of one of his inner circle.

People tend to look at the Chateau Vert
as the first time Henry would have seen

Anne, who's playing Perseverance.

But what's more interesting is who plays
Kindness, and that's Mary Boleyn.

And so when Henry is besieging the
castle, it's Mary he's besieging.

Now, why is she Kindness?

It's not a role she would have chosen
herself. It would have been chosen for

her.

Wolsey had already been called the
king's board, that is his pimp, a man

finds the most wholesome women and those
of the best complexion for Henry.

Henry had usually a single mistress
alongside the queen at any one point.

Mary Boleyn was definitely the royal
mistress, and it's not in her power to

resist the king.

Unlike Mary, a decade in Europe has
taught Anne how to fend for herself.

Now in her early 20s, she knows her own
mind.

does not want to marry James Butler.

Her sights are on a romantic marriage.
Marriage to Henry Percy.

She sees, loves and he seems to feel
exactly the same about her.

Henry VIII heard about the relationship
and was shocked by it because of course

it was not a suitable marriage for Henry
Percy at all.

He instructs Cardinal Wolsey to bring
the relationship to an end.

She doesn't necessarily know of the
King's involvement, but she knows that

Cardinal Wolsey has played a major role
in dashing her hopes.

The Cardinal called my Lord Percy into
his presence and reviled him for

himself with a foolish girl at court.

Wolsey has since set about dissolving
our match, saying it is disagreeable and

determining another woman as a more
appropriate marriage prospect.

If it ever lies in my power, I will work
as much displeasure for Wolsey as he

has shown me.

And as Anne laments the frustration of
her ambitions, her sister Mary

must endure emotional turmoil of her
own.

Around the same time...

Mary's husband, starts getting all these
rather generous royal grants, as if to

make up for the fact the king is
sleeping with his wife.

I think for Mary, it must have all been
incredibly difficult and painful.

Oh, Lord, let me not have a proud look.

But turn away all voluptuousness from
me.

Take me from the loft of the body.

Let not the desire for uncleanness take
hold upon me.

Often.

Thomas Boleyn's feelings are likely
mixed about Mary Boleyn's relationship

Henry VIII.

On the one hand, it's shameful in that
his daughter, a married woman, is

sleeping with... another man a married
man at that but her lover is the king

generally the benefits outweigh the
disadvantage i do think

getting your daughters into the king's
bed is probably a good idea if you want

political influence mary boleyn's affair

might be what yields the biggest reward
yet for her father thomas

Henry makes him Viscount Rochford.

His rise through the Tudor court has
been remarkable.

But in his daughter Anne, he has raised
a woman whose ambitions will soon

outstrip even her father's.