Original subtitles

(bells toll)

(coughing)

It is time.

(coughing)

Arthur?

No, Father.

Arthur is dead.

It is me, Henry.

Ohh... Henry.

Your brother's widow, Katherine-- you must take her as your wife.

England needs Spain. Yes, Father.

There are many who would usurp the throne,

watching and waiting in the shadows.

I am ready.

Are you? Then tell me--

what is the most important thing to do when you are king?

Make glorious war, Father.

Recapture the spirit of Agincourt.

Expand the territories in France. Keep the Scots at bay,

Deepen the treasury. But what else?

To be a really great king,

there's one thing you must do above all others--

you must secure the family line.

Have... a son.

(gasping)

(man) The king is dead.

(men) Long live the king!

(horses neighing)

She's still in labor. She's still in labor!

(woman) One more. One more

(screaming)

One...

(screaming)

(baby crying)

(man) It's a boy. It's a healthy boy!

God save the king!

(crying)

(laughter)

I said, "So, the King of France

"wishes to settle one of the richest provinces in the kingdom

over a game of checkers!"

I didn't have the heart to tell him that when I was a child, I played nothing but checkers.

And if we'd actually played, I'd have given him a terrible beating.

(laughter)

So, I let him keep the bloody place!

(laughter)

In a couple of years,

I'll send Norfolk back there... to take it back!

(cheering)

(chuckling)

Congratulate me, Wolsey.

I am father of a baby boy.

Your Majesty! A healthy baby boy.

I have named him Henry Fitzroy.

That's for his mother, the Blount girl-- we shall give her land and money.

And as for the boy-- he shall be properly educated,

and have a princely household supervised by Seymour here.

And I will confer upon him

the titles of "the Duke of Richmond and Somerset."

And you, Thomas-- you shall be the boy's godfather.

That is, if you have no objections as cardinal to be godfather to a bastard,

as well as being father to several of your own. (laughter)

(Wolsey) It would be an honor, Sir.

Yes. Well, Thomas,

it seems that I'm... capable of having a son after all.

And now that I have done my side of the business, you must now do yours.

And what is that? That you legitimize him.

That you legitimize him and give him the succession.

I beg you, no. The people would never accept him.

Well, they will do what I say. I am their king.

It would have terrible political consequences.

For Spain, it would be as good as a declaration of war.

Your son would have a lifelong enemy in Mary, your daughter.

The country would be split into two.

What do you suggest then, hmm?

I suggest you keep trying for a legitimate son with the queen.

No, no, please. I can't.

We've been trying for 15 years, Thomas.

But your luck will surely change soon.

Hmm.

(chuckles)

Master Cromwell?

I want you to establish that the queen still bleeds.

I will speak to her physicians. The king needs an heir, and soon.

While he doesn't have one, his enemies plot his downfall.

Sirs, these are sad times.

We have a king with no legitimate right to be king.

The butcher's son for a cardinal

forces us into alliances with France and Spain.

It's time we sent them both to their graves.

(man) Aye, my lord.

And for the rightful heir, a Plantagenet back on the throne of England.

(men) Here.

So, Lords... are you with me?

(overlapping) Aye.

(all) Aye.

So go back to your estates, prepare your armies,

and meet me outside London in three days.

So...

Buckingham, Derby, and Wiltshire.

Who else? Lord Montague, sir, and Lord Abergavenny.

That's a powerful group.

You may go.

(sighs)

(woman speaking in Spanish)

(Henry) Come on, Katherine. Come to bed.

I'm praying to Casilda of Toledo,

Patron Saint of Fertility,

for her intercession. Mm-hmm.

Next week, I begin another pilgrimage to Walsingham.

Well...

...come here.

Be a woman to your man.

What is this?

A hair shirt, my lord. Why?

I...

I just want God to take pity on me,

and answer my prayers.

Your skin is... so raw.

It's... drawn blood!

Doesn't matter.

The suffering will be worth it in time.

Now, let me give you a son, husband.

Katherine... Katherine.

Oh.

I just want to be a good wife. You are.

I just want to make you happy. You do.

Have we not been happy these past 15 years?

Yes. Yes! Yes.

But... why?

Why does God punish us this way?

Why? Why? I don't know, Kate.

I don't... know.

(overlapping chatter)

(giggling)

(Norfolk) Congratulations, Thomas.

Your daughter's done you proud.

I shan't celebrate till the ring's on her finger.

I hear the boy's father, the Earl of Northumberland, is still against it.

Well, don't worry about him. I have the king's ear on this.

He's assured me he'll grant you his blessing.

Well, Anne,

one of the highest-ranking noblemen in the land,

snared by a humble knight's daughter from Kent.

You sound surprised, brother. Well, I am.

You must admit, the odds were against.

(Anne) Percy is marrying me, brother, because he loves me.

And because I've learned how to please a man.

And you-- do you love him?

Lot of dangerous lies are spoken about love.

What I want from Percy is security.

And when I look at our poor sister Mary, who made the mistake of loving our king,

well...

...I realize how precious that security is.

(horses neighing)

So, where are they? They'll surely be here, my lord.

There-- Derby's banner.

He comes! Excellent.

And from here-- Wiltshire.

Welcome, one and all!

(cheering)

Good God.

(grunting)

(screaming)

(screams)

Aah!

(rumbling)

(marching footsteps)

(swords clinking)

So, my father was right.

He warned me against you.

He had a bad conscience.

Ours is a legitimate claim to the throne, as well you know.

My father saved this country when your degenerate ancestors left it in ruin.

Now, I accepted that you were a descendant of the Plantagenets,

I gave you land and titles as your compensation.

But obviously... that was not enough for you.

Here.

Take it. Take it.

But you're going to have to kill me first.

Hmm.

(groans)

Take him to the Tower.

(man whimpering)

(sizzling)

(screaming)

(screaming)

The good cardinal does his work well.

The cardinal enjoys his work too much to be good. Hmm.

I don't like him,

and I don't like the power he has over you.

Thomas is a loyal subject who does what is required of him.

Unlike certain people.

If his Majesty is referring to me,

perhaps he has forgotten I have carried six of his children.

Five of which were born dead-- and one is a daughter, which is of no use to me.

That is not my fault. Whose fault is it, then?

I am capable of having sons. That you are capable of sowing bastards

up and down the country-- that's well known.

And why, madam? Ask yourself that.

This country needs stability.

It needs a male heir.

Without one, the throne is at risk.

(caws)

(overlapping chatter)

(♪ trumpet)

Must I do this, Thomas?

It won't take long, my lord,

and it's a useful way to buy allegiances.

Is everything political?

Marriage, above all things, your Grace.

Hmm. You're right there.

(♪ trumpet)

Sir Edward Seymour and Mistress Katherine Fillol.

(whispering)

Ah, Edward.

How's my son? Hope you're looking after him well.

He's...

...progressing well, sire. Hmm.

Excellent. And who's this rose you've brought with you?

Mistress Katherine Fillol.

Sir John's daughter. He's a good man.

You have my blessings, Katherine.

Keep young Edward warm in the cold Wiltshire winter.

I will, your Grace.

(approving chatter)

Lord Henry Percy, your Grace, and Mistress Anne Boleyn.

Boleyn? Mary's sister?

(Wolsey) Recently returned from France, my lord.

Mm-hmm.

Well, come on, let's see your face, woman.

Or do you hide it for good reason?

(laughter)

So... Anne...

...you join us from France?

Yes, your Majesty.

Speak French, Percy? Not a word, my lord.

Well, of course not. Why would you?

You're a sheep farmer from Northumberland.

(laughter)

You were at court there?

Yes, your Majesty.

Tell me, I'm curious--

how does it compare with ours?

Comparisons are meaningless, your Grace,

since France belongs to England,

whatever attributes its court might have are yours anyway.

Ah.

And the King of France-- our ladies in court

are eager to hear of his reputation...

...as a man.

Well, for reputation, read fantasy, my lord.

Talk among the ladies in France was not so favorable.

So, Anne...

...you're about to marry Percy here?

With your blessing, your Majesty.

Northumberland...

...is a long way from court.

We will frequently come down. Of course.

Of course you will.

(crowd murmuring)

Wolsey.

Everyone else meets the king and is tongue-tied, but you...

Did you notice how he looked at you, hung on your every word?

My every compliment, you mean.

Henry Tudor is a vain man.

Vain men are easy to flatter into submission.

Quite the opposite to my husband.

(Cromwell) My lord, Percy.

Mistress Anne.

(Percy) What? (Wolsey) Of course, I realize you're disappointed,

but the fact remains, there's an unbridgeable gulf in rank between you.

An earl and a knight's daughter?

It violates all aristocratic protocol.

And what, my lord Cardinal,

would you know of aristocratic protocol?

You're the son of a butcher! My God, you'll regret this.

(Anne) My lord, stop before you say something rash.

Leave us a moment.

I'll come to you directly.

I beg you, my lord Cardinal,

leave Lord Percy and I be.

The king is looking for sport outside his marriage. Let him find it elsewhere.

The marriage between you and Percy is inappropriate.

Please. He has already been with my sister, can he not spare me?

That is all there is to it, Mistress Boleyn.

Please.

You can persuade him.

He listens to you.

Everyone knows you're like a father to him.

That is all, Mistress Boleyn.

(door opens)

(door slams)

(cawing)

(crowd jeering)

Traitor! Shame on you!

(man) Shame on you! (man 2) Traitor!

(woman) Traitor!

Traitor!

(crowd jeering)

I come here to die,

and I make no argument.

May God bless and protect our just...

...and noble king.

I should have had him burnt.

Never was there a gentler monarch.

(booing)

Jesus.

(inaudible)

(crowd cheering)

(horses neighing)

(man) Oh, my God!

The king's coming.

The king's coming.

The king is coming!

(chattering)

(chattering continues)

(man) You must change, girl.

Do so quickly, for the king will be here shortly.

Well, I shall not see that monster, and shame on you for admitting him to this house.

What? He broke my marriage for no good reason. I will not see him.

Anne, you will come down here immediately.

I say, come down here at once!

Lady Elizabeth, forgive this unexpected intrusion.

An honor, your Grace.

(overlapping) Your Majesty.

Ah, Mary.

Oh, for God's sake, um, someone get her a chair, quick.

George, you'll join us for the hunt this afternoon?

If it is his Majesty's pleasure. It is. Excellent.

And seeing Anne again. Where is she?

Upstairs, your Majesty. Then, would someone fetch her?

Of course. Unfortunately, no.

She's not well.

Really?

Then I shall go and pay respects myself.

Anne?

Anne?

(sighs)

Your Grace.

I'm sorry to see you're sick.

A light fever.

What a coincidence. I have one, too.

Although, a shrewd physician

would call it by its proper name-- impatience...

...seeing you again.

Oh, his Grace is surely mistaken.

It is my sister, Mary, he has come to see.

On the contrary. It is you.

But she is pregnant... with his child.

That she is pregnant is undeniable, that it is mine is not.

You should be careful what you say.

Your words might cause offense.

You imply that my sister does not know the father of her child.

Well, now whose words give offense?

Well, happily, your sister is about to be married.

To a provincial bookkeeper, organized by Wolsey to render her respectable.

The cardinal keeps himself busy in this family--

making one marriage, breaking another.

If he did break your marriage, Anne,

it was because it needed to be done.

Your union with Percy was unacceptable...

...to me.

And how acceptable is it for my sister,

for his Grace to sweep in, do as he pleases, and then leave

without a thought for the consequences. Your fever runs high.

You forget to whom you speak.

I know exactly to whom I speak.

I speak to the man who's torn this household apart.

Now, why do you not confess the real reason you broke my marriage?

It had nothing to do with rank.

You thought you could do to me what you have done to my sister.

I can do anything I want.

I am the King of England, divinely appointed.

My will is the will of God.

Well, then come, have your divine will, and be gone.

Then I can return to my lord, Percy.

You will return to court tonight,

and will report for duty in the queen's household tomorrow.

I look forward to seeing you there.

(thunderclap)

(horse neighing)

(cheering)

(thunder)

Who is he? From Scotland, my lord.

A professional, undefeated. Really?

(horse neighing)

(thunderclap)

Mistress Anne, I am pleased to see you.

I trust your new accommodation at court is comfortable.

As comfortable as prisons get.

Oh, come now. It's hardly a prison, is it?

What else do you call a room where you are held against your will?

(horse neighing)

I've been thinking about what you said about your sister,

and you're right, I should do something for her.

So, I decided to give her land and make her a good marriage.

I've also given your father the title "Earl of Essex,"

so your brother, George, becomes "Lord Rochford."

And my husband?

When do I get him back?

That I cannot do.

But you are king. You can do anything.

Your husband already belongs to someone else.

What?

His parents rushed through a new marriage,

before he could protest.

(cheering)

I'm sorry.

(shouting)

Sir Francis Bryan!

Now we'll see what your Scottish knight has to offer.

(cheering)

(horse neighing)

Watch this.

Come on.

(screaming/crowd roars)

Fetch my amour. Fetch my amour!

(man) His Royal Majesty, Henry Tudor.

(cheering)

(man) The King of England!

(crowd) Hooray!

(cheering/applause)

Again!

(cheering)

(crowd) Ooh!

(crowd roars)

Yes!

(cheering/applause)

(woman) The plague! (man) Plague!

(overlapping) The plague!

(screaming)

(man) The boy has the plague! (man 2) He's got the plague!

(crowd screaming)

It's an isolated case. Nobody else, of course, is sick.

The wind brings it closer, your Majesty.

Why can't we stay at Richmond? Too close.

Winslow? Also too close.

No, I can't leave London now. I must stay here.

It's absolutely vital I stay in London.

Your Grace, you are King of England,

and at present, without a male heir.

Very well.

(Anne) Thank God he's gone.

Maybe now I can have some peace.

Come Anne, that may fool others, but not me.

What?

You've developed feelings for the king. Uncle!

And him for you. Why else do you think he's gone?

Well, he has gone to be safe from the plague.

What plague?

The nearest case is 40 miles away.

But the boy, the boy at the joust...

...had a fever, nothing more.

This is Wolsey's work.

He's seen how the king looks at you.

He can see the dangers, and has taken him away.

What dangers? I'm no threat.

The cardinal knows full well I could never be more than the king's mistress.

Under normal circumstances, yes,

but these are not normal circumstances.

The queen is in trouble. There is talk throughout court

of the illegitimacy of their marriage.

Add to that fact that the king has taken a shine to you,

and is desperate for an heir.

What are you saying? I'm saying, it's in your hands.

You can take this as far as you'd like to go.

(Henry) Dearest Anne,

the misery of this enforced separation

makes each day feel like a week,

each week a month, each month a year.

The memory of your beauty is still so strong.

No reply.

(Henry) Dearest Anne,

three weeks have passed since I last wrote to you,

and still no reply.

Have I somehow offended you?

In which case, please let me know that I can make amends.

(man) He spends night after night writing letters

and sending her gifts.

Don't worry, I've seen this before.

As soon as the king has his way with her, he'll discard her.

But she plays him wisely,

expertly withholding her affections,

stirring him into a frenzy.

"Anne, I implore you to write,

because not to hear from you is not to live."

My lord, the reason I have not written

is not because I wish to cause you offense-- quite the opposite--

but to protect myself from disappointment.

You are married, after all.

However, your generosity has touched my heart,

and now I feel compelled to write.

Indeed, so delighted was I by his Majesty's generous gift of a bracelet,

that I feel...

...that I shall never be able to take it off,

that it shall become part of my body,

and join my heart and my breath

in waiting impatiently for my lord's safe return.

(shouting)

(cheering)

(Anne) Until when, I pray, he might enjoy the token I send him

as a symbol of my growing loyalty... and affection.

Dearest Anne,

the proofs of your affection give me...

...great delight and satisfaction.

And should it please you, by our next meeting, to become my mistress,

I promise you that I will reject from thought and affection

all others, save yourself.

No reply.

(Henry) Dearest Anne,

I do not understand.

One day you write and send me tokens of your affection,

the next, you punish me with silence.

Why?

If you desire an end to this, why don't you just say so,

and put me out of my misery?

Anything but the torture of this inexplicable silence.

You come from court in London? Yes, my lord.

Anything from Mistress Boleyn? No, my lord.

Nothing.

Wait. Boy-- one moment.

What's your name? John, Sir.

Well, John, can you keep a secret?

Come on, wake up. Hmm?

The king is here.

What? He waits for you in the garden.

Oh, my God. Help me get dressed.

Your Majesty.

And I thought I had remembered your beauty.

Anne, I must ask you-- you received my letters?

Yes. Yes, I did.

Then, why no response?

My lord, my desk is covered in responses.

A dozen letters I must have written

and rewritten but just... never sent.

Why?

Why? Because... because I cannot have you.

But you can.

Did I not make myself clear?

Oh, yes, you said I could become your mistress.

My one, true mistress,

whom I would honor above all others.

Yes, but still, Sir, you are married.

Yes, I am married-- as a favor to my dying father, no more.

My heart is not taken.

I give my heart to you.

Yes, but while you are married, we are...

Well, we're doomed forever to meet like this--

in secret, speaking in whispers.

But why do we continue to discuss this? I beg you...

No, his Majesty can take his pleasure elsewhere.

The court is filled with women ready to give him all he desires.

I have no interest in any other.

I want you. While you are still married,

well, all you can ever give me is the insult of the title of "mistress,"

and our sons, the title of "bastards."

If you loved me with the force that you claim, you wouldn't want to hurt me in that way.

No.

No, you're right.

(footsteps)

My guards have come to take me away.

I crept over the wall like a schoolboy, to escape them.

Goodbye, Anne. Goodbye.

Wait.

(door opens)

You sent for me, my lord? Yes.

I want you to test the validity of my marriage.

Why, my lord?

Because I love Anne Boleyn,

and I will have her if it's the last thing I do.

But the queen is still alive.

Princess Katherine is alive.

I am of the opinion there is no such person as "the queen."

But my lord, there is, and she is your wife. She is my brother's widow.

And you were granted special dispensation by Rome to marry her.

Because the Pope wanted to strengthen his alliance with Spain.

Because you insisted! Are you debating with me?

No, my lord.

You have read Leviticus.

"He who uncovers his brother's wife's nakedness,

shall be childless." But her marriage was never consummated.

Whose word do we have on that?

Do you really think that my brother,

a hot-blooded Tudor,

would be married for six months, and not consummate his marriage?

My lord, do not do this, I beg you.

This will tear the country apart.

And what's the alternative?

To leave my throne to a bastard daughter,

conceived in an unlawful marriage?

You would call Princess Mary a bastard?

My duty is to have sons.

I promised my father. Would you have me disobey him? No.

Would you have the King of England live in sin

with a woman who cannot lawfully be his wife? No.

Then give me Anne Boleyn.

Very well.

I shall write to Rome.

In Holland, people have had enough--

in Germany, too--

of a corrupt Roman Catholic church

where simple working people

pay priests with their hard-earned money

for miracles like this.

(laughter)

Well, I say, here in England,

we have had enough, too. (crowd) Yes!

We don't want a decadent Church of Rome. (crowd) No, we don't!

We want a strong Church of England!

(cheering)

(Cromwell) I have served the cardinal for five years.

In that time, I have seen him control the king to such an extent,

you wonder actually who was the king.

Yesterday, Henry Tudor reminded everyone

who actually wears the crown.

I tell you, he is set upon this Boleyn girl,

and not just to bed her.

He wants her as his queen. Good God.

This is it, Cranmer.

This is our chance.

Anne Boleyn is one of us, a Reformist. She reads Tynedale.

But with Wolsey in place, what can we do?

Wolsey is safe only as long as he delivers the king what he wants-- a divorce.

And with his friends in Rome, Wolsey will be able to do that.

Will he? Rome is in the emperor's hands,

the queen's nephew. And whilst that is the case,

the Pope will never agree to the divorce.

And if that happens,

and Wolsey fails...

(Katherine) Who is it that you want instead of me?

Is it her, the whore, Boleyn?

"Who" is of no importance.

What matters is that I'm given a son!

You'd put me, your queen, aside for a whore?

I need your answer-- yes or no. No.

Then I order it. And I refuse.

I am the King of England. I can have what I want.

Even a king cannot break apart what God has put together!

Why won't you do this?

For your good, and the good of the country.

I want to save you both from her.

Don't be blind as well as foolish. You're being used!

Silence!

Here I've taken the liberty of hanging portraits of your relatives,

your family's coat of arms,

and in every corner, you'll notice your initials have been carved in gold.

It must be killing you to do this.

You tried to get rid of me a thousand times, and now,

you've given me your own apartment.

You're still angry with me?

I was hoping you'd take this gift as an invitation

to put the past behind us, make a clean start. Yes.

You'd like that, wouldn't you?

Now that your future depends on... on me.

Yes, if you fail with the Papal Legate,

fail to give the king his annulment, well,

only someone very close to him might be able to dissuade him from...

...well, acting on impulse.

Thankfully, then, the Papal Legate has assured me that it'll go smoothly.

Yes. And if it does, my lord, I will be queen,

and in a position to alert the king to your corruption and greed.

You cannot win, Cardinal.

Don't be deluded, madam.

Your newfound power is not about the king's love for you.

Oh, yes, it is strong at the moment-- very strong.

But deep down, this is all about a son,

and that's why he wants a divorce from Katherine,

and it's what he wants, above all else, from you.

You give him that-- oh yes, your position will be unassailable.

You fail...

...and I guarantee you, this power you have will desert you overnight,

and the cold wind of persecution that blows

in Katherine's face at the moment,

will turn on you.

(chattering)

(crowd chanting) Long live Queen Katherine, our one true queen!

Wolsey met with the Papal Legate.

This trial is proceeding for appearance's sake only.

We as good as have our result.

But Rome is in the emperor's hands, the queen's nephew-- I will not be refused.

I promise,

you will be queen by Christmas.

(crowd chanting) Long live Queen Katherine, our one true queen!

What? Even now,

you don't agree to be my mistress?

You know full well I will conduct myself like a mistress

just as soon as I am your wife.

You drive a hard bargain, Anne.

Trust me, it'll be worth the wait.

(cheering)

(man) Henry, King of England,

come into court!

What did I do to upset you,

that a maid of mine should turn against me like this?

You failed to give England an heir.

And that upsets you so?

What upsets the king, upsets me.

Let me tell you this.

You want me to lie before God,

and admit my first marriage was consummated? Well, it was not.

You want me to retire,

and withdraw my daughter's claim

as sole rightful heir to the throne?

Well, I shall not. Not in a thousand years.

Not if you rack me to within an inch of my life.

So I hope you have the belly for a fight, Anne Boleyn,

because I'll fight you every inch of the way.

(chattering)

(overlapping) Your Majesty.

My lord. (crowd gasping)

My lord.

How have I offended you?

For 20 years, I've been a true, obedient wife.

I've loved all those whom you loved, and given you children--

though it has pleased God to take them out of this world.

You know, when you had me at first, I was a true maid,

without touch of a man.

So, I beg you, dear husband, to spare me all this.

But if you will not, and I am to be tried... You are, madam, you are.

(murmuring)

Then...

...let it be in a proper court,

and by the only authority I recognize.

I have appealed my case to his Holiness, the Pope,

and expect his reply any day.

(murmuring)

Since it has pleased the queen to absent herself from the court,

the trial will simply continue without her.

(♪ choral singers)

The following morning, Prince Arthur emerged from his bedchamber asking for wine,

because he said it had been "hot work, being in Spain that night."

What did you take that to mean? Well, I think the meaning is obvious.

It was his wedding night,

and Princess Katherine was from Spain.

Thank you. That is all.

(Wolsey) We shall now retire to consider the verdict.

(man) From his Holiness, the Pope.

(man) All rise!

My lord,

I have just received a letter from my master,

his Holiness the Pope...

(murmuring)

...which revokes, with immediate effect,

my authority to try this case.

I therefore have no alternative

but to adjourn this court.

(murmuring)

You said you had Campeggio in your pocket, that the verdict was ours!

It was. The queen's direct appeal to the Pope surprised us all.

Well, you should have foreseen it. How could I?

Instead, you have failed and humiliated your king.

Your Highness, I feel I have made an enemy of Lady Anne, for reasons I do not understand.

You have made an enemy of me because I have the king's interests at heart,

and see how you betray them. Your Grace, I beg you, no one has ever served you as I.

While always serving yourself first.

I've protected you, looked after you, as if you were my own son.

See his arrogance? He puts himself as an equal to your father, the king.

Your Majesty... He lives in palaces that are larger than yours,

and behind your back, has amassed wealth far greater than yours. Open your eyes, my lord.

I'm afraid Mistress Boleyn is still naive about the court's ways,

and has swallowed whole some of the idle rumors.

On the contrary, Mistress Boleyn is extremely well-informed,

and has compiled a list of your transgressions. Would you like to hear them?

Stop it! Stop it!

I can hardly hear myself think.

I cannot have you both in such disagreement.

Well, then you must choose between us.

If you trust and prefer the cardinal above me,

then I shall go,

but would never return to court again.

Anne, I beg you, don't make me do this.

Come here.

I thank you, your Majesty.

You have always served me well.

You've been like a father to me.

And I will go again to Rome, on your behalf.

It's too late.

No, my lord. My lord...

(rustling)

No, my lord. My lord, no!

No, my lord! No!

Let go of me!

(Anne) Thank you, my lord.

So, Cranmer, are you all right? Do you need anything?

No. I am ready.

We have found a law--

an ancient law-- which declares that it is treason

to acknowledge any higher authority than the will of the king.

I take it, the will of the king is that he should divorce the queen and marry Lady Anne?

Yes.

Then, under the terms of this law,

the Church is obliged to grant your will,

because it is treasonable to say

that the Pope is a higher authority than the king.

And where does this law come from?

It was discovered by doctors of divinity

at our great universities,

and dates from the time of King John.

And you are satisfied this is valid? Absolutely, my lord.

But that would mean breaking with the Catholic Church.

Can't we find another way? Can't we go back to Rome?

What? And be humiliated again?

England's sovereign, being told what he can or cannot do by decadent foreigners?

his Majesty should not forget,

he comes from a line of ancient kings

who predate Rome's authority.

A simple act of supremacy would merely restore things to their rightful place.

But I would be excommunicated, and go to hell.

The Pope cannot send you to hell.

As King of England, you would be head of the Church,

and God's highest-ranking servant on Earth.

You would simply be excommunicated from the corruption of Rome,

Your Majesty, and not from the love of God.

Oh.

Marry me.

All this to have a son?

No.

For your love, Anne.

God take pity on me for your love.

If I love you...

...will I be safe?

Of course.

Do I have your word?

My word, my heart...

...my life.

Well, then,

God help me.

(door opens/gasping)

Madam, it is the king's will you absent yourself from court and retire to Moore Park.

How can I absent myself, when I am his queen?

I must inform you, you are no longer his queen.

He cannot do that to us.

Take the girl.

Leave her alone!

Leave her alone! Let go of me!

Mother, do something!

How dare you? Stand up for your folk!

You may see her again when you agree to the king's wishes.

That I declare my marriage invalid,

making myself a whore, and my daughter a bastard?

Never.

I am the queen, the king's lawful wife, married in the eyes of God.

And no hastily drawn bill, no ceremony held in secret,

can change that.

(man) Do you, Henry Tudor, take thee Anne Boleyn,

to be thy lawful wedded wife?

(Henry) I will.

What is it?

No...

I was...

I was just wondering if,

now that we have each other, you will...

What?

You won't lose interest?

In you? Hmm.

(sighs)

The most captivating,

beautiful,

free-thinking woman in the world...

How could any man lose interest in you?

Once you dispose of one queen...

I disposed of her so I could be with you.

Yes, and because she would not give you a son.

So I could be with you.

Be careful! Careful!

Why?

(horn)

(dogs barking)

My lord, it is the queen.

It is time. You must come to court.

What England's been waiting for!

(door opens) (Henry) Anne.

(chuckling)

Anne. (baby coos)

Where is he? Where's my baby son?

My lord, I have failed you.

I have given you a daughter.

Daughter?

Daughter?

I have named her Elizabeth,

after your mother.

Is the child healthy? Perfectly, Sir.

Well...

...if we can have a healthy daughter,

we can have a healthy son.

(sobs)

(sobbing)

Pray for our king,

for he has fallen into the hands of the devil. (crowd) Yes.

Bewitched by the great whore, he has rejected his wife Katherine,

a true daughter of Christ.

(crowd boos) (woman) Whore! Whore!

Punish them!

Henry, King of England, having cast aside Katherine, your queen,

in favor of Anne, your whore...

...your blood will be drunk by dogs!

Let's go.

(crowd booing)

There is a wave of anger up and down the country.

The people look to you for a sign.

They would rise up in support.

And your nephew Charles, the emperor--

he would happily lead an invasion against Henry.

This is the moment, your Majesty.

With your word, the bugle would sound.

You're very kind,

but no, Ambassador.

I will not give the word.

I've done England enough harm already,

and I do not wish to go to my grave

having made it any worse.

(woman giggling)

Who's this?

Lady Mary Somerset, I believe.

Yesterday it was Margaret Shelton.

The day before, her sister Mary.

When we first met, he couldn't keep his eyes off me.

I would see my husband.

The king has asked not to be disturbed.

(woman moans/giggles)

Not even by his wife?

By no one, your Majesty.

Tell him I would see him.

Your Majesty, the king cannot be... Wait!

You cannot ignore me like this. I am your wife.

Anne, I am busy.

The longer we are married, the less time you spend with me.

Instead, you spend every day with different whores. (woman gasps)

Who's this one? Some pear-shaped trollop from the provinces, no doubt.

Dammit, do you know who this is? Mistress Blake. Oh.

Prospective governess to our daughter, Elizabeth.

What?

You're becoming an embarrassment, madam. What is wrong with you?

I am standing up for myself. That is all.

There's only one way to improve your position, and that's to give me a son.

I'd give you one if you spent some time with me.

Don't forget, you need to be involved as well.

Or, as head of the Church, do you think you're now

so close to God, you can have immaculate conceptions too?

I'll show you. (Anne yelps)

Let me move. Let me pleasure you-- Stay still!

(Henry grunts/Anne yelps)

Do you think I like those filthy elaborations you learned in France?

(screams) They disgust me!

(Henry grunting/Anne yelping)

(Henry grunting/Anne screaming)

(Henry stops grunting/ Anne sobbing)

(crying)

From the king? Good news, I hope? Yes.

He's decided to overnight here on his progress to the West Country next week.

My sons Edward and Thomas will be familiar to you.

How's my boy? Excellent, your Majesty.

And our daughter Jane--

she's one of the queen's ladies.

Is she?

Easy to overlook, your Majesty. Oh.

After all, there are so many of us.

(horse neighs)

(yells)

Is he hurt?

My lord. Get some help, now!

Lie still, sire.

(gasps)

(woman) I'm sorry. I hurt you.

No, you do it well.

Very well.

(laughter)

(Henry) I'm interested, Sir John.

Your daughter's been at court a long time,

yet I've never noticed her there.

Beauty is not her first virtue, your Grace.

(Henry) Nonsense, she radiates beauty.

And she's a wonderful nurse, but I'm keen to know

if her other virtues exceed her beauty.

Obedience... Ah.

...humility, integrity.

Ah, really? Then everything my wife isn't!

(chuckles)

(laughter)

How is the queen?

We hear she is with child.

Indeed, yes. Let's hope for her sake it's a boy.

The heartbeat is strong, but races.

Races? Really? Badly?

Nothing to be too alarmed about,

but you must rest, your Majesty.

For a woman of your age,

the next weeks of the pregnancy are crucial.

(door opens/closes)

"Rest." "Try not to worry."

Well, how can I, with a husband that doesn't speak to me

and a court filled with enemies and spies?

Sometimes I can hear them talking about me as if I'm gone already.

But if you give him a son...

Yes, but what if it isn't a son?

If the bump points, it's a boy. If it's round, it's a girl.

Well, does it point, George, or is it round? I don't know.

I try to compare it to the way it was with Elizabeth,

but I can't remember!

I can't remember.

Oh, my beautiful sister.

(screaming)

Quick, somebody help!

Edward. Yes.

The queen-- she's in labor.

But the child wasn't expected until...

(both) ...July.

Oh, my lord,

I'm so sorry.

Our son-- he was born dead.

What?

He came early. There was nothing I could do!

There's no blame in that.

Dead?

You have killed him? No!

My lord, the queen is weak. The people are right. You are a witch.

I must ask you to leave her. A witch in collusion with Protestants to torment me.

Please, my lord. My lord, please. Witch.

No!

My father bade me do one thing as king,

just one--

have a son.

To fulfill his wish,

I have been married twice,

accepted excommunication,

risked invasion and civil war,

but what do I get? What do I get?

Stillborn babies, bastards, daughters...

The queen promised me-- she promised me sons.

She has betrayed me. Get rid of her.

My lord, but how?

You are a lawyer.

I had a child with her sister. But she was married.

The child could be her husband's. The affairs in France?

Not conclusively proven, and without a bastard child-- Find a way!

Find a way.

Well, there is...

No, it's nonsense. What?

Last week, Lady Rochford came to see me,

claiming to have information about the queen.

She alleged that the queen had committed... indiscretions.

Infidelities.

Who?

She mentioned... Master Smeeton,

Henry Norris,

and Lord Rochford.

Her own brother?

(Cromwell) George Boleyn, I arrest you in the name of the king.

Let go of me!

I am guilty of nothing. I will swear to it.

Take him. I will admit nothing!

This is madness!

(crying) George, arrested? Come.

Cousin, the tide is turning.

They mean to try Anne.

As earl marshal, I shall have to preside.

As her uncle, it leaves me in a terrible position, but I have no choice.

This is no time for sentiment. You must distance yourself from her.

But she needs me. Otherwise, I promise you,

she will drag us all down with her. Now go, leave her.

Go to the country. Stay away from court. You have no time to lose.

But she is my daughter. Bid her farewell...

...and go.

(whimpering)

(person screaming)

(Norfolk) Master Kingston, bring in the prisoner.

It's a sad day, when the nobility of a country

does not stand for its queen.

Even sadder when that same queen is charged with adultery and incest.

Yes, "charged" is different from "convicted," Master Cromwell.

Or is it not, in this court?

(murmuring)

(Cromwell) The charge is that between the 24th

and 27th year of the reign of our sovereign Lord, Henry, King of England,

his wife, the queen, having been seduced by the devil,

did knowingly commit adultery.

How do you plead?

Not guilty, my lord.

Further, as queen,

I challenge the right for this court to try me at all.

(murmuring)

On what grounds? They are not my equals.

I caution her Majesty against such arrogance

when we have a mountain of evidence against her.

Correction-- a mountain of lies.

I have countless statements from witnesses sworn under oath.

(Anne) Well, then, either these people have perjured themselves,

or you obtained your statements with the rack and irons.

Does the queen presume to call me a liar?

With greater justification than you call me "whore."

My lords, why do we tolerate such disrespect?

I have here a hundred pages of confession

that show the queen has committed fornication,

high treason,

and matters of a sexual nature so offensive to God!

Then, can we not read these statements?

And where are these witnesses?

Are they not present, so we can hear them for ourselves?

They are condemned. We will not insult his Majesty

by admitting their evidence in his court. Why not?

You insult him far more with the perversion of justice that is happening here in his name.

I hardly think this queen is qualified to speak of perversion.

(gavel banging)

Silence.

My noble Lords,

if what I fear is true--

namely, that you have condemned me already--

well, then my testimony is of no value.

But allow me, for the sake of the record, and my conscience,

to say this:

The love I have for my brother

is the love any sister would have for someone with whom she's grown up,

nursed when sick, played games with as a child.

That is the love I have for him.

As for these other gentlemen,

I have no more been their lover than...

...than I would lie on my own daughter's life.

Now, I admit that I have not always borne towards the king

the humility that is fitting.

I admit that I have been jealous.

I admit... that I failed to provide him with a son.

But as God is my witness,

I have not betrayed him in any other way.

That is my word.

You must put it to your consciences.

(murmuring)

My lords...

...the time has come to cast your votes.

Guilty.

Guilty.

Guilty.

Guilty.

Guilty.

(man) Guilty.

Guilty.

Guilty.

In which case, the burden falls on me to pass sentence.

Anne, Queen of England,

you have been found guilty of treason by this court.

It is therefore my duty to sentence you to be burned or beheaded

at the king's pleasure.

I told her of your proposal. And?

She rejected it, insisted again on her innocence.

It would spare her life.

Yes, but agreeing to an annulment, she said, would make her daughter a bastard--

something she could never live with anyway.

Is she innocent? I don't know.

You took her confession. Indeed.

She must want to save her soul, surely. What did she say?

My lord, I could never disclose--

I asked you a question.

That's to say, she made no ment--

She did not feel the need to confess.

I can hear a crowd.

Have they come to see me die? Yes, ma'am.

And the king, where is he?

I heard he has gone hunting.

Hunting? Oh.

Well, it's a fine day for it. Hmm.

Cranmer told me they sent to France for a special swordsman.

Apparently, I will feel nothing.

I must not forget to reward him generously.

(metal clinking)

(loud knock)

It is time.

(clanging)

May God bless you, my beautiful daughter.

The king will burn in hell for this!

(woman) You must speak out against him from the scaffold.

You could turn the crowd.

The king is only doing his duty.

I forgive him.

So must you.

(Anne) Master Kingston.

Goodbye, Elizabeth.

I want my mummy.

I want my mummy. I know.

(man) Pray for your soul...

(man 2) You're going to hell, ma'am.

(clanging)

(crowd shouting)

(crowd shouting "whore")

(woman) Burn in hell!

(crowd shouting)

Good Christian people,

I come here to die, according to law.

I will speak nothing against him,

and beseech you all to pray for the king,

our sovereign Lord,

the best prince on the face of the earth.

Thus, I take my leave of the world.

I beg you all to pray for me.

(in French)

(Anne speaks in French)

Forgive me, Mary, if I was ever angry with you or spoke with a sharp tongue.

Jesu, receive my soul. Lord have pity on my soul.

Jesu, receive my soul. Lord have pity on my soul.

Lord have pity on my soul...

God help me.

(♪ classical)