Original subtitles

- And I say we continue to insist

upon the Church's immunity from secular interference;

and we shall continue to insist upon it

because that immunity

was ordained by God. [Audience murmuring]

And this immunity from secular interference should extend

to the ordained priests and servants of our Holy Church,

and they should be free from the threat

of murder and harm, by the use of poison...

[Applause]

...or any other foul means, when their only crime

has been to obey God's law

and uphold the sanctity of the Church.

[Applause]

I beg you to understand...

- The King can't allow this.

The vote is crucial.

One way or another, he must break the Church,

now and for always.

[Bells tolling]

[People chattering]

- Hey, Mark. - What is this, Mr. Wyatt?

It's Christmas! The season of goodwill.

What's wrong with everyone?

- There's no mirth this year because everything is different. - How?

- In case you hadn't noticed, the Queen and her ladies aren't here.

- Why should we all be sad about that? [Chuckling]

- You know what the French say: a court without ladies

is like a garden without flowers.

[Laughing]

- Lady Anne, a Christmas present

from His Majesty.

- Thank you, Your Majesty.

- I've also had a great bed made for you.

It's almost ready.

- Your Majesty, a present from the Lady Anne.

- Boar spears.

- Made after the Biscayan fashion, apparently.

- The best.

[Ladies gasping] [Laughing]

Thank you, sweetheart.

- Another present for Your Majesty.

- Come closer.

It's very fine.

Who sent it to me? - Her Majesty

Queen Katherine, Your Majesty.

- I will not receive it. Take it away!

[Sighing]

- Don't let her spoil everything.

- Your Majesty, the Chancellor Sir Thomas More.

- Sir Thomas.

- Majesty. Mistress Anne.

I have a seasonal gift for you.

With your permission.

It reminds us of what we have to celebrate.

- Thank you, Sir Thomas. I will treasure this.

We must meet soon, Thomas.

There's a great deal to do with the business of management of this kingdom.

There's still a great clamour against the privileges

enjoyed by the clergy, and their abuse of it.

Further measures will certainly have to be taken.

- I look forward to consulting with Your Majesty.

- Thomas.

Happy Christmas.

[Music and laughter]

- Your Majesty.

- Charles!

- Majesty. - Happy Christmas.

- Happy Christmas.

- Game of tennis? - Good idea.

May I speak with you honestly? - I hope so.

- Are you really gonna marry Mistress Boleyn? Whatever the consequences,

whatever her history?

- Why do you ask, Charles?

What do you mean: "whatever her history?"

- I have it on very good authority that she and Thomas Wyatt were once lovers.

Apparently she fornicated with him on many occasions,

sometimes brazenly entering his chambers at night.

- I've heard those rumours. She denies it.

- Well, she would, wouldn't she?

- I said she denies it!

Happy Christmas.

[Christmas greetings]

- How do you find the King, Mr. Cranmer?

- I swear to you, Mr. Cromwell, that he really is the kindest of princes.

- I think you were born at a happy hour,

for it seems, do or say what you will,

His Majesty will always take it at your hand.

- I am not so conceited

as to suppose I am anything more to His Majesty than a diligent servant.

- Your modesty does you honour.

But His Majesty clearly thinks that you are destined for better things.

Which is why he has appointed you

his special envoy to the court of the Emperor.

- He can't possibly do that!

What... what I mean is...

is, why me?

I... I am nothing, Mr. Cromwell.

- His Majesty trusts you absolutely.

He knows that you understand his Great Matter

better than anyone else, and that you take his part.

You're in a better place than most to represent him at the Imperial court.

I'm sure that you'll be a great success.

And on your way there, you'll have a chance to visit the city of Nürnberg.

The first city wholly run by Lutherans and reformers.

A city free of ancient superstitions and idolatry.

Free of Popery and the abuses of the clergy.

I shall look forward to your report.

- The Duke of Suffolk has taken it upon himself to repeat the gossip

about you and Mr. Wyatt.

- And do you believe any of it to be true?

- If I did,

would I be walking here with you?

- I suppose

you've banished the Duke from court?

[Mysterious music]

- I've asked the French ambassador to come and see me.

I want him to draw up a new treaty of alliance with France.

To nullify the threat against the Emperor.

- I'm glad. You know my sentiments towards France.

But, forgive me...

what has that got to do with me?

- There is another reason why I want to see him.

I intend to arrange a visit to France for both of us.

I want to present you, formally,

to King Francis,

but as my future wife

and the future Queen of England.

- Oh, my God!

[Religious music, choir singing]

- Your Grace. May we speak?

I am here to inform Your Grace,

as Archbishop of Canterbury,

that the King intends to put a bill

before the new session of Parliament.

- What does it concern, Mr. Cromwell?

- In the first place, it means to deny the Pope much of the revenue he now receives

from the English Church. It also means to lay indictments

against the privileges of leading clergy in this country. - Mr. Cromwell,

what could be the cause of this further attack upon our Holy Church?

- People can see for themselves that the monasteries

are already sitting on a great wealth, which could be better applied elsewhere

for the good of the whole commonwealth. For the good of ordinary, hard-working people.

- This does not strike me

as an attack against abuses.

But rather, an open attack

upon our faith...

[Coughing] ...and the faith of our ancestors.

- If that is your judgement, Your Grace, it is not mine.

Neither is it the King's.

- Nan!

- Yes, Madam? - Draw me a bath.

The walk has made me cold. - Yes, Madam.

- I've got such exciting news.

We're going to Paris.

I'm going to be presented before the King.

[Ominous music]

Nan!

Who has been in the apartment today?

- Nobody, Madam. Not to my knowledge.

Why?

- Here is a book of prophecy.

This is the King,

this is the Queen...

and this is myself,

with my head cut off.

[Footsteps approaching]

- His Grace the Duke of Suffolk.

- Your Grace. I have His Majesty's order

to banish you from court.

You have displeased him, it seems.

- Who are you, Mr. Cromwell?

I feel like I should know, but somehow I don't.

- I am exactly as Your Grace finds me.

I serve His Majesty to the best of my ability.

- Someone told me that you were once a mercenary soldier.

- I saw some action in my youth.

As did Your Grace, I believe.

- But I was never a soldier of fortune.

If I displeased the King, it was in a good cause.

- I'm sure.

Although some would argue otherwise. - Like you?

- I would never have the temerity to argue

with Your Grace. - Not to my face anyway.

- Here is the order. You are to leave court at once.

[All talking excitedly] - I have here, in my hands,

the oath which all members of the clergy swear to the Pope

at the time of their consecration!

It is in clean contrast

to the oath they swear to us.

My beloved subjects...

We thought the clergy

were wholly our subjects.

But now we can see they are only half our subjects...

if they are our subjects at all!

My Lords,

I demand to know,

whose subjects are you:

the Pope's

or mine?

[Murmuring]

- Sir George Throckmorton, Your Honour. - Sir George!

Very glad to see you.

I know you are a good Catholic man

who has never been afraid to speak his conscience.

- So, in truth, should every man, Your Honour.

- Indeed. But these days, it seems there are many

who can be bullied into silence, or worse,

into acting against their conscience.

Mark my words, George: these next few days

will determine the future of our faith.

Whatever Mr. Cromwell says,

however he dresses his argument up with honeyed words,

the effect remains the same: he is demanding

that the clergy submit themselves totally to the King's will and to secular authority.

God forbid he should ever succeed!

If he does, there will be no more Church, no more religion,

no more spiritual life in this kingdom!

Cromwell might as well rape the Blessed Virgin himself!

- Your Honour!

- That's why I'm asking you, asking you and people like you,

to remain strong and true.

If you do,

then you will deserve God's great reward,

and much worship will come to you personally.

Believe me,

in time even the King himself will thank you.

- We give thanks

for the reign of the King's Grace,

and we ask God's blessing on him

and on his people...

But on this holy day, we are obliged to say

that some of your Highness's preachers are these days

too much like those of Ahab's days,

in whose mouths was found

a false and lying spirit.

[People whispering] Theirs is the gospel of untruth,

not afraid to tell of licence and liberty for monarchs,

which no Christian king should dare

even to contemplate! [People clamouring]

I beseech Your Highness to take heed,

not to pursue the path you seem to be taking,

or you will surely follow Ahab,

who married the whore Jezebel,

and surely will incur his unhappy end, that dogs

will lick your blood as they licked Ahab's...

which God avert and forbid!

[Shouting and clamouring] Unhand me, you dogs!

I am a man of God!

Unhand me!

Unhand me!

[Clamouring]

I am a man of God! Unhand me!

- You shameless friar! You'll be sewn in a sack

and thrown into the Thames if you don't speedily hold your tongue.

- Keep your threats for your fellow courtiers.

As for us friars, we take no account of them at all,

since we know very well that the way to heaven is as good by water as by land.

[Cawing] [Gavel pounding]

- All rise for the King!

[People whispering]

- Parliament is in session!

- My Lords...

Your Graces...

Have you come to a decision?

Do you still deny me,

or do you accept

the authority of your King?

- Your Grace.

- Your Majesty. [Coughing]

[Coughing]

Here is...

the submission of the clergy...

to Your Majesty's will.

[People whispering]

- There.

- Thank you, Archbishop. - They've surrendered.

The Church is broken.

- I never thought I would live

to see this day in England.

- Now, by act of Parliament, heretics are free

to swan around the streets of London without check.

- If I could weep, Sir Thomas,

I would weep tears of blood.

[Sighing] [Door opening]

- Sir Thomas More.

- Sir Thomas.

- Your Majesty.

I come to offer my resignation from my post as Chancellor.

I ask Your Highness to allow me

to withdraw from public life,

so that I may spend what time remains to me

provisioning my soul,

and in the service of God.

In this bag I carry the Great Seal of my office,

which I find now too heavy to hold.

- I discharge you...

most willingly.

In everything you have done for me, Sir Thomas,

you have always...

been good and gracious,

both in private

and in public affairs.

- Majesty.

I promise on my honour

that I will never speak publicly

of Your Majesty's Great Matter.

But now, in private,

I must confess to you, as someone

who once enjoyed Your Majesty's confidence and friendship,

my deepest belief that, if Your Majesty saw fit

to be reconciled with Queen Katherine,

the divisions and hurts of your Kingdom

would at once be healed.

There. I've said it.

And now my lips are forever sealed.

- Thomas!

I will hold you to that promise.

- Lady Elizabeth. I come on the King's business.

- Mr. Wyatt.

- Where is the Lady Katherine?

- Her Majesty is at prayer and will be for a long time.

She cannot be disturbed.

- I am charged to deliver this. - What is it?

- A command that Lady Katherine return her official jewels.

Lady Elizabeth...

- What do you want? - You know what I want.

- Mr. Wyatt, I have no intention of becoming your mistress.

Nor anyone else's, for that matter.

I shall be a virgin when I marry, but I doubt

I shall marry at all. I would rather be a bride of Christ.

- A nun? I don't think so.

Check your pocket.

"Would God thou knewest the depth of my desire...

"Then might I hope, thou nought I can deserve...

Some drops of grace would quench my scorching fire."

[Door opening]

[Festive music, laughter]

- I trust all the arrangements

have been made for my visit to France? - Yes, everything is prepared

and ready, Your Majesty. King Francis

is most eager to see Your Majesty again,

and to sign with you a new alliance of friendship.

- And the Lady Anne?

- She will be received with all due honour.

- I'm very glad to hear it.

I only want the best for her.

I want this visit to be special.

And I don't want anything to spoil it.

Do you understand me?

- I understand. Completely.

And so does His Majesty.

[Applause]

- Thank you, Mr. Smeaton.

- Sweetheart.

- Your Majesty, this is the young gentleman I told you about:

Mark Smeaton. - Mr. Smeaton.

The Lady Anne has told me a lot about you.

She says you play very well.

Play something for us.

- Your Majesty. [Snaps his fingers]

[Lively air]

- I know it was wrong for the Duke of Suffolk to say what he did,

but do you think it's possible we could forgive him?

- If you forgave him so quickly,

some people might think that there was some truth

to what he said. - Yes, but to refute them,

to answer the matter directly and to show how much I trust you,

I will do a more important thing.

I will invite Mr. Wyatt to come to France with us.

That way, no one can accuse me of jealousy,

or the slightest suspicion.

- My love, you have no reason to be suspicious.

Nor will ever have.

- I've received a most illuminating letter from our friend Cranmer.

It appears that, in Nürnberg,

clergy are allowed to marry.

And Mr. Cranmer has taken full advantage of that fact.

- You mean he got married? - So it seems.

- Well, it won't do his career much good here.

Being illegal.

[Chuckling] - Well, it's illegal for the clergy to marry now, yes.

- What are you saying?

You want priests to be able to marry?

- Perhaps I have never fully explained myself to you, Your Lordship.

When, to you and to others, I have attacked the practices

of the Catholic Church--

pilgrimages and the worshipping of saints,

crawling to the cross,

veneration of priests...

I've never been interested in reforming them.

No.

My real, my only interest

is in destroying them.

- [Whispering]: On the contrary, Mr. Secretary.

I think we understand each other perfectly.

[Applause]

- There is something else,

something very important, which must be done

before we can sail for France.

- What?

Tell me! - Shh...

[Giggling]

- Make way for the Lady Anne. Make way.

- To all and singular, as well nobles and gentiles as others

to whom these presents shall come, it is the King's pleasure, by this patent,

to confer on the Lady Anne Boleyn,

in her own right, and on her offspring,

the noble title of Marquess of Pembroke.

And also by this patent, to grant her lands

worth 100,000 pounds a year,

for the maintaining of her dignity.

- The patent of your nobility.

- Thank you, Your Majesty.

- His Majesty the King and the Lady Anne Boleyn,

Marquess of Pembroke. [Formal greetings]

- Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi

custodiat tu in vitam aeternam.

Our dearly beloved archbishop Warham.

- He died peacefully...

if one can say such a thing at such a time.

- He is, perhaps, fortunate to be gathered now into heaven,

before the final ruin

of the Church he loved and served.

- You are resigned then, Sir Thomas, to our ruin?

- I don't know what else can be done.

We fought, and we failed.

All I want now is to be left in peace.

To write and pray.

- Surely we have a duty still to act in the interests of Christendom,

whatever the cost!

- I have no fear of the cost.

But I have...

abjured the public realm.

It no longer interests me.

As it no longer interests His Grace.

[Praying]

- Mistress Darrell.

- I came to give you your poem back.

- You cannot give a poem back.

Or a kiss.

Or a thought.

- I'm sorry that you are unhappy.

Burning, as you say.

I'm sure I've done nothing to cause it.

- Nothing?

My Lady, you are full of causes.

Your hair...

your eyes...

your lips...

All are causes of my desire.

- I must go to Mass.

- I know you must. I know.

Stay a moment.

- Oh, what are you doing?

- Giving you a chance

to be penitent...

my beautiful, pious lady.

- Margaret,

darling daughter...

It might come to pass

that I could be held to account for my beliefs.

- But the King allows for your conscience...

- Nonetheless, it's better to be prepared.

- I don't understand.

- Sweetheart...

We must discuss the question of martyrdom.

No, no. Shh, shh...

Listen.

Because if I thought my wife and children

would encourage me to die in a good cause,

it would so comfort me,

that in great joy I would

merrily run to death.

Please.

Please.

[Sobbing] - Oh, Father!

- What do you think?

They are all in the French fashion. [Chuckling]

This is the damask you gave me.

Do you like them?

I so want you to be proud of me! - Oh, I will be.

And these will help.

These are the jewels of the Queens of England.

I shall have them reset for you.

- I don't know what to say.

- Yes, you do.

- I love you.

I love you with my every breath.

With every fibre of my being.

I love you and I am yours.

- And I am yours.

- Wait!

You have been so kind to me...

let me be kind to you.

My love...

My love...

- You are travelling with the King to France? - I am.

- Will you consider carrying out your mission while you are there?

- If there is a good opportunity, yes. - I tell you this:

if you succeed in killing the King's whore,

you will be the beloved of God,

of His Holiness, and of the Emperor--

and truly of all the faithful people of England.

- And if I should die in the attempt?

- Then the Emperor would look after your family here on earth.

And you would be welcomed into heaven,

by a fanfare of angels.

[Ceremonious music]

- My dearest brother.

- Mon frère.

Mon ami. [Applause]

- Bienvenue.

We are here to renew our friendship

and that of our two nations.

Come! Let us celebrate! [Applause]

[Festive music, conversations]

- Santé.

This is a wonderful feast, brother.

- Merci. - But... where is she?

Where is the Lady Anne?

- She will be here.

- I am sorry my wife and sister changed their minds about meeting her.

But what do you expect?

Souvent femme varie, bien fol qui s'y fie!

- Women are often variable. Only madmen believe them!

- Exactement. [Laughing]

I have it in mind, brother,

that you and I

should make arrangements for a joint crusade.

- Like... Richard Coeur de Lion! - Absolument!

Warriors of God.

And of course, no one will be happier than His Holiness

if we should commit ourselves to reconquer the Holy Land.

- But still,

we would be joint leaders in this venture. Yes?

[Laughing]

- Of course!

[Conversations in French]

- Your Grace.

I'm delighted to see you returned to His Majesty's good graces.

It gives me much pleasure

to invite you and the Duchess

to dine with us while we are in Calais.

- Not as much pleasure as it gives me

to refuse your invitation.

My Lord.

- There are rumours

that Your Grace secretly supports the Queen,

and are against the King in this Great Matter.

And yet, for so long, you took immense pride

in being totally indifferent to the machinations and politics of this world.

So what happened to you?

- I grew up.

- Mistress Boleyn! You must feel so excited to be back in France,

after all your little adventures here. - Tut, Mark.

You ought to remember that I'm still in mourning for my poor husband.

- Well, I wouldn't have called him poor. Dull, certainly.

[Laughing] - And impotent.

- Really?

- I can't wait to ride

some young French stallion while I'm here.

- Well, between you and me,

neither can I!

[Exclamations]

- Ohh!

Magnifique!

[Applause]

She's ravishing.

- Bravo!

[Laughing]

[Applause]

- Qui êtes-vous?

Do I know you?

[Exclamations] Ahh! [Laughing]

La belle Anne.

[Applause]

♪

Cette époque où vous et votre soeur

étiez demoiselles de compagnie auprès de ma reine... - Mm-hmm?

- Je m'en souviens comme si c'était hier.

- Votre Majesté est très gracieuse.

Mais il est des choses, peut-être,

que votre Majesté connaît à mon sujet...

je préférerais que vous les gardiez secrètes

et qu'elles ne soient...

jamais mentionnées au Roi.

- Hmm...

Madame la Marquise,

I am a Frenchman.

I would never betray the secrets of a woman,

especially a beautiful woman, who must naturally have a great many.

- Do you really support my marriage to the King?

- Bien évidemment. For one thing,

I hate the Emperor,

so that anything which discomforts him,

like the divorce of his aunt,

pleases me immeasurably.

But also, I know you are a friend of France,

so... we can do business.

- But there is something else?

- Oui.

It is not my place to say this, Madam, but...

perhaps we know each other well enough.

The fact is, the station you will be asked to occupy

is not an easy one...

especially to those not born to it.

It is much harder to have everything than to have nothing.

If I had not been born to be King,

I would certainly not have wished that fate upon myself.

Vous comprenez?

- Oui, oui, je comprends.

Majesté.

- I've tried to run from the fire that burns me.

But when I look around,

there the fire still is.

- Hello, sister. [Laughing]

When you remember how it was,

when we were here before--

could you ever have imagined this, Mary?

[Chuckling] - Not for all the world.

But then I am not as clever as you.

- I promise you

-and I can tell only you-

that the thing I have so longed for

will be accomplished here.

[Laughing]

[Wind howling, rain pouring]

[Thunder rumbling]

- I thought Francis behaved himself rather admirably.

You looked beautiful.

[Thunder rumbling]

[Light, airy vocals]

[Rain pouring]

- Now, my love...

let me conceive.

And we will have a son.