You think you know a story, but you only know how it ends.
To get to the heart of the story, you have to go back to the beginning.
- Halt. - Halt!
There it is.
Val D'Or.
The Valley of Gold.
- What if the French don't show? - Oh, they'll show.
They'll just be fashionably late.
Your Majesty, look. There they are.
What's the plan?
I was to ride down alone and meet the king.
It's a trap. What if they mean to lure you down to kill you?
All of you. On pain of death.
Stay.
Come on.
The king.
What is thou doing?
- Cousin. - Cousin.
After you.
- How do you like my beard? - You almost look French, you know?
Hear ye. Hear ye.
"I, Henry, by the grace of God King of England...
...lreland and France, do hereby..."
Stop.
I cannot be that while you are here, for I would be a liar.
During this summit, I am simply Henry, King of England.
And I am just Francois.
King of France and Burgundy.
Majesties, may I ask you each to place a hand upon the Holy Bible...
...and swear before God and these princes and lords here gathered...
...that you will be true, virtuous, and loving to each other.
I so swear.
I swear too. Of course.
Princess Mary.
May I introduce Prince Henry Philip, your future husband?
Are you the Dauphin of France?
Then I want to kiss you.
Mary.
I have got to get one of these.
Palace of Illusions. What do you think?
It's incredible, Your Majesty.
It's only painted canvas.
- But real wine. - Don't drink too much of it, Charles.
Your Majesty.
And now I have a gift for you.
- You embarrass me, brother. - Oh, no.
And all I can give you in return is this pastry.
What are you thinking, Charles?
I'm thinking that, while I'm here I should behave like the King of France.
Which means?
Which means I shall slip readily into the gardens of others...
...and drink water from many fountains, eh?
Do you see that young woman over there?
Dressed in purple and gold?
Yes.
Her name is Mary Boleyn, the daughter of the ambassador...
...with her sister Anne.
I call Mary my English mare because I ride her so often.
Gentlemen.
Thomas.
Papa.
King Henry noticed you today.
He wants to see you.
Wait.
I must go and tell Anne.
Anne.
What's your name, boy?
Thomas Tallis, Your Majesty.
Tallis. Good voice.
- Take a sovereign for your song. - Thank you, Your Majesty.
- Boleyn. - What of Buckingham?
In my presence, he has railed against your eminence.
Calling you a necromancer, a pimp.
Accusing you of using evil ways to maintain your hold over the king.
And what did Lord Buckingham say about the king?
He told me he has a greater claim to the throne.
And that as His Majesty has no male heirs, and will have none...
...that he, Buckingham, will succeed to the throne.
But he also told me that he has considered...
...bringing that eventuality forward more quickly.
- In what way? - By assassinating His Majesty.
You did well to come to me.
But I must warn you, say nothing of this to anyone.
You see that, brother? In most things, we French excel you.
We have the greatest painters...
...the greatest musicians and the greatest poets.
Most of whom, by the way, live at my court de ma cie.
The greatest philosophical minds, engineers, architects.
And of course, we have the most beautiful women.
You won't deny that, will you?
Even our wrestlers are better than yours.
- Are you sure? - What?
I said are you sure all your wrestlers are better than mine?
Do you wanna prove it?
What are you suggesting?
I am challenging you to a wrestling match, brother.
No.
You're a coward.
The French honour is at stake. I accept your challenge.
- Let's do it now. - Groom.
- Your Majesty... - No.
Majesties, gentlemen.
The rules are as follows:
First man to throw his opponent to the ground shall be declared the winner.
- Are you content? - Yes.
Then fight on.
- What bet will you lay? - Come on, Henry.
- Two kings, two queens and a fool. - Who's the fool?
I don't know yet, but it's a full house.
Come on, Your Majesty.
Henry's gonna win.
Whatever happens, he's not gonna win.
- Come on, Henry. - Come on, Henry, you got him.
Come on. Come on.
- Come on, monsieur. - Yes.
I want a rematch. I want a rematch.
Are you afraid? Are you afraid of a rematch?
Are you calling me afraid? Of what am I supposed to be afraid?
- Of me! - Let's have it then.
I'm not gonna sign this treaty. I'm not gonna sign it, go and tell them.
- Lf that's what you... - Go and tell them.
All right. If you want the world to know...
...that the king is changeable, shallow, intemperate...
...incapable of keeping his word, then, of course, I will go and tell them.
After all, I am merely Your Majesty's humble servant.
- Lady Mary. - Your Majesty.
I have heard a lot about you.
You've been at the French court for two years.
Tell me.
What French graces have you learned?
- With Your Majesty's permission? - Granted.
And now I ask his gracious Majesty, the King of England...
...to also sign in good faith, the Treaty of Universal and Perpetual Peace.
Leave.
Forget about the French, the Queen's nephew has been elected.
Now he is not only Charles V, the King of Spain,
...he's also the Holy Roman Emperor.
His dominions are vast, his wealth extraordinary.
And he's only 20 years old.
You will make arrangements to visit him at Aachen. Personally.
It may suit us better to do business with him than with the French.
Yes, Majesty.
Sir Thomas Boleyn, Your Grace.
Your Grace...
What did you think of that performance?
- L... - Don't be stupid, you're not.
The king's performance at the summit.
How did it strike you?
Personally, I would have wished to have seen a greater...
...more powerful man upon the throne of England.
Someone whose presence...
...would have made the French sit up and come to heel.
I have the way and the means to crush the usurper of my throne...
...as one would crush a revolting spider.
I will make him wish he'd entered the Church after all...
...and left the affairs of the state to those who are born to rule.
You betray me, Boleyn, I'll feed your body to me dogs.
Now, what have you discovered here?
I have it on good authority...
...that the Duke of Buckingham is raising an army.
He says it's to protect him while he tours his Welsh estates...
...where he's not popular.
He's also been borrowing large sums of money.
Buckingham?
Invite him to court for the New Year. But don't say anything to alarm him.
How are your children?
They're well, thank you, Your Majesty.
I encourage them all at their studies. Even the girls.
Always the idealist.
At some point, I imagine, it will be considered ordinary enough...
...and nothing strange for a girl to be educated.
I've received a gift from the Duke of Urbino.
It's a book called The Prince, by a Florentine, Niccolo Machiavelli.
Yes, I know it. It's about political opportunism.
It's true.
It's not like your book Utopia.
It's less utopian.
Nevertheless, he asks an important question:
Whether it is better for a king to be feared or loved.
Buckingham is going to try and kill me.
- Your Eminence. - Lady Blount.
- You are full term? - In a little while.
- Are you well? - As can be expected.
Have you some message from His Majesty?
No, none. But from your husband.
My husband.
Yes, I have spoken to him.
He finds that he has reconciled to your condition.
Then he won't send me to a nunnery?
He will be made an earl, and given estates.
And my child?
That is for the king to decide whether he will recognise the child.
I'm afraid I can offer you no more comfort than that.
Will you tell the king of my love for him?
My lord, I hereby pledge my allegiance to you and your house.
And do swear to serve you, even unto death.
We thank you from the bottom of our heart.
And in due course, you will find your loyalties richly and properly rewarded.
I thought I should tell you.
I'm being sent to meet the new Holy Roman Emperor.
The king has asked me to draw up a new treaty...
...uniting us against the French.
- You must be very disappointed. - I am very realistic.
Then I am disappointed.
- Our dreams were very unrealistic. - Maybe so.
But I will continue to dream them, even if I am alone in doing so.
I fear His Majesty no longer trusts or cares for me as he once did.
Thomas, let me give you a little advice.
If you want to keep the love of a prince, this is what you must do.
You must be prepared to give him the thing you most care for in all the world.
The thing I care for most is my integrity.
What is it you care for most in the world, Your Eminence?
His Grace, the Duke of Norfolk.
Your Grace.
I hope Your Majesty will accept this humble gift for the New Year.
We are very grateful to Your Grace. Your generosity overwhelms me.
As always.
Lie down.
- Get some linens. - His Grace, the Duke of Buckingham.
Your Grace.
Your Majesty.
- It has some words engraved on it. - Give it to me.
"With humble, true hearts."
Your Grace overwhelms me. Your words touch me.
They are the greatest gift.
Greater than any riches.
Push, my Lady. Push.
Breathe. It's coming.
With true and humble heart.
There.
Hold, Your Grace.
What do you want?
Your Grace is arrested on suspicion of treason.
I'm ordered by the king's majesty to take you to the Tower.
You take my advice, gentlemen, you let us pass.
By no means. And if any of your men should strike...
...against His Majesty's servants in pursuit of their duties...
...that's treason too. As Your Grace should know.
Your Grace.
You. You are only new men. You don't know anything.
If I am accused of treason...
...I should be judged by a jury of my peers, not by the dogs of butchers.
There's no lord in England who will ever find against me.
Form them up.
I have instituted a Court of High Steward to judge Buckingham's case.
Twenty peers will be appointed to the court.
Norfolk will be first among them.
- Your Majesty, if I may? - What?
I believe it could be dangerous to find the duke guilty of treason.
- Even if he is? - Even if he is.
On the other hand, he could be found guilty of some lesser offence.
Heavily fined and banished from court.
In that way, he would be disgraced, but his friends and allies...
...would have little cause or occasion to rise against you.
- And that would be the best outcome? - I believe it would, yes.
And you would see to it that the court come to that decision?
I have every confidence.
As I have in Your Eminence.
Wolsey will set up the court. Norfolk will head it.
I want you to remind His Grace of his responsibilities.
14-30. Chase to four, gentlemen.
Ball.
Mary?
Does the king still call for you at night?
No, Papa.
Even though the king is your godfather, when you approach him...
Your Grace.
What do you want?
Only to pass on His Majesty's love.
He appreciates the role you will play at my Lord Buckingham's trial...
...and for all the care you have for His Majesty's well-being.
He also sends you this.
This is my father's ring.
He was executed by His Majesty's father, did you know that?
His Majesty thought you might like to wear it.
- Is this your son? - Yes, it is.
And he's going to be received by his godfather, the king.
Your Grace should have a care for his inheritance.
It would be terrible if some action of yours...
...were to deprive him of a father, a title and a ring.
Your Grace.
Your Grace has been accused of treason...
...and of imagining and plotting the death of the king's majesty.
This court of High Steward...
...after reviewing all the evidence against Your Grace...
...finds Your Grace guilty of the charges against you.
No.
And so sentences Your Grace to death at His Majesty's pleasure.
This is your doing.
Butcher's dog.
It's all your doing!
Bastards!
Your Majesty.
God bless you, sir.
Take this, Your Grace.
Traitor.
Do you forgive me?
Your Grace must lie down.
When you stretch out your arms, I will strike.
Stretch out your arms.
I have a son. I have a son.
Thank God.
Come on, you charlatan.
I have a son!
I have a son, God.
Can you hear me? I have a son.
Your Majesty is to be congratulated on such a happy event.
Thank you, Your Eminence.
The Lady is upstairs.
- Henry, congratulations. - Thank you, Charles.
- I always knew it wasn't my fault. - No.
His Majesty has decided to recognise his son.
He will be known for the present as Henry Fitzroy.
And he will have his own establishment at Durham House...
...with a chaplain, officer and a retinue befitting his station.
Thank you.
You should write and thank His Majesty.
I only do his bidding.
The queen. The queen.
To my son.
What was your deal with Wolsey?
In return for England not going to war with France...
...I promised him the French vote.
The fact is, Wolsey has gone to Aachen to meet the new emperor.
He obviously means to break the treaty with your king.
In which case...
...we are no longer obliged to deliver our side of the bargain.
In any case, we don't want an English Pope.
We had one once.
He was insane. Never again.
The Pope must be an Italian. That is God's will.
- Your Holiness must swallow it. - Push it.
My Lady, full of grace, I pray you, I beseech you in all humility...
...for the love I bear for you, and for your son, Jesus Christ.
I pray you give me a child.
A son to fill my empty womb.
I beg you.
In a few weeks, the court will quit Whitehall for Hampton Court.
There's been an incident of Sweating Sickness in the city.
You know how afraid the king is of any illness.
How is the king?
I was sorry to hear of Cardinal Orsini's election as Pope.
You are perpetually sorry, More.
- I wasn't simply being polite. - Oh, really?
I was not.
As long as there is such corruption in the Church...
...that heretic Luther will continue to gain followers.
I know that if you had been elected he would have worked tirelessly...
...to cleanse the Church of all its evil practises.
Perhaps you think too highly of me, Thomas.
Perhaps, you think too highly of the whole human race.
- Lady Blount. - Mr. More.
The queen.
My lady.
The queen.
- Uncle. - Anne.
- Sweet Anne. - Yes, Papa.
- You know why you're here? - No, Papa.
- In Paris no one explained. - Good, it's better that way.
What's happened?
His Majesty is tiring of his French alliance.
It seems he's also tiring of your sister. He no longer invites her to his bed.
- Poor Mary. - Poor us.
When she was his mistress, all our fortunes were made.
Now most likely they will fall.
Unless...
Even if he had me, who is to say he would keep me?
It's not just Mary. They say that all his liaisons are soon over.
He blows hot, he blows cold.
Perhaps you could imagine a way to keep his interest more...
...prolonged?
I daresay you learned things in France.
How to play his passions?
There's something deep and dangerous in you, Anne.
Those eyes of yours are like dark hooks for the soul.
How was your meeting with the emperor?
Good. Productive.
He makes no secret of his antipathy for the French.
He wants to go to war with them...
...and he's desperate for an alliance with Your Majesty.
And in return for our alliance?
There will be a joint invasion of France for the overthrow of King Francis.
And I shall claim the crown.
And once more truly be King of England, Ireland and France.
Just like my forefathers.
Your Eminence has built the most beautiful palace here.
- Thank you, Your Majesty. - Probably the finest house in England.
I have nothing to compare with it. Nothing to show more fair.
Your Majesty...
...it is yours.
With the furnishings?
Come on.