This is the second blog post on historical inaccuracies in The Tudors.
It was originally written an published on Tudor Blogger website by Helene Phoebe Harrison (follow her on Facebook & Twitter for more posts like this). As I am not a historian myself and lean towards the scriptwriting and filmmaking side of films & tv series, I wanted to feature posts written by someone who would have done a better job with the history side of things - and Helene kindly let me publish her analysis here.
Episode 1 “Everything is Beautiful”
Charles Brandon married his ward, Katherine Brooke, but in reality she was Katherine Willoughby. On TV, Charles married Katherine in 1532, but in reality they didn’t marry until after Anne Boleyn’s coronation, in 1534.
Assassination attempt. According to the TV show, Pope Paul III organised an assassination attempt against Anne Boleyn before her coronation. In reality he wasn’t even elected until after her coronation, and there is no evidence for an assassination attempt.
Episode 2 “Tears of Blood”
Margaret More is shown to be in her mid-twenties when Henry VIII married Anne Boleyn, but at this point she was actually in her early thirties.
Mark Smeaton plays a violin, which looks like a very modern instrument; pre-baroque instruments needed a lot more pressure and a harsher bow than the actor is using, and the placement of the instrument and the fingering is also wrong.
Episode 3 “Checkmate”
Mary Tudor is shown as having brown hair, but in reality it was naturally red, like both her mother’s and father’s.
Thomas Cranmer smuggles his wife into England from Germany in a box. There is no evidence that she was smuggled in a box, and her name was Margaret, not Katarina.
Henry talks to Anne after the birth of Elizabeth – the quote that Henry says about both of them being young and that boys will follow was actually recorded as being said to Katherine of Aragon after the birth of Princess Mary.
Lady Eleanor Luke is seen as Henry’s mistress in 1533 while Anne was pregnant with Elizabeth. There are only two mistresses Henry is known to have had while with Anne – an unknown lady in 1534 and Madge Shelton in 1535. Eleanor Luke never existed.
Anne Boleyn holds the sovereign orb at her coronation, which didn’t exist in Henry VIII’s time; it wasn’t created until the time of Charles II.
Episode 4 “The Act of Succession”
There is no evidence of George Boleyn was a homosexual, in fact he was described as a ladies’ man.
Pope Paul III asked William Brereton to join the Jesuits in 1533 in the TV show, but in reality they weren’t formed until 1540, by which time Brereton had already been dead four years.
Lady Bryan had no need to introduce herself to Mary, as she did in the TV series, as in reality she had been governess to Mary for years - as she was to Princess Elizabeth and Prince Edward.
Episode 5 “His Majesty’s Pleasure”
There is no evidence that Henry picked up a woman in a forest, or even that he had many mistresses, as shown in the TV show.
Episode 6 “The Definition of Love”
Cromwell shows George Boleyn a printing press, which had been introduced in England by William Caxton in 1476. George Boleyn, even if he had never seen one before, would certainly have been aware of them and would have seen their work.
Henry Norris tells the king that he would like to marry Madge Shelton. In reality, it was Francis Weston who was rumoured to have wanted a relationship with Madge.
In the TV show, George Boleyn is seen marrying while Anne is queen, in around 1535. In reality, George had been married since around 1525.
In the TV show, George Boleyn is seen to rape his new wife, Jane Parker, but there is no evidence in the historical record. If it did happen it probably wouldn’t be recorded, but George Boleyn was said to be a nice person in reality, and popular.
Episode 7 “Matters of State”
Elizabeth Darrell, one of Katherine of Aragon’s ladies, is seen in the TV series committing suicide after the death of her mistress. In reality, she bore Thomas Wyatt three sons and outlived him.
Princess Elizabeth joins her parents in the palace gardens – Princess Elizabeth at this time would have been around two years old. The actress playing her looks at least four years old.
Episode 8 “Lady in Waiting”
Jane Seymour supposedly comes to court for the first time after Henry VIII visits her father at Wolf Hall. In reality, she had been at court for years, in the service of Katherine of Aragon and then Anne Boleyn.
Anne Boleyn did miscarry after Katherine of Aragon’s death, but there is no evidence of it being deformed. If it was, surely there would have been some talk, especially among Anne’s enemies, like Chapuys.
Episode 9 “The Act of Treason”
William Brereton never confessed to adultery with Anne Boleyn. Smeaton was the only one who did. Brereton was executed, but always denied his guilt.
Thomas Boleyn wasn’t arrested in connection with Anne’s arrest. He actually sat on the trial of Anne’s “accomplices”, judging them guilty and, by extension, condemning his own daughter.
Francis Weston was a prominent courtier during Anne Boleyn’s period as Queen, but the TV show has cut him out all together.
Episode 10 “Destiny and Fortune”
Thomas Cranmer didn’t attend Anne’s execution; he was out walking when the news came and he sat down and wept.