The King asks Charles to escort his sister, Margaret, to her betrothed and promotes him to Duke of Suffolk. The envoys from the Holy Roman-Emperor meet with Cardinal Wolsey and determine how to cement the treaty between the two nations. Anne catches the King's notice in a play. The Emperor is invited to the King's court. It is learned that the King of France knows of the treaty talks- and the Cardinal is quick to find a scapegoat. We learn more of why Anne's father and uncle want her to seduce the King.

The legatine court's divorce trial continues in the Queen's absence, hearing testimony suggesting prince Arthur carnally consummated his marriage to Catherine: embarrassing for the court, amusing for the populace. Catherine's council, bishop Fisher, dares claim even heaven can't dissolve the royal marriage, comparing to Herod Antipas' adultery shamed by Saint John the Baptist who was executed for that truth. Woolsey sends Thomas More to Cambria (Cambray) to check if France and the pope remain irreconcilable with the emperor. After Anne walks off, disbelieving Wolsey's promises to the king of a divorce by summer, Henry implies to cardinal Campeggio a negative verdict could turn him and England Lutheran, like half of Germany, yet after a papal message the legate prorogues the court till the end of the Roman Curia's recess, in October; imperial ambassador Mendoza, who is ceding his post to bishop Chapuys, tells Catherine it's the emperor's doing. Henry's sister Margaret dies from the consumption she contracted from Brandon, who recovered. When Thomas More reports the negotiations reconciled the emperor with France and pope Clement, Woolsey fears facing the royal wrath and ends up banned from court, ordered to relinquish all lucrative offices and accused of usurping royal authority. More is persuaded to succeed him as chancellor, under Henry's promise his conscience won't be abused by matters such as the divorce.

Now cardinal Wolsey lives in misery as penniless archbishop of and in York, barred from court, hoping in vain Anne Boleyn who broke his hold on the king will reward his efforts as she once wrote, honors and offices are mainly distributed to the Boleyn clan, with Norfolk in charge -Charles Brandon neglects his joint presidency- of the royal council. While the devout, rather ascetic new chancellor Thomas More is determined to crush heresy, personally attending the stake, Thomas Cromwell convinces Henry that under Luther's vision the king is above all earthly laws, even his annulment should merely be treated as a theological matter, so he is commissioned to put the case before European theology faculties, while ambassador Boleyn must approach pope and emperor. Once he tastes the burden of government, Henry reproaches the council less virtue and worse results then the cardinal, especially now the treasury is empty and troubles spread, but when Cromwell learns trough a physician about Wolsey's plot for his own reinstatement with pope and queen, the former master of the game is thrown in the Tower, where he slits his own throat, while More and the Catholic church are doomed now Henry has decided to make his own, almost Lutheran break-up with Rome after most universities and princes sided with Catherine.

As he seeks the annulment of his marriage to Katherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII appoints himself the head of the Church of England. And Anne Boleyn insists that Henry remove Queen Katherine from the picture -- and Court.

The Archbishop's capitulation to Henry results in Thomas More's resignation and a triumphal trip by Henry to France to show off his new queen to Francis.

After Henry breaks all ties with the church and marries Anne, the Pope threatens him with excommunication and authorizes Anne's assassination.

After princess Elisabeth's baptism, Henry orders Thomas Cromwell to draw up a bill of succession favoring his and Ann's offspring, to be accepted by an oath from all subjects. The affront to the imperialist party is maximized by making princess Mary a lowly lady in waiting to her half-sister, yet the French King still refuses openly to recognize the new Queen. Ann orders her rival lady Eleanor Luke eliminated, by false charges of jewel theft. Tired of Henry's schismatic obstinacy, Pope Paul III makes the loyal, hence jailed bishop Fisher a cardinal, Henry orders his beheading. Thomas More can no longer support his entire family, yet answers Cromwell's questions with Henry's own pamphlet arguing for papal supremacy by divine right. At her father Thomas Boleyn's suggestion only an ambitious mistress is a problematic rival, Ann urges Margaret 'Madge' Sheldon to 'succeed' Eleanor. Thomas More refuses to take the oath as phrased, while accepting he succession, landing him in the Tower.

Fisher and More continue to resist the coercion to take the oath and pay with their lives as Henry's ardor toward Anne subsides after her miscarriage.

When King Francis refuses to approve an engagement involving the baby but proposes one between Mary and the Dauphin, Henry begins to turn against Anne.

The Pope excommunicates Henry, who recovers after a near-fatal jousting accident and begins a relationship with Jane Seymour.

As Jane Seymour's fortunes rise, Anne's fall. Several of those close to her including her brother are tortured into confessing treason and beheaded.

Anne goes to her death continuing to pronounce her innocence and that of the accused men.

Henry's new wife Jane urges him to reconcile with his daughter Mary while Robert Aske leads a pilgrimage of thousands against Cromwell's monastic reforms.

The Duke of Suffolk is unable to defeat the rebellion militarily, so he resorts to lies and subterfuges.

Forced to recant, Aske is hanged in Yorkshire, Cromwell coerces Brandon to execute more rebels as examples, and Jane suffers complications in childbirth.

While a grieving Henry remains in seclusion with his fool coming to grips with Jane's death, court intrigue turns to political assassination in his absence.

frustrated in his efforts to assassinate Cardinal Pole, Henry has his relatives executed while Cromwell supports a marriage to Anne of Cleves.

Henry settles on Anne Of Cleves as his fourth wife but is disappointed with her attractiveness and blames Cromwell for his unhappy situation.

Henry is proud of Catherine, his beautiful, vivacious seventeen year old wife, who buys silence from an old friend by making her a member of the court.

Joan Bulmer confides the Queen's sexual history to Lady Rochford who tells it to Culpepper and arranges for him to have a liaison with the neglected Catherine.

While Henry prepares for a politically important trip to meet the defeated Northern rebels, Queen Catherine carries on her passionate affair with Culpepper.

After receiving a letter from an anonymous source the King decides to investigate the accusation that two other men knew Catherine 'carnally' while she was under the service of the Dowager Duchess, and he confines his Queen to her apartments with only Lady Rochford. The investigations uncovers many lies and many truths, which results in the execution of one of Catherine Howard's former lovers Francis Dereham, her current lover Thomas Culpepper, Lady Jane Rochford and Herself.

Henry allows Bishop Gardner a free rein in rooting out heretics and sets his eyes on the soon-to-be-widowed Catherine Parr.

After leaving wife Catherine as regent, a bellicose Henry invades France and lays siege to Boulogne in an attempt to regain his French provinces.

Although Henry does take Boulogne, his troops are decimated by dysentery while back in England the Queen arranges to give Edward a tutor with Lutheran beliefs.

Although Henry does take Boulogne, his troops are decimated by dysentery while back in England the Queen arranges to give Edward a tutor with Lutheran beliefs.

Henry allows Bishop Gardner a free rein in rooting out heretics and sets his eyes on the soon-to-be-widowed Catherine Parr.

Joan Bulmer confides the Queen's sexual history to Lady Rochford who tells it to Culpepper and arranges for him to have a liaison with the neglected Catherine.

After leaving wife Catherine as regent, a bellicose Henry invades France and lays siege to Boulogne in an attempt to regain his French provinces.

After receiving a letter from an anonymous source the King decides to investigate the accusation that two other men knew Catherine 'carnally' while she was under the service of the Dowager Duchess, and he confines his Queen to her apartments with only Lady Rochford. The investigations uncovers many lies and many truths, which results in the execution of one of Catherine Howard's former lovers Francis Dereham, her current lover Thomas Culpepper, Lady Jane Rochford and Herself.

While Henry prepares for a politically important trip to meet the defeated Northern rebels, Queen Catherine carries on her passionate affair with Culpepper.

Henry is proud of Catherine, his beautiful, vivacious seventeen year old wife, who buys silence from an old friend by making her a member of the court.

Henry settles on Anne Of Cleves as his fourth wife but is disappointed with her attractiveness and blames Cromwell for his unhappy situation.

frustrated in his efforts to assassinate Cardinal Pole, Henry has his relatives executed while Cromwell supports a marriage to Anne of Cleves.