To ask the historians among you to explain this even from the tudors to me? ( reformatiin related).

[malificent7]

So from what I gather Henry 8th sought to break from Rome as he wanted to divorce Katherine and Marry Anne Boyelyn. Hence the advent of the Prostestant church. Catholicism was brutally surpressed etc.

However in season 4, episode 9, a protestant lady was tortured and burned as a heretic for her protestant beliefs including the rejection of the holy communion for being the body and blood of Christ. Also some Catholic priests were plotting unsuccessfully to accuse protesrant Katherine Parr of being a heretic.
But I thought Henry wanted a protestant nation? Or could he not make up his mind? Am i missing something as I'm confused!?

@fmpc

I'm getting confused with your Catherines

Catherine of Aragorn (1st wife, Catholic and anulled/divorced)
Was succeeded by Anne Boylen who was beheaded as was her cousin Catherine Howard (wife no. 5)

Katherine Parr was his sixth wife who outlived him, so not sure why you're talking about her being tortured in relation to Anne Boylen

Katherine Parr wasn't tortured in relation to Anne Boleyn. Anne Askew's arrest, torture, and subsequent execution were in part politically motivated by a faction who wished KP to be removed. They could do that if Anne Askew implicated KP in holding Protestant beliefs.

It didn't happen, and KP managed to outlive her husband.

@fmpc

I'm getting confused with your Catherines

Catherine of Aragorn (1st wife, Catholic and anulled/divorced)
Was succeeded by Anne Boylen who was beheaded as was her cousin Catherine Howard (wife no. 5)

Katherine Parr was his sixth wife who outlived him, so not sure why you're talking about her being tortured in relation to Anne Boylen

I'm picturing a fantastic LOTR/Tudor hybrid in Catherine of Aragorn!

@FreezerBird

gwenneh

FreezerBird

I'm of the opinion that Anne of Cleves did better out of the arrangement than any of the other wives. She must have lived out her days in a state of perpetual relief.

I'm not so sure. Living as the King's "good sister" was still at his very changeable pleasure. Her household was interrogated more than once, and she could never marry since the marriage was annulled based on the Lorraine pre-contract.

Not a great position to be in, really. She's more lucky she made it out alive.

Well, yes, I was comparing her situation to that of the other wives. It's a fairly low bar!

And she didn't have to shag Henry with his suppurating leg ulcers, so there's that..

Yes

Katherine of Aragon, Divorced
Ann Boleyn, Beheaded but also annulled so Elizabeth was a bastard and didn’t have claim to the throne, why she came after Edward and Mary
Jane Seymour, Died but with Edward legitimate heir
Ann of Cleves, Divorced but also engineered a amicable escape
Catherine Howard, Beheaded but the marriage wasn’t annulled
Katherine Parr, Survived

Watch Anne of a Thousand Days for a slightly more accurate portrayal or Man for All Seasons, or Wolf Hall. None are completely accurate but better than Tudors.

There are probably many more factually accurate takes than The Tudors, however none of these include the very important feature of Henry Cavill's bottom

And she didn't have to shag Henry with his suppurating leg ulcers, so there's that..

Who's the real "Most Happi" out of the bunch?

Historian here!
I've not rtft but short answer...Anglicanism was basically a mix of Catholicism and Protestantism. Anglicanism still retained the heirarchy and structural elements of Catholicism but had moved away from Rome and Pope. It did kick start the reformation in England.

@Emilyontmoor

Yes

Katherine of Aragon, Divorced
Ann Boleyn, Beheaded but also annulled so Elizabeth was a bastard and didn’t have claim to the throne, why she came after Edward and Mary
Jane Seymour, Died but with Edward legitimate heir
Ann of Cleves, Divorced but also engineered a amicable escape
Catherine Howard, Beheaded but the marriage wasn’t annulled
Katherine Parr, Survived

Elizabeth was a bastard and didn’t have claim to the throne, why she came after Edward and Mary

No, that would have been the normal order of succession anyway: boys first, then eldest girl, then next girl.

Alison Weir's history books might interest you OP.

For fiction, I love the Other Boleyn Girl!

I couldn't stick with the Tudors but I did think Natalie Dormer was excellent, especially the scenes waiting in the Tower. I gave up somewhere in the next series.

@Ohshitiveturnedintomymother - was Elizabeth 1 not protestant?

@Lellochip

Watch Anne of a Thousand Days for a slightly more accurate portrayal or Man for All Seasons, or Wolf Hall. None are completely accurate but better than Tudors.

There are probably many more factually accurate takes than The Tudors, however none of these include the very important feature of Henry Cavill's bottom

Never saw it

I already have a favourite screen bottom - Tom Hiddleston in the Night Manager.

[quote SummerBreeze1980]@Ohshitiveturnedintomymother - was Elizabeth 1 not protestant?[/quote]
Anglican not Protestant.

[quote SummerBreeze1980]@Ohshitiveturnedintomymother - was Elizabeth 1 not protestant?[/quote]
Personally, yes but her religious settlement was what because known afterwards as Anglican or the Church of England. She was savvy enough to put her personal faith on one side for stability. And she really dislike puritans (extreme Protestants) including banning them form speaking and cutting off hands etc

Now I'm confused

At the time, Elizabeth was officially a Protestant, right?

I loved watching the Tudors :-)
OK, I'm not originally from the UK, but my husband is British. Where I come from, we didn't learn anything about the British history at school. The Tudors series gave me (apart from entertainment) some basic pointers, I was cross-checking the facts while watching each episode and found that part of history so fascinating!

I’ll go with three. Katherine of Aragon, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves. Anyone want to go higher or lower?

^^
In Henry’s mind, two. Jane Seymour and Katherine Parr.

In reality, I agree with you! I could make an argument for four- Katherine of Aragon, Jane Seymour, Catherine Howard, Katherine Parr, or a different three - as above but no Catherine Howard.

Re the OP - as I understand it, Henry said that the King of England had always been head of the church in England, but it was still a Catholic church. He certainly wasn’t a Protestant at all.

If I could choose to be any of the wives I’d be Anne of Cleeves, who at least didn’t have to shag Henry and got to live a happy (ish) wealthy life. She couldn’t marry but that would be a mixed blessing anyway!

Wouldn’t be Katherine Parr because of Thomas Seymour.

Second choice would be to be Katherine of Aragon because she got a lot of the good years!

@Ostara212

Now I'm confused

At the time, Elizabeth was officially a Protestant, right?

No. That would have thrown her in first opposition to France and Spain.

She was the head of the English church which, after Edward, looked More like the Protestant church that we would recognise but still was not Protestant.

@MaloInAnAppleTree @Ohshitiveturnedintomymother - thank you.

Why couldn't Anne of Cleves marry?

@SummerBreeze1980 her marriage to Henry was annulled on the basis that she was pre-contracted to someone else (basically betrothed) and wasn't free to marry. Why they couldn't just go with non consummation is anyone's guess

[quote Bells3032]@SummerBreeze1980 her marriage to Henry was annulled on the basis that she was pre-contracted to someone else (basically betrothed) and wasn't free to marry. Why they couldn't just go with non consummation is anyone's guess[/quote]
The marriage was annulled on the grounds of non-consummation and her pre-contract to Francis of Lorraine. They went with both but Henry didn’t want people to think he was impotent so they focused on the pre-contract.

It's Boleyn and Aragon. Sorry, can't stand the other attempts. PPs have pointed out the rest.

Also Anne, not Ann.

@GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing

I’ll go with three. Katherine of Aragon, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves. Anyone want to go higher or lower?

^^
In Henry’s mind, two. Jane Seymour and Katherine Parr.

In reality, I agree with you! I could make an argument for four- Katherine of Aragon, Jane Seymour, Catherine Howard, Katherine Parr, or a different three - as above but no Catherine Howard.

Re the OP - as I understand it, Henry said that the King of England had always been head of the church in England, but it was still a Catholic church. He certainly wasn’t a Protestant at all.

But Catherine Howard was supposedly betrothed/consumated secretly to Francis Dereham in which case the marriage would not have been valid with Henry.

I go with Katherine of Aragon, Jane Seymour and Katherine Parr.