The Tudors

1. S01E01In Cold BloodApril 1, 2007 7.7Henry's uncle, Ambassador to Urbino, is assassinated by the French and Henry seizes upon this event to plan a war with France to establish h
2. S01E02Simply HenryApril 8, 2007 7.6With Thomas More's encouragement, King Henry prepares to meet King Francis of France and sign Cardinal Wolsey's peace treaty. Henry had prom
3. S01E03Wolsey, Wolsey, Wolsey!April 15, 2007 8.0As Cardinal Wolsey has lost his chance to be Pope with King Henry's decision to go to war against France, a new accord with Spain and Queen
4. S01E04Season's bestHis Majesty, The KingApril 22, 2007 8.6As a reward for his denunciation of Martin Luther in his book, the Defence of the Seven Sacraments, the Pope christens Henry "Defender of th
5. S01E05Arise, My LordApril 29, 2007 8.0King Henry is stunned by a reversal in his alliance with Emperor Charles and forced to look elsewhere for European support, while Anne Boley
6. S01E06True LoveMay 6, 2007 8.0As King Henry gains in confidence, his displeasure with the way the Catholic church handles his request for an annulment of his marriage to
7. S01E07Message to the EmperorMay 13, 2007 8.5William Compton dies of the "sweating sickness" at Compton Wynates, his house in Warwickshire. As King Henry VIII receives positive news of
8. S01E08Truth and JusticeMay 20, 2007 8.3The Pope's legate Cardinal Lorenzo Campeggio arrives to hear the case for King Henry VIII's divorce from Katherine of Aragon. Cardinal Wolse
9. S01E09Look to God FirstJune 3, 2007 8.0The legatine trial on the legitimacy of King Henry's marriage to Katherine continues despite the queen's refusal to attend, but the papal en
10. S01E10The Death of WolseyJune 10, 2007 8.1Wolsey, now acting solely as the Archbishop of York and living in relative poverty, is repudiated by Anne Boleyn and writes to Queen Katheri

Season 1 ranked & reviewed

1. S02E01Everything Is BeautifulMarch 30, 2008 7.4As he seeks the annulment of his marriage to Catherine of Aragon, King Henry VIII seeks to appoint himself the head of the Church of England
2. S02E02Tears of BloodApril 6, 2008 7.2As the Catholic Church struggles in vain to control Henry VIII's demands for an annulment, the King appoints himself head of the Church of E
3. S02E03CheckmateApril 13, 2008 7.7Henry destroys all ties with authority and the past. After many failed attempts to have his marriage to Catherine annulled by the Catholic C
4. S02E04The Act of SuccessionApril 20, 2008 7.8Questions of faith dominate the court. As the infant Princess Elizabeth is baptised, Thomas Cromwell unveils the 'Act of Succession', declar
5. S02E05His Majesty's PleasureApril 27, 2008 8.4Attempts to legitimise the King's marriage and increase his power hit firm obstacles as Sir Thomas More and Cardinal Fisher insist that only
6. S02E06The Definition of LoveMay 4, 2008 7.9As the Reformation gathers pace, Sir Thomas Cromwell becomes ever more powerful as propagandist-in-chief of a new moral order. Royal confide
7. S02E07Matters of StateMay 11, 2008 7.7As Thomas Cromwell's increasingly ruthless 'reforms' spread terror through an ever more vulnerable Catholic Church, Anne Boleyn has nightmar
8. S02E08Lady in WaitingMay 18, 2008 8.3At Henry's command Jane Seymour is made a lady-in-waiting to Anne Boleyn, much to the discomfort and suspicion of the Queen. Emperor Charles
9. S02E09Season's bestThe Act of TreasonMay 25, 2008 8.6Anne has lost her son, and with him her last chance at a lasting marriage with Henry. The King's affections are shifting anyway: the Seymour
10. S02E10Destiny and FortuneJune 1, 2008 8.4As Anne Boleyn awaits her death, which is painfully delayed by the executioner's late arrival, Henry visits Jane Seymour and asks for her ha

Season 2 ranked & reviewed

1. S03E01Civil UnrestApril 5, 2009 7.6Days after Anne Boleyn's execution, Henry VIII weds a third time, to shy, demure noblewoman Jane Seymour – a union that he and his advisers
2. S03E02The Northern UprisingApril 12, 2009 7.4The rebellion now known as the "Pilgrimage of Grace" begins in earnest, with Henry dispatching Brandon to deal with the uprising; bedridden
3. S03E03Dissension and PunishmentApril 19, 2009 7.6Queen Jane and Lady Mary bring the toddler Lady Elizabeth to court, and Henry reconciles with her at the Christmas holiday. He also makes pr
4. S03E04Season's bestThe Death of a QueenApril 26, 2009 7.9The leaders of the Pilgrimage of Grace uprising are put to death, but Brandon is haunted by the cruelty and mercilessness of the suppression
5. S03E05Problems in the ReformationMay 3, 2009 7.2Henry remains in seclusion while mourning the queen's death, an opportunity that enemies of the crown seize to murder several friends of the
6. S03E06Search for a New QueenMay 10, 2009 7.2Matchmaking begins in earnest as Cromwell schemes to secure the Reformation by marrying Henry to a Protestant wife – but the king's marital
7. S03E07Protestant Anne of ClevesMay 17, 2009 7.0War looms with France and Spain aligning against England with backing from Rome, so Henry agrees to a politically fortuitous marriage with A
8. S03E08The Undoing of CromwellMay 24, 2009 7.4Henry moves swiftly to annul his loveless marriage to Anne of Cleves, and beds a new mistress, 17-year-old Princess Mary falls in love with

Season 3 ranked & reviewed

1. S04E01Season's bestMoment of NostalgiaApril 11, 2010 7.8King Henry VIII marries his fifth queen, a lusty teenager whose beauty and checkered past inflame the passions of a trusted courtier, Thomas
2. S04E02SisterApril 18, 2010 6.9Henry's age catches up to him during Christmas celebrations, but his youthful and randy court continues the party without him; the arrogant
3. S04E03Something for YouApril 25, 2010 7.0A noticeably more benevolent and tolerant Henry VIII forgives the citizens of the North for their rebellion against him, but the youthful wi
4. S04E04Natural AllyMay 2, 2010 7.3The king's warm welcome in the North reinvigorates him but his queen's past catches up to her when a former lover appears with threats of bl
5. S04E05Bottom of the PotMay 9, 2010 7.8The king is devastated to learn of his beloved queen's ribald past and present affairs, and banishes her from court, even as the investigati
6. S04E06You Have My PermissionMay 16, 2010 7.3The newly single Henry surprises his countrymen by restoring his daughters to the royal succession, forging an unexpected political alliance
7. S04E07Sixth and the Final WifeMay 23, 2010 7.6War looms with France as Henry marries Catherine Parr, who proves to be an able and respected queen and stepmother, finally giving England's
8. S04E08As It Should BeJune 6, 2010 7.6The war with France is nearly lost when one of Henry's officers cleverly engineers a sudden victory, but the triumphant king's health has be
9. S04E09Secrets of the HeartJune 13, 2010 7.4Powerful accusations of heresy are made against the queen but the ailing Henry has little interest; a chastened Lord Surrey faces the ultima
10. S04E10Death of a MonarchyJune 20, 2010 7.5Henry defeats one final political foe but faces his mortality after the deaths of both his best friend Charles Brandon and King Francis of F

Season 4 ranked & reviewed