Steve Shill

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The concluding season of the SHOWTIME Original Series THE TUDORS brings us through the final years of one of the greatest figures of English history. Although he has been in power for many years and should by now be comfortable with his status and position, Henry's life and times remain as turbulent, controversial and dramatic as they were when he was the young King of Season 1. Michael Hirst, creator of THE TUDORS, sums up the season: "We're coming to the end of Henry's life but things don't slacken up. Far from going out quietly, Henry VIII goes out with an extraordinary bang. He is older, but only in his late 40s. He is ill - he has an extremely serious ulcerated leg - and more paranoid, but then he marries an extremely young woman, who didn't have the right background to be a Queen. At the same time, he goes to war. Then he marries again, for the final time, to a woman who is very capable but whom everyone thinks is a heretic and some want to execute.

We begin the season with a King who has been frustrated at every turn by the Vatican in his bid to annul his marriage to Katherine of Aragon in order to marry the younger Anne Boleyn. The reasons, indeed necessity, for this step are multiple -- part vanity, part sexual desire, part bold individualism -- but they center on one unshakable ambition: to father a son and heir to the Tudor dynasty inherited by Henry from his father. If he does not have a son, then this lineage, for which he has such ambitions, will die with him. But this desire alone is not the whole story. Inspired by the writings and reformist zeal of a disgruntled German theologian named Martin Luther, Henry takes on the Catholic Church at their own game -- wielding power and authority -- and launches a savage and ultimately bloody bid to be master of his own spiritual as well as secular destiny. The English Reformation brings together the personal and political ambitions of a Royal revolutionary.

The concluding season of the SHOWTIME Original Series THE TUDORS brings us through the final years of one of the greatest figures of English history. Although he has been in power for many years and should by now be comfortable with his status and position, Henry's life and times remain as turbulent, controversial and dramatic as they were when he was the young King of Season 1. Michael Hirst, creator of THE TUDORS, sums up the season: "We're coming to the end of Henry's life but things don't slacken up. Far from going out quietly, Henry VIII goes out with an extraordinary bang. He is older, but only in his late 40s. He is ill - he has an extremely serious ulcerated leg - and more paranoid, but then he marries an extremely young woman, who didn't have the right background to be a Queen. At the same time, he goes to war. Then he marries again, for the final time, to a woman who is very capable but whom everyone thinks is a heretic and some want to execute.

THE TUDORS will present the rarely dramatized, tumultuous early years of King Henry VIII?s nearly 40-year, omnipotent reign (1509-1547) of England. In addition to his famous female consorts and 20+ year marriage to Catherine of Aragon and the infamous dalliance with Anne Boleyn, the series delves into Henry's most notable political relationship and the deconstruction of the Roman Catholic Church in England.

Twenty seven years into his reign, Henry VIII is at the height of his powers. Not long after the execution of Anne Boleyn he takes a third wife -- Jane Seymour. Soon there is wonderful news for King Henry: after some months of nervous waiting, his beloved Jane is expecting a child. Henry is convinced it will be his long-awaited male heir; when he is proven right, the country goes into a convulsion of celebration. Soon after delivering the child, Jane falls into a fever and dies. Henry is heartbroken and becomes a recluse. Cromwell however, encourages him remarry as soon as possible to the dowdy sister of the Duke of Cleves, Anne. They marry in underwhelming circumstances and the marriage remains unconsummated, despite Henry's best efforts. Ultimately, the failed marriage reflects badly on Cromwell and his enemies.

We begin the season with a King who has been frustrated at every turn by the Vatican in his bid to annul his marriage to Katherine of Aragon in order to marry the younger Anne Boleyn. The reasons, indeed necessity, for this step are multiple -- part vanity, part sexual desire, part bold individualism -- but they center on one unshakable ambition: to father a son and heir to the Tudor dynasty inherited by Henry from his father. If he does not have a son, then this lineage, for which he has such ambitions, will die with him. But this desire alone is not the whole story. Inspired by the writings and reformist zeal of a disgruntled German theologian named Martin Luther, Henry takes on the Catholic Church at their own game -- wielding power and authority -- and launches a savage and ultimately bloody bid to be master of his own spiritual as well as secular destiny. The English Reformation brings together the personal and political ambitions of a Royal revolutionary.