The Tudors season 1

Another movie about the life of Henry VIII. This series starts with Henry's relationship with Bessy Blount and ends with Cardinal Wolsey's death. Since Queen Katherine cannot give him a male heir, Henry tried to annul his marriage and marry Anne Boleyn. The Pope has given him a dispensation before, so he can marry Katherine of Aragon, who was his older brother's widow. Henry says the fact that he has no living son is a proof that God disapprove of the marriage, because it is written: "Thou shalt not uncover the nakedness of thy brother's wife" and the punishment is childless. I do not understand why he has to ask the dispensation from the Pope, because I think God disapprove if the brother in question is still living. Arthur is dead. In the Bible, there is a story of Onan, Judah 2nd son, who marries his brother's wife and God kills him because he refuses to give his seed to the widow since the offspring he can't claim as his own (Genesis 38).

I also don't understand why Gabriella Anwar's character is called Margaret instead of Mary. Margaret was the one sent to Scotland and Mary Stuart and Henry Lord Darnley were both her descendants. Mary was sent to France to marry Louis XII (and not to Portugal) and later after the king's death married Charles Brandon. In this movie, Margaret acts more like a common woman than a princess for her face is horribly sad when she is doing her state duty: marry the old king of Portugal.

In this series Anne Boleyn is used by her father & uncle to destroy Wolsey. No sign of her fiance Henry Percy (the relationship had been encouraged by her father). Anne was in love with Percy and furious when Wolsey separated them and she destroyed Wolsey because of this hatred.

Jeremy Northam's Thomas More is different from other actors played the character (Paul Schofield, William Squire). He is more witty and humorous. This is also the first time I saw More burning heretics, makes me wonder why he is called a saint.

The sweating sickness scenes are interesting.