The Tudors to Return to Showtime for 4th and Last Season

The Tudors is a Showtime TV series that has aired for three season and is airing its fourth and final season starting in March 2010. The dramatic epic series is based on the life of King Henry VIII and on his six marriages. The story is based upon real life events and historic characters in Renaissance era England. The Tudors on Showtime stars Jonathan Rhys Meyer as King Henry VIII.

The Renaissance era is sometimes viewed as a romantic era, but the wives of king Henry VIII did not have easy lives. King Henry saw himself as the ultimate authority and had cruel streak.

When the king's first wife, Queen Katherine of Aragon (portrayed by Maria Doyle Kennedy), did not give him a healthy son the King divorced her so he could marry Anne Boleyn. His desire for Boleyn was so great that he created the Church of England becaue the Pope of the Roman Catholic Church would not grant him an annulment from Katherine of Aragon so he could remarry.

Queen Anne Boleyn had a sad fate when she did not bear him the healthy son she had promised him. King Henry grew disenchanted with Queen Anne Boleyn (portrayed by Natalie Dormer) and when she was accused of adultery the King sentenced her to beheading. The scene of Boleyn's beheading was one of the more poignant of the series. Queen Anne Boleyn did leave a lasting legacy in her daughter, who became Queen Elizabeth I..

King Henry VIII's third wife, Jane Seymour (portrayed by Annabelle Wallis) , finally gave him the desired son, Prince Edward. Seymour died after childbirth. King Henry considered Howard the ideal wife and the series showed the king mourning his wife.

King Henry was matched up with Anne of Cleves (portrayed by Joss Stone), who he found repellant and he divorced her. Anne of Cleves and King Henry remained friends. and he treated her as a sister.

As season three ended, King Henry married Catherine Howard (Tamzin Merchant), who we know from history was also accused of adultery and beheaded.

King Henry VIII married a sixth time to Catherine Parr, who will be portrayed by Joely Richardson in the fourth season. Catherine Parr survived King Henry VII, and was left his widow after he died.

The series does not hold back on the depiction of the King who had a way of disposing of people who crossed him by execution. The Tudors can be hard to watch because of the gory depictions of executions and violencethat seems to come in every episode. The storyline itself is fascinating, filled with intrigue, back stabbing and some romantic interludes with the lustful king.

The Tudors will be back for its fourth and final episode in March, 2010, on Showtime Premium Cable Television.

Source: Showtime - The Tudors

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