The King’s Sister(s), Mistresses, Bastard(s), and “Uncle” in The Tudors

Abstract

Sex and tragedy shine throughout The Tudors. The series portrays Henry VIII as a rock star, constantly sleeping with different women and controlling the lives of those around him. It also regularly disrupts the space–time continuum to create what at first appears to be fictionalized history. Yet, it goes beyond that, for “The Tudors is best viewed not as a historical fiction but as a steamy period drama.” Though writer Michael Hirst prides himself on the amount of research he conducted, he also admits, “The show is supposed to be an entertaining soap opera and not history.” That statement accurately describes the entire series but is especially true of the way The Tudors portrays Henry’s family and mistresses. From his fictitious uncle’s assassination in the first scene of Episode 1:1 to the amalgamation of his two sisters into one person to the fabricated mistress Ursula Misseldon in Season Three, the series transforms history in a highly creative manner. This is important, for the stories Hirst invents about Henry, his extended family, and his mistresses produce much of the show’s drama and help to increase both its sex appeal and its tragic moments outside of the well-known accounts of Henry and his wives.¹